What to expect when you come to worship at St Lawrence’s

When you come into church for a service you will receive a warm welcome and be given a service sheet or book and a sheet with that week’s prayers, readings and diary. 

The Main service on Sunday mornings is Holy Communion

We use the modern English service from the Church of England’s official book, Common Worship, published in 2000.   This service is where we remember Jesus’ Last Supper, and bread and wine is blessed.    Some churches call this service the Eucharist or Mass.   If you have been Confirmed or normally receive communion in another church you are welcome to receive communion here.   If not, please come up to the altar when everyone else does and the priest will say a prayer of blessing.

At  8am   the service lasts about 45 minutes, there are no hymns or music and there is a sermon.   

At 9.30am    we have music and sing hymns and songs – traditional and more modern – and a sermon.   Next Gen (Sunday school) meet in the church hall during this time.  Lasts about an hour and quarter.

On the first Sunday of the month we have Together -  an all age service  with the worship led by our worship band.

At 6pm    the services vary with a mix of modern and traditional, formal and informal.  We sing hymns and songs and there is a sermon.  The service lasts about an hour.

             1^st Sunday of each month -  Evensong using the 1662 Prayer Book.  This is the traditional service that many people will have grown up with and love.

2^nd Sunday of each month - Service of the Word.  This uses modern English and is fairly traditional in style.

3^rd Sunday of each month - Evening Praise .  This is a time of informal worship with our worship band. 

4^th Sunday of each month - Holy Communion.  This is a simple service in modern English.

Once every 3 months we hold a Memorial service for the recently bereaved.

Healing Service:   Once a month we will have special prayers for healing offered at all our Sunday services, usually combined with communion.  It is not on a set week of the month but will often be on the 4th Sunday of the month. 

 

On Wednesdays at 10am we have a service of Holy Communion held in the small side chapel of the main church.  The service lasts about 45 minutes, there are no hymns or music and there is a sermon.   It usually uses the previous Sunday readings and sermon.

 

At all our services we pass a plate or small bag round for you to put an offering of money in.    This is to help run the church, with most of it going towards the cost of having a vicar and paying our bills.