Services
Sunday Services
As a community of faith endeavouring to engage with the 21st century in our time, place and space. We are searching for the God within us, between us and beyond us. We encourage laughter at our own ridiculousness, and are challenged to consider how we might make a radical difference in caring for the community of North Reddish in a practical way. Numbers attending this service are steadily increasing but average between 70 and 75.
All of our services begin with a brief sharing of news from our families and local community; we provide a safe space within which we encourage one another to express our joys (birthdays, anniversaries and personal announcements) and our sorrows (illnesses and tragedies, both global and local) celebrating with some, extending love and compassion to others.
Following local news, we remind ourselves of the despair people are experiencing throughout the world as a result of war, starvation and other life threatening situations. We hold all these situations in mind's eye and hearts care, inviting God to spin threads of compassion from us to them, that we may aspire to do something to change their plight through campaigning for justice.
Following on we light what is called the Care Candle,
displaying
A RED AIDS/HIV RIBBON
as a reminder of the 42 million people worldwide inflicted with
the disease.
A PINK CANCER RIBBON
as many of us know others locally who are living and dying with Cancer.
A GREEN ENVIRONMENTAL RIBBON
to remind us of everyone's responsibility in caring for the world in
which we live.
We continue with a few moments silence as we hold in tension the joys and
sorrows we have been able to give voice to and the joys and sorrows that
we hold privately.
8am - Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer,
sometimes called 1662)
This traditional service begins with silence, no hymns or singing,
followed by a short address usually based on the reading from one of the
4 Gospels. Between 15 and 20 people normally attend this service which
lasts for about 45 minutes. Followed by refreshments.
10am - Morning Worship Includes songs, prayers, readings and a very short address and lasts 40 minutes. At this service we weave together insights from other faith traditions and alternative forms of worship within the basic framework and structure of the Church of England’s Common Worship.
10.40 - We Share The Peace, leading into The Eucharist
You are very welcome to just come in for this part of the Service
11am Refreshments and Gathering for Liquid Worship or Messy Church
11.15am Liquid Worship or Messy Church. All young people and their families are invited to be part of Messy Church, this is a Fresh Expression and as the name suggests, "Fresh Expressions" of church are new and different ways of being Christian in a changing culture.
Singing
We try wherever possible to avoid singing many of the old hymns that
clearly inspired previous generations, and were true for the people of
that time, but were written when their world view then was entirely
different from ours now. We have retained many of the traditional and
familiar tunes, but in our quest for a greater authenticity and
integrity for our age, we look for words that make complete sense for
the people of today.
Hymns and songs that celebrate Justice, Compassion, Mercy, Social
Responsibility and our responsibility to work together with God to
create a better, fairer, more equitable world is the path we acknowledge
that God invites us to follow on. Also songs that invite us to live the
biggest, most complete and fulfilled lives that is humanly possible and
divinely inspired after the pattern of Jesus and in the power of the
Spirit.
Baptism's
Now take place at 3pm. The Churches service of welcome into the life of the Church, usually conducted on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. All enquiries for Baptism take place in Church each Wednesday evening between 6 - 7pm. The Parish Hall is available for hire at a cost of £25 for 2 hours, following the Baptism Service.
Parade Services
The second Sunday of each month is the Parade Service, when young people from St Agnes Scout and Guide uniformed organisations join us and take an active part in the service. The schedule for each 2nd Sunday is as follows.
10am Informal worship lasting 60 minutes maximum. In the past, parents sent their children to this service and came and collected them at the end, but parents are now joining the children and enjoying themselves too. Followed by refreshments.
Midweek Services
Tuesday 9.30 Christian Meditation Group (45 mins)
Exploring Silence and Contemplative Prayer
Wednesday 7am Morning Prayer (30mins)
A contemporary reflective service, using Jim Cotter's Into
the Silence - Out of the Silence. As the name suggests,
the service guides us into a quiet reflective place, includes 10 minutes
silence and prepares us for the day ahead.
Wednesday 10.00am Holy Communion with an informal discussion around the gospel reading. Between 10 and 14 people attend.
Wednesday 1.30pm (Second Wednesday of each month only)
Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
Precedes the meeting of the Women's Guild at 2pm
Saturday 8am Morning Prayer (30mins)
A contemporary reflective service, using Jim Cotter's Into
the Silence - Out of the Silence. As the name suggests,
the service guides us into a quiet reflective place, includes 10 minutes
silence and prepares us for the day ahead.
Followed by breakfast.