Worship in the Park
September 2008 - A report
A time of fellowship and worship for the Epsom Churches
On
28th September 2008, members of the Epsom Churches met to reflect
on what God is saying to the churches in Epsom. St Barnabas Church was
open to all for the afternoon for individual reflection and prayer using the
letters to the churches in Revelation. The afternoon finished with a short
service of worship, sharing of ideas and prayers for the Epsom Churches.
It
was a fruitful afternoon providing space to reflect on our journey and
worship together, but more importantly it was a chance to meet other
Christians and make connections that will facilitate future work. As with
any good church event this was punctuated by a good selection of food and
plenty to wash it down with.
So
is there a message that God has given us for Epsom..... There were no
blinding answers. God rarely works in that way. But maybe the most obvious
message from the afternoon is the power of relationships and corporate
prayer for Gods will to be done in Epsom.
Worship in the Park
September 2008
28 September 2008 there will
be an afternoon of prayer, tea and worship at St Barnabas church.
Following a meeting of CTiE it was agreed that
this year there would not be an open air worship in the park, but St
Barnabas Church would be open for prayer throughout the afternoon and there
would be a service in the evening for the Churches Together in Epsom. In
support of the Chinese Congregation who meet every Sunday afternoon at 3.0
pm, it was stated that we would not be happy with another afternoon service
at this stage, which thus allowed all the churches to have their normal
services morning and evening but would not clash again with the Chinese
Congregation at EMC. A proposal was then made that the actual worship would
be in the evening.
St Barnabas will be open from 2pm and there
will be some aids to thought and prayer available.
Tea will be at about 5pm (i.e. when the Chinese
Church have finished their service) and worship will follow.
Every change at St Barnabas,
and no doubt at other churches, such as the refurbishment of the building;
the drop ins;
Love Me - Love My Mind;
etc has come out of praying, worshipping and speaking together.
Hopefully 28 September will
provide an opportunity, whether it is taken up or not!, for all the Churches
Together in Epsom to gather together to break down some misconceptions;
enjoy one another's company; and, most importantly, listen to what God may
be inviting the Churches in Epsom to do together, or separately, to further
God's kingdom in this town.
Lets see what happens!
Rev. Sue Bull
Please support the afternoon and
evening worship as Churches Together in Epsom
Worship in the Park 2007 - A
Report
Open Air Service –
September 16th in Rosebery Park
The
meeting discussed the positive and negative views about the event.
On the plus
side was the weather, the Public Address system, the number of groups taking part, the
choir, the different styles of music, the attendance (though there was
debate about exactly how many people attended – between 200 and 400). Some
members of the meeting were critical of the Chinese and Brazilian prayer
(which was felt to be a novelty rather than adding any value), the gazebos
(the amount of effort involved in putting them up), the length of the formal
service (some felt this was too long and did not allow sufficient time to
walk around) and the limited number of choirs and musicians involved.
In addition
Simon Talbott asked it to be said that the input did not necessarily portray
what the majority of us are trying to achieve. It was also suggested that
the event was not well publicised (which was important since the whole point
of the event was to encourage people who did not normally attend church).
Finally
the calendar clashes were discussed.
St Josephs had
sent their apologies that there was a parish day on that day.
In further
discussion others commented that they felt positively about the gazebos;
they provided a good containment of space and would have been invaluable if
the weather had been bad. There was a carnival spirit at the event. Query
whether the set up of the gazebos made an exclusive circle which was not
welcoming/too enclosed. It was discussed what guidance was given to
contributors about the time for their prayers.
The meeting
discussed how we could improve the event for next year and maximize the
attendance.
Could
the event be moved to the morning?
Could
the event replace church services?
Would
this be acceptable to all churches and in particular would St
Joseph's be prepared for the event to replace their mass?
It was a shame
that there had been a very good rock band at St Joseph's that afternoon
which few people attended and it would have been good it the two events
could have been combined. The meeting agreed that we would like to have the
event again next year. It will not necessarily be at the same time as we
wish to involve the maximum number of people, and how this can best be
achieved needs to be explored. In order for churches to feel involved they
should be involved in the organisation from the outset. A sub-group will be
set up to arrange this. Michael Preston volunteers to collect views from
all churches regarding (i) the timing of the event and (ii) the time of year
for the event.
The meeting
agrees that this is what we wish him to do.
This costs of
the event were £80 for the public address system and £52.50 for printing for
both this event and 24/7.
There will be an open
air Service for all Churches in Epsom in Rosebery Park on Sunday, 16th
September, at 3 pm. This is an exciting and new venture for us in 2007.
Do come and support us. Three of our local clergy will present their
vision of the future of the Church here – in its unity and its diversity -
and each Church can present something of its life to those from the other
Churches..
All will be welcome
to the prayer and worship with choirs leading the lively music.
The Service will also
include the launch of the 24/7 programme of prayer which will start at St
Barnabas at 4 pm
Open Air Service –
September 16th, 3pm Rosebery Park – All Churches are invited to
bring along a Gazebo and a sign to represent their Church. It is suggested
they bring a few chairs too. There are no toilets in Rosebery Park. There is
no intention to provide any refreshments. There will be a service for about
an hour and people can look at displays afterwards. This is an outreach
event to which it hoped people will bring their friends. The aim is to show
musical diversity and so it is hoped there will be one hymn in Chinese.
Advertising of the event is discussed together with the suggestion of
publicity in local papers and on Council notice boards. There is some
discussion about the draft publicity brought by Brian and the appropriate
layout and title. This needs some work and any suggestions for a logo are to
be emailed to Brian Angus. Practicalities such as cordoning off the area and
having a site manage are discussed.
