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Bursting at the Seams |
Can't we just stay as we are? I like it like this.
No, God calls us to grow, to be fruitful and to share the Good News. If the first disciples had thought like that, the church and Christianity would never have left the one room in Jerusalem. We must recognise that change may be painful, but it is also part of healthy living. As John Stott has put it:
"Change is painful to all of us, especially when it affects our cherished buildings and customs, and we should not seek change merely for the sake of change. Yet, true Christian radicalism is open to change. It knows that God has bound himself to his church (promising that he will never leave it) and to his Word (promising that it will never pass away). But God's church means people and not buildings, and God's Word means Scripture not tradition. So long as the essentials are preserved, the buildings and the traditions can go if necessary. We must not allow them to imprison the Living God or to impede his mission in the world."
Will we still be one church?
Yes, we will remain united by everything else which goes on in the life of our church: Key Groups, Prayer Meetings, Stepping Stones, Women's Fellowship, Time Out, Houseparty, Heavenly Bodies etc etc. Also the same sermon will be preached at both services in general.
What will the weekly pattern of services be?
| 8.00am: | 2nd & 4th | BCP Said Communion (unchanged) |
| 9.15am: | 1st | Common Worship Communion | All other weeks | Common Worship Morning Prayer |
| 10.45am: | 1st | All Age Service | 2nd & 4th | Morning Service | 3rd | Common Worship Communion | 5th | All Age Communion |
| 6.30pm: | 1st | BCP Communion (unchanged) | 2nd, 3rd & 5th | BCP Evening Prayer (unchanged) | 4th | 6.34 (unchanged) |
Why are the two (9.15 and 10.45) services different?
This gives us an opportunity to offer a breadth of worship styles, favoured by more people. While we must never fall into the trap of turning worship into a spectacle, which we choose as we might choose which programme to watch on TV, we nevertheless recognise that different people find it easier to worship God in different ways. Our prayer is that, not only will more people come to worship, but that each of us will be released to worship God more. There is a danger that, in an effort to provide one service where everyone finds something they like, we create a service where everyone finds something they don't like.
Must I choose between the two?
Most people will choose one of the services, and we would encourage belonging primarily to one, but you will of course be welcome whenever you come to worship.
Why are the services this way round?
We recognise that there are arguments both ways. However it makes sense to have the more structured service first to ensure it finishes on time. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that a later structured service tends not to be so successful.
What about the other services?
At present 8.00, 6.30 and 6.34 remain unchanged.
Won't I lose touch with people?
All of the opportunities mentioned in the 'Will we still be one church?' question will remain. In addition, coffee and pastries will be served at 10.15 as an opportunity for people from both services to meet. And anyway, it is a fact of life that, in a relatively large church like our own, we are only able to get to know a certain number of people well.
Will this affect Key Groups?
No, Key Groups will contain those who are part of both services.
Will this affect Impington?
No, the Impington pattern will remain unchanged.
Could we not just 'send' some people over to Impington?
No, this would not be appropriate. It would not be fair to people who have worshipped at Histon for many years to make them leave their church, and it would not be fair to those at Impington to have people 'descend' on them like that. What is more, there are now sometimes more than 70 people worshipping at Impington on a Sunday morning in a building which will only seat just over 100, so there is not a great deal of space there.
When will the bells ring?
At 10.15 for the 10.45 service, also marking the end of the 9.15 service.
What will happen to the Junior Choir?
Cicely has agreed to run the Junior Choir until Christmas. The Junior Choir will sing at the festivals and when we know how the new pattern works we'll be able to make some definite decisions for the future.
What about children's work?
At 10.45, the J'Zone Club will operate under its new leadership. At 9.15, we are hoping to provide an All-Ages Sunday School. This is dependent on finding leaders.
In which service will baptisms take place?
We anticipate they will normally take place in the 10.45 service.
Won't we need more readers, sidespeople, intercessors etc?
Yes, this is a great opportunity for more people to be actively involved in worship.
Does this venture have the support of the PCC?
This venture has the unanimous support of the PCC.
Will there be clergy at both services?
Yes.
Won't this change of service pattern be painful?
We need to recognise that, for some people, this may be painful, for change hurts, but change is a natural consequence of healthy growth.
Is this change for a trial period only?
No, we believe that the Lord is calling us to this and we need to take this decisive step. As usual with any change there will be a need to reflect and review these changes in the light of experience.
What can I do to make this work?
There are many things that we can do. We can pray for the successful growth of the church. We can share the Good News of the church's growth with those around and invite them to one of the new services. We can get more involved personally as a reader, intercessor, etc.
Will it work?
There are no guarantees, but we believe that God is calling us to make this step of faith (it has been said that faith is spelt RISK), and that He will lead us in it. We don't know what will happen but evidence suggests that it ought to work, if we are all supportive of the step:
"[Doing this] was one of the best decisions I have made in 16 years of ordained ministry ... In a changing church and culture, there isn't really any alternative." (Rev Stephen Corbett)
"We took exactly the same step as you are considering a little over two years ago and I feel that it was one of the best things we have ever done. More people feel that they now have a place to worship in a style with which they feel comfortable and we have two very different styles of 'church' to attract different types of unchurched people." (Rev Ian Parkinson)
Contact the Church Office for further details.