About our Services
Note: if you have any questions on any of the events listed here, we'd love to hear from you. Feel free to contact us (via the church office) and we'd be happy to talk to you.
What are our services like?
We hope that this brief introduction to our services may be a help in planning a visit, particularly if you haven’t been to church for a while. It can be an intimidating experience going to a new church for the first time, but we hope that you’ll find us welcoming and friendly, but also able to give you space if that’s what you want. We are used to having visitors, and people who just want to take a look or try us out. We are also delighted if people come who would not call themselves Christians but want to sit on the sidelines and observe.
Weekly Sunday Services
Our main weekly Sunday services are at All Saints, Fordham (find us on a map).
10 am Services at All Saints, Fordham
All our services begin with the whole congregation, young and old, in together. Before the service there is the sound of people chatting and the music group practising. People dress as they want, ranging from jeans and T-shirts to smart suits or dresses. The ministers usually wear a jacket and tie. Some people arrive early, but there tends to be a rush from about 9:55. Most Sundays we are fairly full, and sometimes we have to put chairs out at the back of church, although people can then move into the pews when the children leave.
Children
Children leave with their leaders after about 10 minutes of the service. We realise that children don’t always find it easy to sit quietly, so please don’t feel embarrassed if yours make some noise! Our Sunday school is called ‘All Saints Club’ and is for children aged 3-13. If you’re unsure how your child will settle in a new group, do speak to one of the leaders, and perhaps accompany your child. Children aged 3-8 need to be collected after the service from the John Owen Barn between 11:15 and 11:25; older children make their own way back to church.
More details are here.
Babies and Toddlers
It can be a stressful having a baby or toddler in church, if they start making a noise. Please don’t worry – we are very used to having babies in church, and mums and dads needing to come and go during the service if they get restless. There are a couple of options. There is a small room at the back of the church under the tower where you can sit, and there are one or two toys, as well as a toilet with baby changing facilities and a sink. With the doors closed it is reasonably sound proof, although loud crying and adults talking can be heard during quieter parts of the service. The other option is a supervised crèche in the Annexe of Fordham Hall (this is the pink house immediately next to church, and the entrance to the annexe is round the back at the church end of Fordham Hall. Any of the welcomers will be happy to direct you, or take you there.) You can either leave your baby there, or stay yourself. Please feel free to leave and come back at any point in the service, even during the sermon or the prayers.
Style
Our music is a mix of hymns and modern songs, led by a music group and the organ. We are not ‘happy clappy’ but we hope that our singing is lively and heart-felt. Please don’t feel embarrassed if you don’t feel able to join in, but want to listen to others. If you haven’t been to church for a while, some of the songs will probably be unfamiliar to you, or you may not call yourself a Christian and don’t feel able to sing the words.
We usually give 25 minutes or so to looking at the teaching of the Bible in the sermon. This is out of our conviction than when the Bible is taught, God is speaking to us
After the service we always have refreshments in the church. We would be delighted if you are able to stay for a few minutes.
The different services
On different Sundays of the month we have slightly different services.
A Service of the Word
This is our usual morning service, at least twice a month. It usually ends around 11.10 am
Holy Communion
Once a month, on the third Sunday, we have Holy Communion. Most of the service is like the Service of the Word, but with Communion added on, and so the service tends to be a few minutes longer, ending around 11.15 am. We welcome visitors of any denomination to come and receive Communion if they would usually do so in their home church. If you are not a regular communicant we would ask you to think carefully about whether you are spiritually ready to receive, and if you are unsure you might like to speak to one of the clergy. If you do not wish to receive communion for any reason, you may like to be prayed for briefly, and you can indicate this by keeping your hands down by your side. Once a term children come back into church so that they can experience the communion part of the service, and to receive a prayer of blessing.
There are two points at which communion is distributed: at the front and the back, where non alcoholic wine is also available. Roughly speaking people sitting in the side aisles will be directed to receive at the back by an usher, while those in the central aisle make their own way to the front, starting from the front pews, but you can choose to receive where you wish.
All Age Service
For this service children stay in for the whole service, and there is no All Saints Club. The service usually lasts for about 50 minutes and is generally noisier and more fun. We often have action songs, invite children to the front to play instruments, and use a screen during the talk. This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and so on this Sunday we also have a quieter Service of the Word with hymns 11.15 am at All Saints, Eight Ash Green
6 pm Sunday@6 at the John Owen Barn, Fordham
A more informal weekly service planned to begin on 26th April. The launch video and more information will soon be available here on a separate website.
Other Services
Sunday 11.15 am Service of the Word at All Saints, Eight Ash Green
This is held on the first Sunday of the month, when there is an All Age service at Fordham. There is no children’s work at this service, and so there tends to be an all adult congregation. There are refreshments after the service.
Thursday 11 am Holy Communion (BCP) at All Saints, Eight Ash Green
Once a month we have a small peaceful Communion service using the Book of Common Prayer.