Worship from Home
Thy Kingdom Come Morning and Evening Prayer for this week
Welcome to Worship from Home
This form of worship has probably become rather familiar, but you will notice that we have made a few changes. Our online content is now hosted on the Parish of Chigwell and Chigwell Row YouTube channel. You can go to that channel and choose one of the playlists, either Traditional or Modern, which will play all of the music, Bible readings, and sermon, straight through. Or you can work your way through this Worship from Home document, clicking on the relevant links to access the video content one bit at a time.
Separately, in this document you will also find the video content for children and young people, as well as links to print resources for children, young people and adults.
As always, all of the blue underlined text is a link that lead to web sites with pre-recorded videos for talks and songs, Bible readings, and other resources. You will not be joined to a live video or meeting.
As we continue to adapt and expand our worship resources to support you in worship at home throughout this season, please do give us feedback. We are aware that things didn’t quite go according to plan last week as we trialled the new Parish YouTube channel, but we believe we have sorted out some of those issues. We continue to learn as we go and it is helpful to hear from you what is helping you to worship.
Every blessing,
Paula & Elise
Welcome to Worship from Home
Welcome to our at home on line worship resources for Ascension Day,
21st May 2020.
And, as has become our custom with our lockdown online worship, you can
gain access to a choice of hymns and songs on the service plan by clicking on
the underlined internet links in blue.
With our love and prayers,
Paula
This week's liturgy for Morning Prayer
Welcome to Worship from Home
Welcome to our at home on line worship resources for Sunday 17th May 2020.
And, as has become our custom with our lockdown online worship, you can gain access to a choice of hymns and songs on the service plan by clicking on the underlined internet links in blue.
Also included is a range of resources for children and young people, these are related to the Bible readings and the theme for today. There are videos, worship bulletins and colouring sheets. Be blessed, encouraged and challenged.
With our love and prayers,
Paula & Elise
Click here to download the full liturgy for 24 May
Click here to download the full liturgy for 17 May
In the Waiting – a message from Elise
As we continue into the eighth week of official lockdown, with some of you having self-isolated even earlier, we are in a place of ongoing waiting. And a place of waiting is not an easy place to be. For many of us, the uncertainty of when things might ‘go back to normal’ is tiring and uncomfortable.
But as I have spoken to and heard from many of you, I have also heard that this season of waiting is also one that has allowed you more time with God in prayer and in reading the Bible. For myself, prayer and study has been an anchor, helping me to stay close to God on those days when I am particularly weary. So, I encourage you to continue to take advantage of this time to draw closer to God and to lean on Him on those challenging days.
There have, however, been a few small updates from both the government and the Church of England in recent days that give us some idea of what we might expect in the days and weeks to come. First, as you may have seen in Notes and News, Paula and I are now able to go into the churches to pray and to record our sermons.
In addition, the Rt Rev Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, who is leading the Church of England's planning for reopening its buildings, issued a brief statement in which she said that ‘churches could be open from July as part of the conditional and phased plan to begin lifting the lockdown.’ However, as she said in an article on the BBC website, it may be some time before our worship services look like they used to. She acknowledged, ‘There are some very challenging questions that we'll have to face, not least about singing and about the receiving of Holy Communion.’ Please do be praying for the leaders of the Church of England and the Diocese of Chelmsford, as they work to make decisions about how and when to reopen our churches.
There has been some criticism that with the church closing its doors we are letting down the community and missing an opportunity to serve others. I think, however, we have all seen how the church is continuing to bless and serve the community locally and across the country. Our doors may be closed, but the church is alive! Research has shown that ‘a quarter (24%) of UK adults have watched or listened to a religious service since lockdown and of those, 5% had never been to church before.’ That is good news indeed!
Yes, we miss being able to meet and worship together and it would be wonderful to be able to open our doors to allow people to pray. But until such a time that is deemed safe to do, I found Bishop Stephen’s response in The Telegraph to many of the concerns voiced very helpful.
Finally, as I have spoken to many of you over the phone and via email, a few of you
have voiced a feeling of guilt that you’re not doing more to help. For most of us, the
very best thing we can do is stay at home, as challenging as that is. However, for
those who are able, I want to commend a few charities that could benefit from
financial support, which you can do online.
First, this is Christian Aid week. Usually we would be taking up collections in our
churches to support their work around the world.
Next, is the Epping Forest Food Bank. Food Banks across the country have seen a
dramatic increase in demand since the crisis began.
Finally, our friends at the Red Balloon Foundation have been sending out free
Balloon Boxes which can fun and educational activities for families to explore
together at home as well as a selection of staple groceries. Many of these boxes have
gone to families on Limes Farm.
And if you or someone you know is in need of anything – whether practical needs or
spiritual needs, please let Paula or I know.
As we continue to wait together, until we can meet together in person, let’s continue
to pray together in spirit and watch for the ways that God is at work and we can join
Him in it.
Every blessing,
Elise