Services in St Paul’s Parish

Day and Time	Location	Frequency	Name	Description
Sunday 8am	St Paul’s Church	On the first and third Sunday of the month	BCP Mass	Communion service using the Book of Common Prayer. Usual congregation of 12-20. Said service with a sermon. There is a very regular set of 8 o’clockers who prefer the tranquillity and regular pattern of this service. Although much of the service is conducted from the high altar, communion is given in front of the Chancel step to avoid any of the congregation having to negotiate steps.
Sunday 9:30am	St Paul’s Church	Every Sunday	Parish Mass	Anglican Sung Eucharist using Common Worship with full choir (20-30 members), and organ and with a serving team including crucifer and thurifer every week and sometimes acolytes. As well as incense, bells are rung at the elevation and the Great Amen. Hymns usually chosen from the New English Hymnal. Usual congregation of 70-100. Despite the apparent formality of the service we are able to introduce a lot of variety, and our relaxed attitude extends to enjoying the background chatter from the children, even during the sermon! All of our 9:30 services are live-streamed on You-Tube to around 20, but this is then viewed by around 80, including nursing homes that screen it later in the day. There is a significant lay participation in the service through welcomers, servers, readers, intercessors, and Chalice bearers as well as in the procession of the elements at the offertory. The majority of the congregation take communion at the altar rail, but we always bring communion to any of the congration who prefer not to negotiate the steps. Communion is freely given to anyone who has been baptised (whatever their age), or is in good standing with their own church. During the service, after the collect, younger members of the congregation leave for J-Club which provides activities for primary school age. They return in time for communion. Freshly brewed coffee, and tea is served in the Parish Rooms following the service. For some services, such as harvest festival, we use a nave altar instead of the high altar.
Sunday 10:00am	Woosehill Church	Every Sunday	Woosehill Service	As a single congregation LEP we use a variety of liturgies from the Anglican and Methodist traditions and elsewhere and we have room for creativity within our services of the Word and our Café service on the 5th Sundays of the month. We usually have 2 communion services a month, one Anglican and one Methodist. Music is provided either from the piano, electronic organ or is recorded. Lay involvement in services includes intercessors, readers and chalice/communion cup tray bearers. Usual congregation is around 30 -35 plus a small number joining our live stream on You Tube but our annual Christmas Eve Crib Service last year attracted 140.
Sunday 11:00am	Emmbrook Village Hall	Every Sunday	Community Mass	Anglican Sung Eucharist using Common Worship. Usual congregation of around 15-20. Hymns usually chosen from Hymns Old and New, New Anglican Edition. Music played on portable keyboard, piano or recorded. The style of worship is deliberately less formal than St Paul’s, to provide a variety of styles to suit a wider range of backgrounds and preferences. Members of the congregation actively participate through reading the lesson, leading intercessions and chalice bearing. A Sunday School is offered twice a month. Following the service, we transform the worship space for a time of fellowship and mutual support over coffee. We have recently begun exploring the benefits of alternative service formats, specifically Taizé and Café Church.
Sunday 6:15pm	St Paul’s Church	Third Sunday	Choral Evensong	Full Choral Evensong with the choir singing the responses, Magnificat, Nunc Dimittis, and an anthem. Generally we have a guest preacher with the sermon based on a theme for the year (this year it is God’s Masterpiece). Usual congregation 30-50. Occasionally we will include Benediction. Following the service we enjoy a drink and snacks at the back of church. This provides an opportunity to relax with friends and to ask the guest preacher about their sermon.
Wednesday 10:30am	A house in Emmbrook	Every Wednesday	Fellowship and Prayer	Wednesday House Mass has been a constant St Nicholas’ service for many years, always held in Emmbrook and always welcoming parishioners from the wider parish. It offers an oasis of quiet in an otherwise busy week, with prayer, worship and supportive fellowship. At present, a short service of communion is conducted by a priest from the parish on the second Wednesday of each month, and a lay-led time of worship and prayer takes place in the intervening weeks, both forms of service followed by coffee for those who can stay a little longer. It is hoped to be able to get back to sharing communion every week.
Sunday 6:15pm Weekdays 8:00pm	St Paul’s Church	High Days	Festivals during the year	We keep major festivals such as Ash Wednesday, Corpus Christi, Ascension Day and All Souls. The service will be a Eucharist using the same form as the Parish Mass. Where possible we include a full complement of servers. It is not unknown to deploy two thuribles for Corpus Christi!

On Advent Sunday St Paul’s have an Advent service of music and readings in the evening. Christmas services will usually include a crib service for younger children during the last week of Advent, a service of 9 Lessons and Carols on the last Sunday of Advent, two Christingle services and Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and then an 8 o’clock BCP Mass and 9:30 Parish Mass on Christmas Day, joined by the congregation from St Nicholas.

St Nicholas have their Patronal Festival on the Sunday nearest to 6th December. They celebrate First Mass of Christmas at 9:00pm on Christmas Eve. On the first Sunday before 2nd February they normally hold their afternoon Christingle service.

On Ash Wednesday St Paul’s has morning and evening services of the Mass and imposition of ashes. Holy Week begins with the Palm Sunday procession through the local streets to the Palm Sunday Parish Mass. On the same evening there is normally a service of music and prayers for Holy Week. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings a service takes place at each of the churches in turn, usually Monday at St Paul’s, Tuesday at St Nicholas and Wednesday at Woosehill. Maundy Thursday Mass with foot washing takes place at St Paul’s followed by the Vigil until Midnight. On Good Friday afternoon there an hour-long Veneration of the Cross service. A Vigil service of prayers and readings takes place in the darkened church on Saturday evening. On Easter Sunday, just before dawn, the congregation of St Paul’s (joined by members of St Nicholas and Woosehill) start the service outdoors with the lighting of the Paschal Candle. This leads into the sung Dawn Service, which is followed by BCP Mass at 8 o’clock and Parish Mass at 9:30am. An excellent breakfast is served in the Parish Rooms immediately following the Dawn Service and continues until the start of the 9:30 Parish Mass.

St Nicholas have their Good Friday Meditation service at 3:30pm on Good Friday.

Examples of Services in the Parish: