Worship

Worship within the United Benefice

With three churches there is the ability to provide a wide and varied range of services; there will undoubtedly be a time, a venue and a style of service that will help you.

St Mary’s would describe itself as a Village Church. It is small, quite intimate, “middle of the road” in churchmanship terms. The priest and choir wear robes except at the All Age Service; Leading, Reading, and Leading Intercessions, as well as Serving, and Ministering the Chalice are shared ministries with members of the congregation.

St Bartholomew’s is a magnificent 20th Century building, light and airy and suited to ceremonial. The churchmanship would be described as moderate Anglo Catholic... but with a smile. Priest and servers are robed. Hymns will be both traditional and modern. Lots of members of the congregation are involved in the various ministries available to them.

Holy Cross is a village church, with a surprisingly large congregation. It is somewhat charismatic in style, very relaxed and informal, and with good ministry for children and families. Traditional hymns and modern music will be used, and lots of people are involved in various ways in leading worship here.

Sunday Morning Services

8:00am

Holy Communion - following the order in the Book of Common Prayer at St Mary’s

A said service, quiet and contemplative, with the Common Worship Readings and a Sermon. This service uses the traditional words composed by Thomas Cranmer. The venue is always St Mary’s, and the service is on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays of the month, as well as Christmas and Easter Days.

10:00am

St Mary’s - the service changes depending on which Sunday of the month it is;

1st Sunday. All Age Worship.

A non-eucharistic service (unless it happened to be Easter Day) designed for the whole church family. Lots of things for children and young people to do; birthday candles; the welcome of the newly Baptised; action songs and choruses; simple Christian teaching; Bible readings; simple prayers.

2nd and 4th Sundays, Parish Communion with Sunday School each time.

A traditional service, with vested Priest and Robed Choir. Hymns and a sung Communion Setting. The Common Worship readings and a sermon.

3rd Sunday, Family Communion.

A much more informal Order of Service, with only one reading, an accessible talk or address rather than a sermon, and lots of things for children to do within the service.

5th Sundays - something entirely different - maybe Celtic Morning prayer, or Choral Matins or Prayer and Praise… who knows! Something to widen our experience and deepen our spirituality.

All 10am services are followed by Refreshments in church.

10:00am

St Bart’s - the service changes depending on which Sunday of the month it is;

1st Sunday, Parish Communion.

A traditional service, with vested Priest and Robed Choir. Hymns and a sung Communion Setting. The Common Worship readings and a sermon.

2nd Sunday, Family Service.

11:15am - Said Holy Communion

3rd Sunday, Parish Communion service with Incense.

4th Sunday, Family Communion.

A much more informal Order of Service, with only one reading, an accessible talk or address rather than a sermon, and lots of things for children to do within the service.

5th Sundays - something entirely different - maybe Celtic Morning Prayer, or Choral Mattns or Prayer and Praise… who knows! Something to widen our experience and deepen our spirituality.

Refreshments follow each 10am service in the church.

10:15am

Holy Cross - the service changes depending on which Sunday of the month it is;

1st and 4th Sundays will be Holy Communion services.

2nd and 3rd Sundays will be non-eucharistic Morning Worship (Unless a major Feast Day).

5th Sundays - something entirely different - maybe Celtic Morning Prayer, or Choral Matins or Prayer and Praise… who knows! Something to widen our experience and deepen our spirituality.

Priest and Server will robe, but the style is informal and relaxed.

Refreshments follow all services.

Sunday Evening Services

6:30pm

Always at St Bart’s -

United Benefice Evening Service

1st Sunday of the month, Evening Prayer and Bible Study

2nd Sunday of the month, Sung Evening Prayer and Sermon

3rd Sunday of the month, Evening Prayer and a time of prayer for the church and the world, with emphasis on prayer for the United Benefice

4th Sunday of the month, Evening Praise; an informal service, with worship songs, a simple order of service, an address, and the opportunity to receive healing prayer together with the laying on of hands.

Midweek Services

Tuesdays at St Bart’s. The Benefice mid-week Holy Communion.

A special Order of service is used, together with the Readings for the Day. Saints Days and other “specials” are observed.

The service is followed by a picnic lunch. Folk bring their own sandwiches, but there is often home-made soup on offer, and always tea and coffee, and the chance to chat and put the world to rights.

Special Services

All major Feast Days are observed throughout the Benefice with both lunchtime and evening services so all members of all congregations can be part of the Church’s life and observation of the Calendar.

To celebrate Christmas there will be Carol services during December, Christingle and Crib Services on Christmas Eve, Midnight Mass, and morning services with Carols.

Palm Sunday is observed with a Procession from the Rising Sun pub to St Mary’s and St Bart’s, and from Hoath Village Hall to Holy Cross, before the traditional Reading of the Passion.

Holy Week will have a service each day.

Maundy Thursday Vigil at St Bart’s until 10:00pm

Good Friday will have a Children’s Workshop and service, the Liturgy of the Day at 12noon, a Procession of Witness from St Bart’s to St Mary’s, and the Last Hour there at 2pm.

Easter Day commences with a Dawn Service, New Fire, and First Communion, at St Bart’s, and then later services in all three churches.

Ash Wednesday, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Mothering Sunday, Harvest, Remembrance Sunday, All Saints, Christ the King, as well as each Patronal Festival will be marked with special Orders of Service to reflect the particular theme.

A Pets’ Service is often held during the summer months, we have regular services on each 5th Sunday with the other Anglican churches in Herne and Herne Bay, and we also worship with Churches Together in Herne Bay.

There are also monthly celebrations of Holy Communion in local rest and Nursing Homes - Miramar, Maxted Court, Thornhurst, Beacon Hill Lodge, The Kimberley, Elliott House, and members of the public are invited to some of these.

Midweek House Group

Tuesday Café takes place on….

Tuesdays in the Vicarage, and is intended for those who are working during the day and so cannot get to a midweek service. Firstly supper – maybe cottage pie, or sausages and mash, something simple, cooked, served with a flourish, and a glass of wine. Then we embark on a Bible Study, or a discussion about some current moral or ethical issue, or perhaps we follow a Course designed by an expert.

We go home at 9pm.

For further details please contact the Vicar.

7:00 pm

12:00 noon

United Benefice of St. Mary the Virgin, Reculver &

St. Bartholomew, Herne Bay with Holy Cross, Hoath

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