St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

Sunday Evenings

Every parish church must hold services of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Holy Communion every Sunday. These requirements can be dispensed with either (a) on an occasional basis by the minister and PCC acting together, or (b) on a regular basis by the bishop authorizing it after a joint request by the minister and PCC. The parties mentioned must be satisfied that there is good reason for dispensing with the services, and they must have regard to other services which take place in other parish churches and in other places of worship in the benefice.

So say the canons - the rules governing the C of E. Some of the canons are ancient and out-of-date, but these ones have been revised during the last 20 years, and we can't really turn a blind eye to them. The PCC and I have jointly discussed the matter, and we are giving you notice that we intend jointly requesting the bishop for his authorization to cease holding Sunday Evening Prayer. If you object, please tell a PCC member before our meeting on 9th March, when we'll vote on a formal resolution.

Here are some of our reasons for considering this step:

Attendance is so poor that the services are counterproductive. The few who do come, both regulars and visitors, get a poor impression of our church, and it turns them off coming again. In 2000 around ten used to attend each week, but now only one or two come, and sometimes none do. (The decline is due to increasing age and health problems, folk transferring to the morning services and moving away from the area, disruptions from teenage lads in 2002, and the suspension of the services for a while when I was ill in 2002.)
We would like to use the time-slot for other things: courses like "Alpha", and for joining other churches for worship. Last autumn's Alpha attracted about 20 people and was a great success. This term's "Talk about Jesus" has been consistently attended by about 10 people, and it seems clear that the way forward is for us to use the Sunday evening slot for courses rather than for services.
There are evening services locally - at St Andrew's at 6pm and St James' Bolton and St Augustine's at 6.30pm. Those who want services can still go - this way I might be able to help at them too!

John Hartley

You can download the canons from the Church of England’s web site at: www.cofe.anglican.org/about/churchlawlegis/canons/index.html – they are PDF files and you want B11, B14 and B14A in section B (141kB).

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. March 2005, Page 2.
Home Page. Index of articles: by subject, by date. In this issue: (March 2005) Lent, Sunday Evenings, Song, Royal Wedding? Other articles on services.	Sunday Evenings Every parish church must hold services of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Holy Communion every Sunday. These requirements can be dispensed with either (a) on an occasional basis by the minister and PCC acting together, or (b) on a regular basis by the bishop authorizing it after a joint request by the minister and PCC. The parties mentioned must be satisfied that there is good reason for dispensing with the services, and they must have regard to other services which take place in other parish churches and in other places of worship in the benefice. So say the canons - the rules governing the C of E. Some of the canons are ancient and out-of-date, but these ones have been revised during the last 20 years, and we can't really turn a blind eye to them. The PCC and I have jointly discussed the matter, and we are giving you notice that we intend jointly requesting the bishop for his authorization to cease holding Sunday Evening Prayer. If you object, please tell a PCC member before our meeting on 9th March, when we'll vote on a formal resolution. Here are some of our reasons for considering this step: Attendance is so poor that the services are counterproductive. The few who do come, both regulars and visitors, get a poor impression of our church, and it turns them off coming again. In 2000 around ten used to attend each week, but now only one or two come, and sometimes none do. (The decline is due to increasing age and health problems, folk transferring to the morning services and moving away from the area, disruptions from teenage lads in 2002, and the suspension of the services for a while when I was ill in 2002.) We would like to use the time-slot for other things: courses like "Alpha", and for joining other churches for worship. Last autumn's Alpha attracted about 20 people and was a great success. This term's "Talk about Jesus" has been consistently attended by about 10 people, and it seems clear that the way forward is for us to use the Sunday evening slot for courses rather than for services. There are evening services locally - at St Andrew's at 6pm and St James' Bolton and St Augustine's at 6.30pm. Those who want services can still go - this way I might be able to help at them too! John Hartley You can download the canons from the Church of England’s web site at: www.cofe.anglican.org/about/churchlawlegis/canons/index.html – they are PDF files and you want B11, B14 and B14A in section B (141kB).
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