It can seem a little daunting to go to a church service if you haven’t been before or if it’s been a little while since you last went. The most important thing to remember when you join us is not to worry about the strange customs of the congregation and just make yourself at home!
Our Service Times
View our Google Calendar to see our upcoming events and services.
On Thursday mornings at 10.15am we have a quiet and intimate service of Holy Communion (no hymns) at St James Barlborough. We use the traditional language version at this service (on Sundays we use the contemporary language version – eg. no thees and thous!). These services are also broadcast over the telephone! Dial 0333 0164 757 and then dial 51074674 # this is the Room Number, and 5602 # this is the Guest Pin. You can dial in from a mobile or landline and the call is either free (if you have bundled minutes in your contract) or local cost.
Our Sunday service pattern is as follows:
1st Sunday of the month:
8.30am Morning Prayer, Barlborough
10am Sung Eucharist, Clowne
5pm Choral Evensong, Barlborough (with seasonal variations)
2nd Sunday of the month:
8.30am Morning Prayer, Clowne
10am Sung Eucharist, Barlborough
3rd Sunday of the month:
8.30am Morning Prayer, Barlborough
10am Sung Eucharist, Clowne
4th Sunday of the month:
8.30am Morning Prayer, Clowne
10am Sung Eucharist, Barlborough
5.00pm Refresh: Sunday Evening Worship at Clowne
Our in-church eucharist services are usually livestreamed or recorded and then made available after the service on our YouTube channel and viewable on our website here. Refreshments are usually served after the Eucharist giving us a time to catch up with each other and share fellowship.
Our Morning Prayer service is a quiet, intimate service of just half an hour with a simple liturgy (order of service) bible readings and prayers.
Sunday Sung Eucharist/Holy Communion
Everyone is invited to come along and join in the worship. Children are welcome too. People often worry that the children will make noise and be disruptive but don’t worry; the Rector can be noisy too! Just come along and join in. Feel free to bring some quiet toys for little ones to play with, we have some too if you need them. The service is usually about an hour long.
Hopefully this page will make some sense of what to expect when you join us.
WELCOME
St James and St John the Baptist churches are a friendly bunch and we do our best to recognise and welcome all first-time visitors, but if we don’t manage as well as we’d like, don’t be afraid to say “hello” to someone. If you’re looking for space to be on your own we will try our best to respect that. At the end of the Eucharist (or sometimes just before), there is a cup of coffee (or tea or juice) going. Come along and meet us- you’ll see that we’re not all weird.
Here are some things you probably want to know, especially if you are not a regular church-goer:
THE EUCHARIST
The Eucharist follows a set structure, but there will be small changes as the seasons change throughout the year.
THE OPENING PART
Just before the service starts the Rector reads out any notices and Banns of Marriage.
Then we usually start with a hymn; a song worshipping God. Normally our singing is usually accompanied by the organ and the words will be in the hymn book (the hymn number is usually displayed on a board at the front of church) or, for major festivals the hymns are printed in the service book. The readings are also printed on the bulletin which also has the news/notices for the week. Please can take the bulletin home with you at the end of the service.
As we sing the hymn, the choir and clergy will enter.
When the hymn finishes and the priest gets to their place, there will be the opening prayers. The words that you need will be found in the service booklet. If you’re not sure when to join in, don’t worry. Join in the parts that you can, printed in bold on the service sheet.
Some people worry about when to stand, sit or kneel. The easiest thing is to follow the crowd, but if you are frail, please make sure that you are comfortable (if that means that you sit throughout the service, we don’t mind).
READINGS FROM THE BIBLE
We will hear readings from the bible. When the priest comes to read their part, they will sing “Alleluia” or a song of praise showing that the bible is a holy thing. After the readings have finished, the priest (or an appointed person) will teach and explain the meaning of the readings before we declare our faith in the words of the Creed (the words are printed in the service booklet).
PRAYERS
As the needs of the church and the world constantly change, these prayers will differ each week. Someone from the congregation will lead the prayers, which usually respond to the readings that we have just heard. Prayers are offered for those who are ill and those who have died. We are invited to join in the responses.
THE PEACE
Jesus Christ invites us to come to him to make our peace with him, but before we do that we need to make peace with ourselves and each other. We will shake hands with each other whilst saying “peace be with you” in our attempt to make sure that we are not at odds with one another. We sing a hymn whilst the altar is prepared for communion.
COMMUNION
Bread and wine are placed on the altar. The priest prays that God will send his Holy Spirit to transform it into the body and blood of Christ. This is following the commandment that Jesus gave us. Again, using evidence from the bible, we believe that the bread and wine don’t just represent, but become the body and blood of Christ even though they still look like bread and wine.
Once the prayer of blessing has been said, we say The Lord’s Prayer (the one that starts “Our Father in heaven”) and then the bread, which has become the body of Christ, is broken so that it can be shared. We invite those who would usually receive communion to come forward and receive it. If you are not receiving communion, you are still invited to come forward to the priest who will place their hand on your head and pray that God will bless you.
THE LAST BIT
The altar is cleared away and the priest will lead a prayer of thanksgiving. The priest will give God’s blessing before challenging us to go out into the world proclaiming the love of God. The service ends with a hymn or an organ voluntary before we all go for refreshments and a chance to catch up.