SPCK - Sandra Millar
Festivals Together - The heart of everything
Festivals Together - The heart of everything
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
The heart of everything Patronal/dedication festival or special event During the course of a year there may be other opportunities for a festival celebration. It may link in with a community tradition such as a feast day or the arrival of the travelling fair, or it may be that th…
Festivals Together - Biblical and other resources
Festivals Together - Biblical and other resources
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Biblical and other resources Astley, Neil (ed.), Being Alive, Tarset: Bloodaxe, 2004. Barfield, Maggie, The Big Bible Story Book: 188 Bible Stories to Enjoy Together, Bletchley: Scripture Union, 2007. Book of Common Prayer... Taken from Festivals Together by Sandra Millar
Festivals Together - No time like the present
Festivals Together - No time like the present
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
No Time like the present Christmas Day Some churches have a strong tradition of family attendance on Christmas Day, while others seem to have a small gathering of regulars. There may also be visitors present, some familiar with church, others not. Whatever group are present, the …
Festivals Together - Children for a change
Festivals Together - Children for a change
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Children for a change St Nicholas (6 December) Unless your church is named after St Nicholas, it’s unlikely you will have celebrated this as a festival. But it’s a great opportunity to focus on children and families, and might make part of a special event during the approach to C…
Festivals Together - Past, present and future
Festivals Together - Past, present and future
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Past, present and future Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is often one of the few occasions in the church year where those gathered are truly of all ages. There will be men and women in their eighties and nineties and there will be young children from Brownies and Beavers, w…
Festivals Together - Too much, too bad
Festivals Together - Too much, too bad
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Too much, too bad Harvest Harvest is unusual among the various festivals of the church and community year, in that it is elective – that means you get to choose when to hold the event. A church can choose the date, the time, the place and the content. There are no fixed readings,…
Festivals Together - Holding the baby
Festivals Together - Holding the baby
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Holding the baby Father’s Day Festivals Together Unlike Mothering Sunday, Father’s Day holds no place in the church calendar. Yet over the past fifty years it has grown massively in importance within UK culture. Children will prepare for it with the same enthusiasm as they employ…
Festivals Together - Fire, wind and adventure
Festivals Together - Fire, wind and adventure
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Fire, wind and adventure Pentecost Pentecost is a much less well-known festival, both in our culture and even in the church calendar, yet it is not just theologically significant but also rich in some of our more well-known symbols. The energy and excitement that emanate from the…
Festivals Together - The first time ever
Festivals Together - The first time ever
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
The first time ever Easter Sunday Easter Sunday should be the most joyful event in the church year. Our churches are at their best on Easter Sunday, with glorious flowers and, where used, wonderful vestments. In the past churchgoers would wear their best – hence the tradition of …
Festivals Together - Light in the dark
Festivals Together - Light in the dark
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Light in the dark Easter Vigil The Easter Vigil may be held on Saturday evening, or very early on Sunday morning. It is one of the great treasures in the Church’s store of worship, and yet is rarely seen in terms of an event which can engage children and those on the edge of the …
Festivals Together - Serious stillness
Festivals Together - Serious stillness
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Serious stillness Good Friday Good Friday is always a public holiday in the United Kingdom, regardless of where Easter and school holidays fall. This means it is increasingly an opportunity for churches to engage with a range of ages. However, Good Friday presents particular chal…
Festivals Together - Food, feet and feelings
Festivals Together - Food, feet and feelings
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Food, feet and feelings Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday may not be an obvious occasion on which to offer all-age worship. Yet it is a vital festival in the church year, as we remember the pivotal events leading up to Jesus’ death on Good Friday. There are some very dramatic stori…
Festivals Together - Parade with passion
Festivals Together - Parade with passion
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Parade with passion Palm Sunday The Palm Sunday procession marks the beginning of the greatest week in the church calendar, the week when we engage again with the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross and beyond. The story is so powerful and contains so many core images and motifs…
Festivals Together - Who's the mummy?
Festivals Together - Who's the mummy?
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Who’s the mummy? Mothering Sunday The celebration of Mothering Sunday has changed greatly over the past decades. In some parishes it remains one of the days when a high number of occasional churchgoers can be expected, but in others it has been superseded by the commercial ‘Mothe…
Festivals Together - Looking back, moving on
Festivals Together - Looking back, moving on
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Looking back, moving on Candlemas (2 February) Candlemas is a festival full of Christian symbolism, folk tradition and church history, which means there is a wealth of images and themes to explore. It marks a turning point in three ways – within the Church it is the moment we tak…
Festivals Together - How to use this book
Festivals Together - How to use this book
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
How to use this book Festivals Together There are fifteen festival outlines in this book, each of them offering something different. They range from the familiar occasions such as Mothering Sunday to the solemn days of Holy Week.1 The ideas that are offered are jumping-off points…
Festivals Together - Introduction- festivals for everyone
Festivals Together - Introduction- festivals for everyone
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Creating all-age worship: the key components Introduction Festival is a great word and a great experience, one deeply embedded in contemporary culture. It is estimated that there are at least five hundred music festivals alone each year in the UK, plus countless other types. Ther…
Worship Together - Recommended Reading