Theme “Community”
Many paths one welcome*
Welcome,
Welcome to this table,
Whatever path has brought you here,
Whatever load you carry,
Let us rest a while together.
May our hearts be open to accept what comes to us as a stranger,
May our minds be open to wonder at what we do not understand,
And may our spirits be nourished by our
Working with difficult people
A true story…
A few years ago I was going on a weekend course to learn more about ‘team work’. When I got the list of attendees a few days prior to attending, my heart sank. There was one person on the list whom I really found difficult. I had to admit that I didn’’t
Friends, draw close
Friends, draw close,
And let no one be a stranger
under the roof of this place
where we gather in fellowship,
in friendship,
in joy and in sorrow,
and with love.
Sharing time and sharing thoughts
sharing quietude
(and sharing too in the happy noise of Hymn number …)
Adapted from words of Keith Gilley
Chalice lighting
As we light the chalice,
We see the flame rise up,
held in the bowl of the chalice.
Just so our spirits yearn for the Divine
Held in the circle of community.
Chalice lighting
We gather here within these walls
Hallowed by the community
that has gathered here over the centuries.
Countless hands have tended the flame of fellowship
and countless more will keep the light burning. As we light the chalice flame today
Let us not hide our light under a bushel
but be a beacon of hope
Closing blessing
May our inner life be nourished by our community.
And may our community be strengthened
by each person’s unique gifts.
May we honour the diversity of our spiritual journeys,
And help each other on the path.
Amen.
Closing blessing
O Beloved Community
Suffused with the Divine Presence
We will carry you in our hearts always.
What does church mean to me?
This originally appeared in The Inquirer, Issue 8024
https://www.inquirer.org.uk/pages/
I was brought up going to church. I was taken every Sunday,
week by week, sometimes once, sometimes twice a day.
I never liked it. For some reason it was just the Sunday
services. I don’t know why I was never sent to Sunday School,
maybe the