Our current service programme has now been in place for 3 years and this is a good opportunity to look at how each is structured. Although there are various, distinct services, each forms part of the HT family and this is underlined by the occasional joint service, such as Harvest, when the entire congregation comes together to worship.
We are fortunate at Holy Trinity to have a range of services for all taste, which allows all of us to worship God in our preferred setting.
For full details of all our services, see the pew sheet.
8 am Said Holy Communion
This service is attended by a regular group of worshippers, who although not numbering as many as the other services still manage to inject considerable spirituality in to the service, making this service an integral part of the Sunday church experience.
The whole service is spoken, using the standard service booklets, with communion and a short “thought for the day”.
9.30 am Sung Eucharist
For those who prefer the “traditional” form of Worship, the Sung Eucharist offers a form of Liturgy that “suits” those who like the “traditional” sorts of hymns and prayers. The aim is to provide a form of worship that will be familiar to people who have come to church for many years, and welcoming to people who used to come to church and are just starting to come back again.
The words of the Eucharist are in a booklet, and a choir and organist leading the singing.
Refreshments are served after the service and this provides a good opportunity to catch up with friends as well as being a nice bridge between the Sung Eucharist and Family Mass.
11.15 am Family Mass
The Family Mass follows exactly the same structure as the earlier services, but expresses it in a more contemporary idiom. The music is led by a band including guitar, drums and vocals.
The words of the mass are projected onto a screen, enabling those who are unused to church not to get lost in a pile of different service books, notice sheets and hymnals. (It is also helpful for mother’s holding babies who can’t hold books at the same time. People who are short sighted have also commented that the screen is easier to read than print in a service booklet).
Different words may be used for different parts of the liturgy – and sometimes parts of the service are done in other ways – for example during lent the confession has been done through symbolic actions such as hand washing or writing our sins on pieces of paper that are then shredded in a shredder.
There are children’s activities (“Sunday School”) each week, and every 2nd Sunday of the month the Explorers, Guides, Scouts, Cubs, Rainbows and Beavers join us for a parade service.
Other services
We have two other midweek masses – a Wednesday morning one at 9.45 am and a Tuesday evening one at 7.30 pm. The Wednesday one begins with a traditional hymn led on the organ and then follows through as a said mass. There are refreshments afterwards. The Tuesday Mass is a quiet reflective service led on acoustic guitar with three songs interspersing the worship. Many who worship here go on immediately afterwards to be part of one of our housegroups (see the separate report).
We have a number of non-Eucharistic services. Morning Prayer is said in church every Tuesday to Friday at 9am. All are welcome. There is also a regular 1662 BCP Evensong service, every fourth Sunday, starting at 4.30 pm (the more people who come to this the more we will be able to increase the frequency with which it is held). There is a regular pram service as part of our Toddlers and Tiddlers group. There is a Mother’s Union service at 2pm on the second Tuesday of the month.
Tony Robbins and Fr Edmund
March 2008
Holy Trinity Church Barkingside, north Ilford, is a friendly lively church in the London borough of Redbridge. Anglo Catholic Charismatic in Churchmanship, multi-racial in makeup, with services aimed at all ages. We look forward to your visit.