Something different in Abercarn and Cwmcarn
This August, in the parishes of Abercarn and Cwmcarn we have been trying out different styles of worship. This has been done before on an occasional basis, but never in such a concentrated way.
We used an alternative communion service instead of ‘the green book’. We also had Celtic Worship, a Taize service, all-age worship and a couple of Liquid Worship services.
Liquid Worship just means people are able to visit the ‘stations’ at their own pace and engage in prayer in a variety of ways. All the services were well attended with some new worshippers coming along out of interest and regulars keen to try new things.
The month ended with a Songs of Praise Service. We sang our old favourites as well as learning a couple of new songs.
St John’s Church, joined forces with Zion Baptist Church in Cwmcarn this summer to provide a holiday club for the children of the village. It was the first time they had tried anything like this together. The club met once a week on Wednesdays and the afternoons were filled with games, craft and drama. The activities each week were based on a different story from the Bible. A café was provided for each session which the youngsters enjoyed a great deal - especially as they were waited on by the grown-ups. Even though the afternoons were filled with activity and excitement, we had a quiet time at the end as we offered up our prayers.
This began as a tentative venture to see if we could ‘do something’ for the children. In the end it’s difficult to say who were blessed the more – the children or the adults. We all had such a wonderful time. Forty children came through the doors. Most were regulars and others were invited as friends and relatives. As one eleven year-old prayed at the end “thank you God for the best holiday club ever!”
Revd Alicia Baker, Priest-in-charge: Abercarn & Cwmcarn
and Bedwellty Deanery Mission Enabler