We produced a pew leaflet to give advance notification of our plans for trialling a Common Worship Holy Communion service. The leaflet was distributed to congregations in all three churches of the benefice on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday 2001, a timing designed to achieve the widest coverage possible shortly before the new service was used for the first time. The text of the leaflet was as follows:
(front) United Benefice of Common Worship This leaflet is about our plans to use the new Common Worship Holy Communion service for a trial period starting in April. Please feel free to take this leaflet home and read it at your leisure. It explains the background to the trial period and the main differences you are likely to notice in the new order of service. |
(inside front cover) Background The Alternative Service Book is no longer authorised and its place is being taken by the new book of Services and Prayers for the Church of England, called Common Worship. We plan to formally introduce Common Worship services on 30th September but in the meantime will try them out. The new book contains much that is familiar and recognisable from our use of ASB. There is also a wealth of new material, especially for the different seasons in the Church´s year, and a wide range of alternatives which can be used for some parts of services. The PCCs of our three churches have appointed a Liturgical Committee, with representatives from each parish, to plan for the introduction of Common Worship services in our benefice. The Committee has considered the large number of options available for the Communion Service. The PCCs have accepted their recommendation that we should use a form of Order One (modern language). We are now going to use this for a trial period. Feedback The purpose of the trial period is to see whether the proposed order meets our needs in practice and to assess whether there are any amendments we might like to make before its formal introduction. Your views are important. If you have any comments please make them known to the Revd Martin Clarke, one of the Readers, or another member of the Liturgical Committee: Claire Cottrell, Sylvia Bagley, Elizabeth Blyth, Graham Howlett, Anthony Moncaster, Robin Orbell, Sarah Hughes, David Lennox, or Richard Carr. |
(folding inner leaf) Dates and Arrangements We will start to use the new service for all Holy Communion services in the benefice on 22nd April, the Sunday immediately after Easter. Layer Breton will have a Communion service instead of Morning Prayer on Sunday 22nd April, at the usual time of 11-15am. The following Sunday, 29th April, we shall use the service together at the United Benefice service to be held at Layer de la Haye at 10-15am. We shall continue to use the new order for all Communion services up to and including Pentecost on 3rd June. The one exception will be Rogation Sunday when there are plans for a special joint Benefice event for Rogationtide. As the trial period starts just after Easter we shall be using some of the new seasonal material. Most of this is said only by the priest or Readers, and there is a good deal of it, so we have not printed it in the service booklets. The rubrics explain where these alternatives may be used and the points at which we change from standing to kneeling or sitting, and so on. * * * * * Lift this flap to read about some of the differences you will notice in the new service. |
(under folding inner leaf) THE MAIN CHANGES Much of the new Communion service is very similar to ASB Rite A, as used at Layer de la Haye and Layer Marney. There is an opening Greeting said by the priest or Reader and a response. Readings: We will normally use three readings. The Old and New Testament readings are read consecutively. They are followed by a psalm immediately before the Gospel. The Creed: there are some very minor changes in the wording. The Peace: each church will share the peace according to its current local practice. Eucharistic Prayer: we shall stand for the whole of this prayer. Only Eucharistic Prayer A is printed in the booklet, but we are likely to make occasional use of others in future. Prayer of Humble Access (We do not presume ..): the position of this prayer is one of the greatest changes. It no longer comes before the Peace but after the Lord´s Prayer and immediately before receiving communion. This was its position in Cranmer´s first English Prayer Book of 1549. Post Communion: after the post communion prayer by the priest, everyone joins in saying one of two alternative final prayers. The whole service is printed in a short booklet with rubrics (instructions). We hope this will make it very easy for visitors and our own congregations to follow the service and participate fully. |
Notes for Layer Breton One of the most noticeable changes will be that from the use of traditional to modern language. Part of this will be the adoption of the modern version of the Lord´s Prayer as used in the other two parishes. Getting used to this will naturally take a little time. If you have attended joint benefice Communion services in our other churches you will recognise much of the new Communion service (and even similarities to parts of Rite B which is used at present). Penitential Material: the Invitation to Confession, Confession, and Absolution now come near the beginning of the service, before the Gloria. Layer Breton will decide its own arrangements regarding music. Notes for Layer Marney The congregation kneels at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, for the Lord´s Prayer, Invitation to Communion, and the Prayer of Humble Access. Notes for Layer de la Haye The congregation will continue to say the Collect together. A psalm will be sung between the first two readings and the Gospel, instead of a gradual hymn. As explained above, we will not kneel at the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy ..) but remain standing to the end of the Eucharistic prayer. At that point we will kneel for the Lord´s Prayer and other prayers up to the distribution of communion. |
(back page) Books and Websites The main Common Worship book containing all Sunday services and much else can be purchased through most bookshops, the Diocesan Resources Centre at Chelmsford, or from on-line booksellers such as amazon.co.uk The cost of the standard edition is £15 (ISBN 0 7151 2000 X). Some people may like to have their own copy, not least because of material which can be used for personal devotions. For our readings we use the Common Worship Lectionary which has a three year cycle of readings. We recommend the version published by OUP (ISBN 0-19-145610-1) at £17-99 because it has the collects, readings and post communions conveniently together for each Sunday and major festivals. If you have access to the internet you can view, and even download, the texts of all the Common Worship services at the Church of England´s website page: Plans for Other Services The Liturgical Committee is also looking at possible options for Morning Prayer which is regularly used at Layer Breton and Layer Marney, and Evensong which is used at Layer de la Haye. In due course we will be using forms of these services on a trial basis, and will give advance notice before we start. Progress reports on our Common Worship plans are being published in parish magazines from time to time. |
Leaflet Production Information
FORMAT: The leaflet was printed as a tri-fold publication on one double sided sheet of A4 in landscape orientation. The artwork for each side consists of three columns of text, as per the individual frames shown and annotated above.
PRINTING: 200 copies duplicated at copy shop on gold/yellow 80 gsm A4 stock.
FOLDING: the left side of the sheet, which starts with the section Background, is folded in to a mark exactly 97mm from the right edge of the sheet. The right side is then folded into the inside of the first fold, to the first crease.
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This page updated 18th April 2001