Afternoon service goes viral
Over at St Gabriel's Church, Kings Hill, news of their new 4pm Sunday afternoon service caused quite a stir, particularly in the media, who seemed taken by Rev Mark Montgomery’s honesty.
Introducing the new service in the parish magazine, which will take place every fourth Sunday as a complement to their usual morning service, Mark said:
“We understand that Sunday mornings are not always a great time to come to church, there’s sport, children’s sport, visiting, friends, family, the night out the day before, farmers markets, visitors and a whole host of other things.”
Mark says that the interest was surprising to say the least - being picked up in the New Zeland Herald no less.
But it became a great opportunity to tell everyone that churches across the Diocese and beyond, are similarly responding to the needs of their communities by offering services, not just on Sunday mornings, but on Sunday afternoons and mid-week too:
“From traditional services and Messy Church, to breakfast church and Forest Church, there are lots that churches in this Diocese alone are doing to make services more accessible.
“It’s also a helpful reminder to those of us in the Church to remember that, what we may have been doing for a while is actually quite refreshing to those who don’t regularly attend church, and so we shouldn’t stop talking about it.”
As well as worship, churches can often host debt advice services and cafes, as well as toddler groups and food banks, plus much more. They’re also there to mark the highs and lows of life: from baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Surprised?
Find out what is taking place at your local church. Visit achurchnearyou.com