This is the first of a series of articles on each of the Sunday Services at St Barnabas.

St Barnabas provides a variety of different church services over a Sunday and during the week. Some people attend more than one service and some just go to one. 

So, what do all the services look like at St Barnabas? Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at each service, what type of service it is, the type of music, if it has music, the use of liturgy, and what social aspects follow the service. 

We often use church jargon to describe our services, such as Traditional, Eucharist, and Contemporary, but not everyone knows what those words mean, and if they do, what does that look like at St Barnabas? Hopefully, some of that will be explained in these articles.

The first Church service available at St Barnabas on a Sunday is the

8am Quiet Traditional Communion Service.

What does a Quiet Traditional Communion Service look like?

Let’s break it down.

Quiet – In this instance, that means there are no hymns, nor any music, so if you’re not into singing, or if you like things quiet early in the morning, then this is the perfect service for you.

Traditional – The meaning of traditional according to the online Oxford dictionary is:

· existing in or as part of a tradition; long-established.

· produced, done, or used in accordance with tradition.

· habitually done, used, or found.

The liturgy that is used is traditional, as it is long established and some of it has been used for many centuries. You may be reading this and asking, what is liturgy? Liturgy is the words and form of worship that Anglicans use in their church services. There are many different liturgies, which we use during our services and throughout the church year.

At the 8am service, we use 2 forms of liturgy. On the 1st & 3rd Sundays of each month, we use a modern liturgy from the NZ Prayer Book (1989). On the 2nd, 4th (& 5th) Sundays of each month we use the Book of Common Prayer service, which dates from the 17th century.

Communion – This is the part of the service where we share the bread and wine together. Also known as Holy Communion, Eucharist (which means Thanksgiving), and the Lord’s Supper.

Service. – This refers to the gathering of people together in church to worship, pray, have liturgy, and share the bread and wine together.

The 8am service is shorter than the others and is usually finished within 40 minutes, and is followed by a breakfast of toast with tea and coffee in the Tui Room. This tradition was first started by Rev Bob Lowe back in the 1960’s.

There is a sermon of course which is usually only about 10 minutes long, based on one or both of the Bible readings for that day. 

Those who attend regularly agree that they enjoy the peace and quiet of the service and feel the importance of having a quiet traditional service available. 

“I like it because there are no songs, it’s a simple and quiet service, and suits me because I am an early riser, and then I have the rest of the day free.” Pat Laban  (Pat has been attending for about 60 years)

“It is a service where I can assist in many ways to offer this worship to the primarily older parishioners in the parish, helping both within the service and by offering breakfast hospitality afterward. There is a real community spirit among those who attend. It is a great start to the day.” Corinne Haines

I have attended the 8am service occasionally, and have attended the breakfast numerous times. The people who attend the 8am service are very friendly, fun, gracious, and welcoming.

Why not come along to an 8am Service and see what it’s like? It is a great option if you have a busy Sunday but still want to go to church, or if you are unable to attend your regular service, why not come along early one morning and enjoy a quiet traditional communion service?

For more information contact the parish office: 03 351 7064

Go to our website: www.stbarnabas.org.nz

We are located on the corner of Fendalton Road and Tui Street.  Off-street parking is available and there is wheelchair and ramp access through the smaller door of the Church closest to the carpark and Tui St.

By Jo Cotton