As we await the arrival of our Rector designate, Fr Edward Pritchett, who will be licensed here by the Bishop of Chichester on Friday 1 October, our clergy Vacancy is now in its last few days. Our Sunday Eucharists are at 9am at St Wilfrid's (also available live streamed or as recordings on our Facebook videos page) and 10.30am at The Presentation.
PLEASE NOTE since Easter 2021 and until further notice, for your health and safety, we are still asking you to wear a mask throughout our services (even to sing, when singing is allowed), and we are continuing to keep social distancing and an attendance register to facilitate any necessary contact tracing.
This pattern is being kept under regular review during our clergy vacancy, so please check our Calendar page of services and events and also our Home>News page, where our Church Wardens are providing weekly illustrated updates about our provision of services - most recently No. 49, for the week beginning 26 September, the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity.
Our normal pattern of weekly services, as follows, has been in abeyance since March 2020, and remains so because of the Covid-19 pandemic:
Click on the “+” signs for more information about each item.
Weekday services
Mid week services in church cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic (but see above for our weekly Wednesday morning online services). Watch out for new announcements.
This is our quiet midweek service for spiritual refreshment during the working day. Duration about 35 minutes to fit into a lunch break – or on the first Wednesday of the month, to combine with our Charity Lunch, served between 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. in the Centenary Hall (just behind the church), to support the parish’s Charity of the Month. On Ash Wednesday this service also includes the Imposition of Ashes.
Held in the Lady Chapel of St Wilfrid’s Church, this service of quiet meditation and reflection with sung Taize chants is accompanied by piano music and can be appreciated as an opportunity for spiritual refreshment after a busy day, Duration approximately 30 minutes.
Messy church offers a chance for children and their families to worship together, eat together and enjoy a range of fun craft activities and games. We start at 3p.m. with our messy crafts, this is followed by our worship, and then finally a chance to eat together.
Festivals and special events
All the special events services listed below are on hold during the corona virus pandemic.
PLEASE GO TO THE CALENDAR PAGE FOR DETAILS OF OUR CHRISTMAS SERVICES THIS YEAR.
Christingle has been bringing hope to thousands of children and young people for 50 years, providing vital support for The Children’s Society who work with some of the most vulnerable children and young people in this country facing terrible hardship, abuse and neglect. Although the issues they face are varied, the root problem is often the same – children having their needs ignored and their voices going unheard.
Often, the greatest thing anyone can do for these children is to take time to listen to them. By providing direct one-to-one support through local services and campaigning to make sure children’s voices are heard, The Children’s Society is helping to make children’s lives better
We want to do all we can to support this important work and help make a difference to children’s lives, which is why we’re taking part in Christingle. By joining in our celebration, you too can make a difference to a vulnerable child who would otherwise be left with no one to turn to.
As Christingle was specifically created with children in mind, the celebrations are the perfect event to bring children along to, and can be enjoyed by people of all ages – even if they don’t regularly attend church.
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Our Christmas morning Communion service, with Christmas hymns and carols and the lessons for Christmas Day, starts at 10.00am (whereas our weekly Sunday Sung Communion starts at the earlier time of 9.30am)
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Ash Wednesday Sung Eucharist & Imposition of Ashes
Traditional Maundy Thursday Eucharist with Washing of Feet, followed by Watch of the Passion until midnight.
New Fire, Blessing of Paschal Candle and Renewal of Baptism Promises.
The New Fire is lit at 7am just outside the West Door and then the Paschal Candle is lit and blessed inside St Wilfrid’s Church and Baptism Promises are renewed. This early morning service finishes at about 7.20am; Said Eucharist follows at 8am and Sung Eucharist at 9.30am.
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A quiet, reflective said Eucharist service, usually using Common Worship Eucharistic Prayer A.
Our principal service of the week, this is a family friendly Sung Eucharist with choir and full organ accompaniment, usually using Common Worship Eucharistic Prayer A. The service is followed by refreshments served in the Centenary Hall.
Our very family friendly Sunday Service! Come and enjoy an act of worship in which all can engage. Based on the Common Worship service of Morning Prayer with piano accompaniment to songs that everybody can join in with. No sermon but an address with activities by the Rector. The service is followed by refreshments served in the church.
This is a family friendly sung Eucharist without choir, held in the more intimate environment at the Church of the Presentation.
This is our flagship choral service. Come and enjoy the choir, accompanied by the Tickell organ, in a deeply spiritual act of worship using the traditional words in the Book of Common Prayer
