Tea, cake and chat
On the third Friday of alternate months the Parish has for some years, organised an afternoon Tea Cake and Chat event at All Saints Church Hall in Station Road Batford.
» Read moreTag: community
Our Parish now Supports Azalea
Azalea means beautiful and dignified in ancient Greek and its mission is to empower and facilitate sustainable transformation in the lives of the men, women and neighbourhoods impacted by sex trafficking through several different projects. Sex trafficking is when an individual is coerced, forced, or manipulated into providing sexual access or services to a ‘punter’ often through threats of, or acts of, violence from a perpetrator. So what work does Azalea do?
» Read moreAll Saint’s Clothes Swap
St. George’s Clergy Reference
CLERGY REFERENCES (CHURCH FORMS) FOR APPLICATIONS TO ST GEORGE’S SCHOOL FOR ENTRY SEPTEMBER 2024.
In order that the parish may deal with requests for clergy references in an efficient manner, we ask that parents / guardians send the following documents by email to the parish office (office@parishofharpenden.org) by Monday 2 October 2023:
1. completed ‘Request for Clergy Reference Form’ (available at the back of church OR for download using the link below, OR from the parish office by email)
2. scanned colour copy of your child’s completed record of church attendance (‘passport’).
Clergy reference requests will be processed by the parish office during weeks commencing 2 October and 9 October 2023 and may be collected from the parish office by parents/ guardians on Saturday 14 October 2023 between 10.00am and 12 noon.
Please contact the parish office by email at office@parishofharpenden.org or on telephone number 01582 765524 if you have any queries or any difficulties in sending documents by email.
Andy Strowman’s 2nd book Launch – Feelings
Join a Course run by Harpenden Learning for Leisure (HLfL)
If you are interested in the world, keen to keep your brain active and want to participate in an activity with like minded people then an HLfL course may just be what you are looking for. HLfL is a not-for-profit organisation run by local people. We run courses on a wide range of topics, each led by an experienced professional.
High Street Church Ukraine Information
Please follow this link – https://highstreet.church/ukraine — to see the excellent information that High Street Church, Harpenden, has provided and is developing over time.
Ecochurch: Taking Action for Future Generations
The Church of England wants churches to take a stand on the ecological challenges we face. The diocese is encouraging all of us to better support our church as stewards of God’s creation.
We can do this by participating in Ecochurch, which is an award scheme that recognises the work done by churches to care for the Earth. Churches complete a survey covering a wide range of questions such as how well they are caring for the wildlife in their churchyards or how environmentally friendly their church buildings are. Depending on the answers given by each church, they can work towards an award, and All Saints Church and St. Mary’s Churches already have Bronze Awards. We are not doing this just as a box-ticking exercise to get an award. The award scheme is a means of motivating us as a church to bring about ecological change in our daily lives.
» Read moreHarpenden Learning for Leisure
Join a Course run by Harpenden Learning for Leisure (HLfL)
If you are interested in the world, keen to keep your brain active and want to participate in an activity with like minded people then an HLfL course may just be what you are looking for.
All Saints’ Services
Sundays
10am: The Sunday morning service alternates between Holy Communion and a more informal Morning Worship.
Music is provided by one of our two classically trained pianists and includes the best of both traditional hymns and contemporary worship songs.
Morning Worship is often led by a lay member of the church, and in all our services we strive to engage the children in reading etc.
During term time, the children and teenagers go to the hall for their separate activities in several age-related groups. At other times, worksheets are sent out by email for them to complete during the service. In both cases, a highlight of the service is towards the end when they are encouraged to share their work with the whole congregation.
You can join the service either in person in the church building or online (joining details are emailed to church members or may be obtained from our Associate Vicar or a church member to whom you are known)
Our innovative use of Zoom allows online participants to engage on an equal basis by offering a reading or intercessions, and for children to show their work, displayed on the screen for the church congregation.
Post-Pandemic Sundays
For the time being (Autumn 2021) and whilst the shadow of Covid and its variants still hang over us we are continuing the pattern or worship above established at the start of the pandemic with the flexibility to worship online or in person however people feel most comfortable.
Discussions are underway for the longer term as to whether we continue with one service or revert to the pre-pandemic pattern of separate communion and more informal services. Whilst we have greatly appreciated meeting together as one congregation and the sense of unity that has brought, we also know that people meet with God in different ways and want to encourage spiritual health in all our members.