What a Sunday Service at Low Ham might be like:
It can be daunting to go into a church for the first time, so this is what you may expect:
We meet at 11am on a Sunday morning, and again at 6:30pm in the evening.
The two services have a slightly different feel to them, with the morning service aimed at being family friendly and the evening has a more traditional feel. Both services are centred on God’s Word.
- Sit wherever you would feel most comfortable – if you aren’t sure where to go someone will help you.
- The atmosphere before the service is calm but not silent, often there is background music. Some people quietly greet one another while others like to sit silently so they can focus towards God.
- Children are welcome to stay in for the whole service (morning and evening), but if you prefer to take your little ones out, there is a large room upstairs with comfy seating and some toys – the sound system is relayed upstairs so you won’t miss out on what is said. For children staying in the service there are a few clipboards and coloured pencils: feel free to ask for these.
- The service usually lasts about an hour in total.
- You will not be asked to give money – no collection is taken. There is a box at the back of the church for those who feel they would like to give a donation.
What typically happens in a church service?
The person leading the service will:
- Greet everyone and briefly say what is planned at church for the coming week.
- Help us to memorise a Bible verse – this will be on the data-projector. We spend one month learning a verse. The children are much better at this than the adults!
- Announce all the hymns – stand or sit as you feel more comfortable.
- Sometimes there is a short talk aimed at the children, but the adults get a lot out of it too.
- Pray aloud – the congregation follow the prayer in their thoughts.
- Read from the Bible – Usually people like to bring their own Bible to follow along, but don’t worry if you haven’t got one as there are spare Bibles available. If you don’t own a Bible we would be pleased to give you one to take home and use.
- Give some teaching on the Bible passage.
- End the service with a prayer.
What else …
- After the morning service we hope you will be able to stay for a cuppa and biscuit. This also happens after the first evening service in every month.
- Twice a month (2nd & 4th Sundays) there is communion.
- If you have any questions about faith please chat to someone after the service.
We hope that as you leave Low Ham Chapel you will have felt welcomed, that you will have been helped by the service, and in particular by the Bible’s wonderful message of salvation through Jesus Christ.