We welcomed 14 new worship service leaders to the diocese this summer, concluding their seven weeks of training with an evening of prayer and affirmation.
Worship Service leaders are those who lead or share in leading services or other forms of worship, are part of a service planning team in the parish or work with others enabling them to lead or design worship.
Over the course of the seven weeks, the group explored a variety of aspects of worship including the dynamics of worship, all-age worship, voice projection, and how to deal with tech disasters! All of them had an opportunity to lead the group in worship and were all tasked with leading an aspect of Sunday worship in their parishes.
Sarah Slater, Diocesan Training Lead, said of the commissioning evening: “We were led in worship by two of our new worship service leaders. We had a really fruitful discussion about their experiences. Then Helen Roche, one of our tutors, gave a talk about the nature of leadership in the church and the importance of self-care and spiritual discipline in leadership. As a course leadership team, we prayed in turn for these lovely folk and their parishes and shared communion.
“Our course tutors, Revd Nick Hutchinson (Woking), and Licensed Lay Ministers William Lowries (Burpham) and Helen Roche (St Mark's South Farnborough) have really got to know the participants well over two months and prayed with real insight and affirmation for these leaders and their parishes.
“I can't tell you how special last night was and how thankful I am for these wonderful lay folk, responding to God's call and stepping out and up in some quite challenging parishes.”
Do pray for these leaders as they lead worship at their parishes. If you are interested in training for lay leaders find out more on our lay leader training web page.