Our Activities
Services and Worship
We have three services on Sunday morning, each with its own distinct character and congregation. Holy Communion at 8.00am is a very traditional service with no music, using the language of the Book of Common Prayer on two Sundays a month.
Parish Communion at 10.45am is a traditional service with modern language and a mixture of traditional and modern hymns. It has a small robed choir and organ accompaniment. Both these services use printed service sheets and are led by robed clergy or lay readers.
Hosanna! at 9.30am is an informal service for all ages, regularly led by lay members of the congregation, often involving drama and congregation participation. The service uses PowerPoint presentation, and incorporates a complete range of worship songs from Charles Wesley to Stuart Townend, accompanied by a group of musicians playing keyboard, bass guitar, concertina, woodwind and trumpet.
The 9.30am and 10.45am congregations are encouraged to share fellowship and refreshments, between the two services, every Sunday in the Main Hall.
Once a month, on a Sunday afternoon, there is an opportunity at "Come and Praise" for members of the congregation to lead the group in an informal time of praise, worship and discussion.
Schedule of our monthly Services (on Sunday or as stated)
| Time | Service type | Average attendance | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.00am | Holy Communion | 20 adults | X | X | X | X | |
| 9.30am | Hosanna! all age service | 40 adults 8 children | X | X | X | ||
| Hosanna! with communion | 52 adults 8 children | X | |||||
| Hosanna! with parade service (3 times a year) | 120 adults 104 children | X | |||||
| 10.45am | Parish Communion | 42 adults | X | X | |||
| A service of Healing and Wholeness with communion | 46 adults | X | |||||
| Morning Worship | 39 adults | X | |||||
| 10.00am | Combined Service with communion (5th Sunday) | 80 adults 11 children | X | ||||
| 5.30pm | "Come and Praise" | 20 adults | X | ||||
| 10.00am(Wed) | Holy Communion (with Mothers Union on 1st Wednesday) | 15 adults | X | ||||
| Christmas, Easter and other special services | 200+ people | X |
There are currently 155 people on the Electoral Roll.
Outreach and Mission
- Home-based Alpha courses have been run over the last two years and a number of candidates have come forward for confirmation as a result.
- The many families who come to the church for baptism are visited by the Baptismal Team and encouraged to stay in touch with the church. They are personally invited back to special events each year.
- Good links with Allington Primary School and with Allington Baptist Church have led to the planting of a "fresh expression" of church in the school hall one Saturday afternoon each month. This has developed into a "Café Church" style of presentation using PowerPoint, contemporary music and informal discussion, with refreshments served throughout. It is hoped that this will provide a relaxed, non-threatening way for members of the community to engage with 'church' perhaps for the first time.
- Around 1600 copies of the parish magazine 'Grapevine' are printed in-house and distributed widely throughout the parish, free of charge, every month. In addition, a local website www.me16.com has been set up and is run by the church to act as a community resource.
Discipleship
- All members of the congregation are encouraged to join a home group and there are currently five groups meeting regularly for worship and Bible study.
- A Banner Group meets for fellowship around the creation of new banners for the church, and once a month, a group of men meet for fellowship over breakfast, either with a speaker or discussion topic.
- Lent courses are run every year and are attended by some of the congregation.
- During 2007/8 three modules of the Emmaus Course were provided, and although these were enthusiastically received by those who attended, numbers were disappointingly low.
Prayer, Healing and Pastoral teams
- A small group meets weekly to intercede for individuals, the church and the world. Anyone in the parish is welcome to place a prayer request on the board in the prayer corner at the back of the church or to add a name to the weekly pew sheet lists. There is also a prayer chain for emergencies, and many who pray regularly in their own homes.
- Four members of the congregation are accredited by the Diocese to pray for the sick and anxious. Prayer for healing with the laying on of hands is offered at the service of Wholeness and Healing on the first Sunday of each month and at other times by appointment. The team meets monthly for worship, Bible study and training.
- The eleven members of the Pastoral Team carry out important and much needed work, visiting people in their homes, in hospital, or in the Residential and Nursing Homes in the parish. They meet as a team three times a year for worship, Bible Study and training.
Fellowship and Hospitality
- St Nicholas is a very friendly, welcoming church, with a well-developed social life, which includes a Fellowship Group, a drama group, a reading and discussion group, all of which meet regularly.
- A number of fundraising and other social activities are held each year and include murder mystery evenings, quizzes, musical events and the Christmas Fayre.
- The Mothers Union has over 50 members and is very active supporting Church activities and other pastoral initiatives both locally and further afield. For example some members help families who are visiting friends and relatives in Maidstone Prison; others knit clothes for premature babies in the local hospital.
- Every two months, a 'Singles' Sunday Lunch is provided in the Church Hall for those who would otherwise be eating alone.