An informal church service held in a church centre and cafe in Middlewich will return on 13 February for the first time since the spring of 2020.
The service, which focusses on personal testimonies and interviews with local people will welcome Bishop Mark as its special guest for the first service in nearly two years.
For the first time, they are also going to broadcast the service via YouTube to ensure that attendees to the live event maintain a safe level of social distancing.
Robert Reed, a parishioner at Middlewich parish church, first began organising this new style of worship in January 2011. Supported by the church leadership, Robert set out to hold a monthly evening service called Church@28 with the aim that it would be accessible to a non-Church audience. To aid the more informal approach to church, the services are held in the church centre, more commonly known as Number 28.
Robert describes the service as "fast-paced, informal, and varied".
The service takes the following broad format.
Music – starting and finishing with a well-known congregational hymn and having two slots within the service for more contemporary ‘performed’ music, which also doubles up as a time for quiet reflection.
A news review - gives a panel of three people the opportunity to discuss serious and light-hearted news content, with a Christian angle developed on at least one story. Within this segment one brave panel member takes on the ‘two-minute challenge’ – to review a story in two minutes, knowing that the buzzer will sound when the time is up!
Prayer - Bible reading and an accessible talk known as the ‘five-minute spotlight’ – it looks at a different topic or passage each service.
Interview - Lasts about 20 minutes and the person being interviewed is encouraged to share stories of their life, how their faith started, how it has subsequently developed and how they have witnessed God at work in the times of joy and moments of struggle. It also gives a chance to discover what work or projects people currently are, or have been involved in
Their guest is Bishop Mark and you can tune in to watch at 6:30pm on 13 February here
