Introduction

Worship is receiving and giving, it is a corporate activity focused in the celebration of God. It symbolises our commitment to God, to one another in the community and to the whole of creation. Through worship God also comes to us, so enlarging our understanding, deepening our compassion and renewing our life. Worship is central to our life together at Luther King House. Within the Partnership we affirm and welcome the plurality of liturgical traditions represented.

Patterns of Prayer

Lunchtime Prayer

This can be arranged on an ad hoc basis by students or staff according to the needs of  the community.

Tuesday worship

On Tuesdays we will meet at 11.30 – 12.30 for a longer period of worship, which will sometimes include a celebration of Communion. Arrangements for this have varied and it has not always been easy to produce worship which does not leave some people feeling marginalised. Student and staff participants are invited to respond to opportunities to share in planning this worship, whenever possible, as outlined in the programme.

It is hoped that those who prepare worship will be sensitive to others and that all of us will be able to approach worship in a spirit of openness and willingness to learn from one another's traditions.

Spirituality

Personal spirituality is of course an individual matter; but it is likely that the courses and the community here will have their own impact on spirituality. Many of the colleges or staff can offer suggestions about spiritual direction or other resources which you may find helpful.

Encircling Prayer 1 & 2

These are resources produced for use within Luther King House and in the wider Partnership. Each volume has a section of Daily Liturgies which can be used for Lunchtime prayer as well as other resources which can be fitted into that framework. Many of the resources are appropriate for use on other occasions, including a section of prayers and meditations for private use.

All of the material has been written by staff and students of the Partnership, and most of it has not been published elsewhere.  Copies of both volumes are available for use in the chapel.

Guidelines for leading worship

There is a variety of theological and liturgical traditions represented within our community. In our worship we seek to express that diversity without causing offence or alienation - not always an easy balancing act! We can do this either by creating a form of worship which offends no-one, or by openness to risk and diversity.

We will not always get the balance right, but we would like to think that as a learning community, we can experiment with and develop creative forms of worship. If you are in a group involved in leading worship, we would like to ask you to remember the following points, which we believe can be compatible with a variety of theological positions.