Churches/Worship & Prayer Resources

WEBWATCH INDEX

Churches/worship + prayer resources

Top Parish Websites 2002 - check out the prizewinners in Ecclesiastical Insurance's competition

Adelaide Place Baptist Church, Glasgow
All Souls Langham Place - top quality online sermons
Always in a hurry - head here to see how rushed you really are - and what to do about it
Altrincham Baptist Church
CFN member churches - your sites are a click away
churchreunited.com - look up friends from old churches
Church websites that really work - tips from web-evangelism.com
Family Worship - Ichthus ministry with free resources
Gorsley Chapel, Ross-on-Wye
Heart of Worship - resources and help for your worship group/leaders
Hornchurch Passion Play
Isle of Wight churches network
Kairos - 'church for today' pastored by Rob and Claire Warner
Kirkweb - Church of Scotland resource
Labyrinth - online virtual meditative prayer walk
March for Jesus
Marple Methodist Church
Southwark diocese - help for church treasurers
Spiritual abuse - if you've suffered at the hands of abusive churches steeped in legalism and authoritarian leadership, help is available
Stopsley Baptist, Luton
St Mary's Church, Ealing - the home of alternative worship event grace
The Net Church, Huddersfield
Upton Vale Baptist, Torquay
Willow Creek UK - reaching the unchurched
Wilson United Memorial Church, Edinburgh
Young Leaders Association

Does your church have a website? See if you come up the standard of the winners and runners-up in the Best Parish Website competition run recently by Ecclesiastical Insurance. Top prize went to St Paul's Dorking, with second and third spots going to St Mary's and St Nicholas, Spalding; and Holy Spirit, Southsea. The nine runners-up were Churches in Welwyn, Herts; St Marget's, Lothbury; St Mary's, Norton, Stockton-on-Tees; St Peter's, Bocking, Braintree; St Paul's, Marton, Blackpool; St Michael's, Windhill, Bishop's Stortford; All Saints, Salterhebble, Halifax; St Peter and St Paul, Buckingham; and Christ Church, Virginia Water. Some 600 churches entered.

If ever there's an inspirational Christian gathering for the whole family - and the World Church, come to that - it's March for Jesus. Check out the latest on this year's Global March (said to be the last ever) at www.gmfj.org
More than 8,000 people flocked to see the Passion Play staged at Hornchurch in Essex, recently. Staged for the first time in five years, it involved some 30 churches and an estimated 250 people from the Havering area. You can see photos from the event and comments on the play at www.hornchurchpassion2000.co.uk
www.savoringpace.com/hurry_test_created_by_kirk_byron.htm - are you always in a rush? Never have enough time to enjoy life? Take this test to see how bad it is for you - and get some help with spiritual strategies to enable you to slow down and savour life in its fullness
Find online audio versions of sermons by Richard Bewes, Anne Graham Lotz, John Stott and many others at the All Souls Langham Place website
With the success of friendsreunited.com, it was only a matter of time before a range of variations hit the online world. And Greg Wright has contacted us with his own: churchreunited.com. Says Greg: "It allows you to get in touch with old Christian friends that you may have lost touch with over the years." All you have to do is register, put in details of churches you've attended and a bit about yourself. People can then make contact. It's early days for the site, but it's bound to grow as more people hear about it.
http://members.shaw.ca/batteredsheep/ - suffered at the hands of an abusive church? Heavy-handed authoritarianism, legalism and manipulation are sadly the experience of some believers, and this site is a welcome port of call for help and advice
On the church front, here a couple more ports of call worth stopping of at. First, the Young Leaders Association, looking to serve, equip and stir up leaders in their twenties and thirties. Then there's innovative 'church for today' Kairos, pastored by Rob and Claire Warner in south London, and looking to model a different kind of church community.
CFN member John Townsend writes to tell us about the Marple Methodist Church website
For an insight into the setting up of an alternative worship service, visit www.freshworship.org - the site for St Mary's Church, Ealing, and the home of the much acclaimed event grace. Helpful guidance and a nicely designed site, too.
Relatively few churches have websites. Perhaps some people are put off by the technicalities involved. But there is an easy alternative - pre-designed template church sites which are edited using a normal browser webpage. The Web Evangelism Bulletin has published a review of these church site systems. To obtain your free copy by email autoresponder, send a blank email to: web-evangelism-get.35@lists.gospelcom.net or visit www.web-evangelism.com/church.html.
Currently touring the UK's cathedrals is the Labyrinth experience - an exercise in meditative, multi-media, exploratory prayer and worship with deep roots in the monastic tradition. Head for www.labyrinth.org.uk to find out more.
The 500-strong Upton Vale Baptist Church in Torquay has been streaming its Sunday services since October, so internet users can experience them before coming in person, and to keep those who are housebound or working abroad in touch. The broadcasts are being manage by Eclipse Networking Ltd of Exeter.
Moving on from Kairos, if your church has yet to look at how you reach unchurched people in your locality, it's well worth taking a trip to the Willow Creek UK site. Moves are afoot to launch a number of youth and children's initiatives, and there's plenty of material to get you thinking. Expect more UK-specific stuff before too long.
Involved in leading, planning or taking part in family worship? Then head for CFN newsletter reader Chris Howard's recommendation: www.familyworship.org.uk "The songs are great and the site provides a massive amount of resources which are free!" says Chris. A ministry of Ichthus Christian Fellowship, it's well worth a visit.
Another Scottish site looking to build helpful use of the Net is Kirkweb - a resource aimed particularly at Church of Scotland members and ministers.
Are you a church treasurer? Our condolences. Even if you're not, and you know one - point him or her at the Southwark diocesan website. There are handy resources, particularly for CofE churches looking to encourage more tax-efficient giving, covering everything from recording donations to reclaiming tax.
Has your church got a website? If you're thinking of setting one up, check out some other good examples. Here are two: Stopsley Baptist in Luton, whose Curious? seeker service recently handled the theme 'How to survive your family', and CofE fellowship The Net Church, in Huddersfield, who are one-year-old this weekend. Very seeker-oriented, it has no parish and meets at Huddersfield University.
More interesting UK churches are continuing to send their site addresses our way, and one certainly worth checking out is Altrincham Baptist Church near Manchester. Of particular interest is the Workout section, inviting public discussion following their seekers course, televised in a recent ITV series
Another very worthwhile site from the Christian Family Network community - Rob Whillier has tipped us off about an excellent site put together by churches in partnership on the Isle of Wight. It's geared particularly to some join events this year to celebrate the Millennium, but has plenty to keep you occupied. A good example of local evangelical co-operation at work, and using the web to share information and help provide a sense of community.
A growing church with a growing vision for reaching out via the Web is Gorsley Chapel, a country church tucked away between Ross-on-Wye and Newent on the Herefordshire/Gloucestershire border. Their services pull in some 350 people each week, and they're now broadcasting them live on the Web. Head for http://www.gorsleychapel.co.uk - you'll need the Radio Destiny plug-in from the audio section of the site.
Wilson Memorial United Free Church in Edinburgh has a site that's a real pleasure to visit and a model for other churches, writes scottishchristian.com. As well as sections on faith, worship, prayer and spirituality, its 30 content areas include electronic postcards, virtual reality tours and an excellent guide to child safety and the internet, available
in Word 97 format. Webmaster George Smith explain how the site came into being and how it's grown, and adds tips on content, design and promotion. Find out more at: http://www.scottishchristian.com/digimin1/02scotwebev/006wilson.html
And another Scottish church site worth a visit is Adelaide's - formerly Adelaide Place Baptist Church - based in Glasgow. The fellowship has just celebrated its fifth anniversary in its present form, having embarked on a £1.2 million redevelopment which has spawned five businesses: a children's nursery, a guesthouse, cafe, take-away, and an auditorium.
"In response to CFN newsletter 31 - our church website is on
www.weychurch.co.net" - The Weychurch Team

Station Hill Baptist Church Chippenham, Wiltshire, is at
www.station-hill.fsnet.co.uk - Graham
http://www.stmarksparish.org/ - David in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

www.samare.fsnet.co.uk is the website of Samares Methodist Church in Jersey. It doesn't have any bells or whistles (comparitively) but we have had people come to worship through it. Bless you all, Stephen Higginson

Our church is at www.heathersidechurch.freeserve.co.uk
Hope this is useful - Cath Roberts, Camberley
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		WEBWATCH INDEX Churches/worship + prayer resources Top Parish Websites 2002 - check out the prizewinners in Ecclesiastical Insurance's competition Adelaide Place Baptist Church, Glasgow All Souls Langham Place - top quality online sermons Always in a hurry - head here to see how rushed you really are - and what to do about it Altrincham Baptist Church CFN member churches - your sites are a click away churchreunited.com - look up friends from old churches Church websites that really work - tips from web-evangelism.com Family Worship - Ichthus ministry with free resources Gorsley Chapel, Ross-on-Wye Heart of Worship - resources and help for your worship group/leaders Hornchurch Passion Play Isle of Wight churches network Kairos - 'church for today' pastored by Rob and Claire Warner Kirkweb - Church of Scotland resource Labyrinth - online virtual meditative prayer walk March for Jesus Marple Methodist Church Southwark diocese - help for church treasurers Spiritual abuse - if you've suffered at the hands of abusive churches steeped in legalism and authoritarian leadership, help is available Stopsley Baptist, Luton St Mary's Church, Ealing - the home of alternative worship event grace The Net Church, Huddersfield Upton Vale Baptist, Torquay Willow Creek UK - reaching the unchurched Wilson United Memorial Church, Edinburgh Young Leaders Association Does your church have a website? See if you come up the standard of the winners and runners-up in the Best Parish Website competition run recently by Ecclesiastical Insurance. Top prize went to St Paul's Dorking, with second and third spots going to St Mary's and St Nicholas, Spalding; and Holy Spirit, Southsea. The nine runners-up were Churches in Welwyn, Herts; St Marget's, Lothbury; St Mary's, Norton, Stockton-on-Tees; St Peter's, Bocking, Braintree; St Paul's, Marton, Blackpool; St Michael's, Windhill, Bishop's Stortford; All Saints, Salterhebble, Halifax; St Peter and St Paul, Buckingham; and Christ Church, Virginia Water. Some 600 churches entered. If ever there's an inspirational Christian gathering for the whole family - and the World Church, come to that - it's March for Jesus. Check out the latest on this year's Global March (said to be the last ever) at www.gmfj.org More than 8,000 people flocked to see the Passion Play staged at Hornchurch in Essex, recently. Staged for the first time in five years, it involved some 30 churches and an estimated 250 people from the Havering area. You can see photos from the event and comments on the play at www.hornchurchpassion2000.co.uk www.savoringpace.com/hurry_test_created_by_kirk_byron.htm - are you always in a rush? Never have enough time to enjoy life? Take this test to see how bad it is for you - and get some help with spiritual strategies to enable you to slow down and savour life in its fullness Find online audio versions of sermons by Richard Bewes, Anne Graham Lotz, John Stott and many others at the All Souls Langham Place website With the success of friendsreunited.com, it was only a matter of time before a range of variations hit the online world. And Greg Wright has contacted us with his own: churchreunited.com. Says Greg: "It allows you to get in touch with old Christian friends that you may have lost touch with over the years." All you have to do is register, put in details of churches you've attended and a bit about yourself. People can then make contact. It's early days for the site, but it's bound to grow as more people hear about it. http://members.shaw.ca/batteredsheep/ - suffered at the hands of an abusive church? Heavy-handed authoritarianism, legalism and manipulation are sadly the experience of some believers, and this site is a welcome port of call for help and advice On the church front, here a couple more ports of call worth stopping of at. First, the Young Leaders Association, looking to serve, equip and stir up leaders in their twenties and thirties. Then there's innovative 'church for today' Kairos, pastored by Rob and Claire Warner in south London, and looking to model a different kind of church community. CFN member John Townsend writes to tell us about the Marple Methodist Church website For an insight into the setting up of an alternative worship service, visit www.freshworship.org - the site for St Mary's Church, Ealing, and the home of the much acclaimed event grace. Helpful guidance and a nicely designed site, too. Relatively few churches have websites. Perhaps some people are put off by the technicalities involved. But there is an easy alternative - pre-designed template church sites which are edited using a normal browser webpage. The Web Evangelism Bulletin has published a review of these church site systems. To obtain your free copy by email autoresponder, send a blank email to: web-evangelism-get.35@lists.gospelcom.net or visit www.web-evangelism.com/church.html. Currently touring the UK's cathedrals is the Labyrinth experience - an exercise in meditative, multi-media, exploratory prayer and worship with deep roots in the monastic tradition. Head for www.labyrinth.org.uk to find out more. The 500-strong Upton Vale Baptist Church in Torquay has been streaming its Sunday services since October, so internet users can experience them before coming in person, and to keep those who are housebound or working abroad in touch. The broadcasts are being manage by Eclipse Networking Ltd of Exeter. Moving on from Kairos, if your church has yet to look at how you reach unchurched people in your locality, it's well worth taking a trip to the Willow Creek UK site. Moves are afoot to launch a number of youth and children's initiatives, and there's plenty of material to get you thinking. Expect more UK-specific stuff before too long. Involved in leading, planning or taking part in family worship? Then head for CFN newsletter reader Chris Howard's recommendation: www.familyworship.org.uk "The songs are great and the site provides a massive amount of resources which are free!" says Chris. A ministry of Ichthus Christian Fellowship, it's well worth a visit. Another Scottish site looking to build helpful use of the Net is Kirkweb - a resource aimed particularly at Church of Scotland members and ministers. Are you a church treasurer? Our condolences. Even if you're not, and you know one - point him or her at the Southwark diocesan website. There are handy resources, particularly for CofE churches looking to encourage more tax-efficient giving, covering everything from recording donations to reclaiming tax. Has your church got a website? If you're thinking of setting one up, check out some other good examples. Here are two: Stopsley Baptist in Luton, whose Curious? seeker service recently handled the theme 'How to survive your family', and CofE fellowship The Net Church, in Huddersfield, who are one-year-old this weekend. Very seeker-oriented, it has no parish and meets at Huddersfield University. More interesting UK churches are continuing to send their site addresses our way, and one certainly worth checking out is Altrincham Baptist Church near Manchester. Of particular interest is the Workout section, inviting public discussion following their seekers course, televised in a recent ITV series Another very worthwhile site from the Christian Family Network community - Rob Whillier has tipped us off about an excellent site put together by churches in partnership on the Isle of Wight. It's geared particularly to some join events this year to celebrate the Millennium, but has plenty to keep you occupied. A good example of local evangelical co-operation at work, and using the web to share information and help provide a sense of community. A growing church with a growing vision for reaching out via the Web is Gorsley Chapel, a country church tucked away between Ross-on-Wye and Newent on the Herefordshire/Gloucestershire border. Their services pull in some 350 people each week, and they're now broadcasting them live on the Web. Head for http://www.gorsleychapel.co.uk - you'll need the Radio Destiny plug-in from the audio section of the site. Wilson Memorial United Free Church in Edinburgh has a site that's a real pleasure to visit and a model for other churches, writes scottishchristian.com. As well as sections on faith, worship, prayer and spirituality, its 30 content areas include electronic postcards, virtual reality tours and an excellent guide to child safety and the internet, available in Word 97 format. Webmaster George Smith explain how the site came into being and how it's grown, and adds tips on content, design and promotion. Find out more at: http://www.scottishchristian.com/digimin1/02scotwebev/006wilson.html And another Scottish church site worth a visit is Adelaide's - formerly Adelaide Place Baptist Church - based in Glasgow. The fellowship has just celebrated its fifth anniversary in its present form, having embarked on a £1.2 million redevelopment which has spawned five businesses: a children's nursery, a guesthouse, cafe, take-away, and an auditorium. "In response to CFN newsletter 31 - our church website is on www.weychurch.co.net" - The Weychurch Team Station Hill Baptist Church Chippenham, Wiltshire, is at www.station-hill.fsnet.co.uk - Graham http://www.stmarksparish.org/ - David in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire www.samare.fsnet.co.uk is the website of Samares Methodist Church in Jersey. It doesn't have any bells or whistles (comparitively) but we have had people come to worship through it. Bless you all, Stephen Higginson Our church is at www.heathersidechurch.freeserve.co.uk Hope this is useful - Cath Roberts, Camberley back to top of this category back to top