Churches launch prayer resources for Royal Jubilee

Communities from Bermuda to Toronto, Mauritius to Central Africa, Hereford and Wandsworth, will be holding special services on Sunday 2 June to celebrate the Queens Golden Jubilee. Yesterday, Churches Together in England and Wales launched their Ecumenical Worship Resource. The booklet consists of 26 pages of resources plus a detachable 12 page Order of Service. There are readings, prayers based on the Coronation symbols, hymns, music and original line drawings. There are also extracts from broadcasts made by the Queen on her twenty first birthday and at Christmas. The Presidents of the four-nation ecumenical body which draws together churches from the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Reformed, African and Afro-Caribbean traditions, have commended the resources saying: "It is a great privilege for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland to have been invited to prepare ecumenical worship material for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The material draws on the life and culture of the various parts of the United Kingdom and includes blessings in Welsh and Gaelic. At the heart of the Thanksgiving Service, offered for use in churches on 2 June are thoughts and prayers woven around the symbols of the Coronation. Symbols often speak more deeply than words and can help us to commit ourselves afresh to serve our local community, the nation and the world. We are happy to commend this ecumenical worship material for use throughout the United Kingdom." Rev Andrew Scobie, a Church of Scotland minister and liturgical scholar who has served as Convener of the General Assembly's panel on worship and its Liturgical Committee, said the aim of the celebration is to look forward as well as backward and to lead people to commit themselves to the service of others. A hymn-writer himself, he said: "We are grateful to distinguished writers such as Timothy Dudley-Smith and June Boyce-Tillman who have written splendid new hymns for the occasion." Martin Foster, Assistant Secretary to the Liturgy Office for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales spoke about the prayers woven around the symbols of the Coronation. They focus on the Bible for faith, the oil for anointing, a towel and bowl for service and a symbol for community. He said: "We recognise and give thanks for the life of service The Queen has given us and we acknowledge this model she has given to the churches." To order the resources, or for more details visit the CTBI website at: www.ctbi.org.uk/jubilee