For every major feast, saint's day and commemoration in the calendars of the Anglican churches of the UK, this liturgical resource and spiritual companion offers a feast of readings that reflects the richness, depth and variety of the Christian tradition from the earliest years of the church to the present day. Writings from across the centuries represent the Eastern, Western, Roman and Celtic traditions and constitute a vibrant history of Christianity manifested in the lives of hundreds of holy men and women as diverse as first century martyrs, or twentieth century social reformers. A complementary volume to Exciting Holiness which provides scripture readings and prayers for the calendar, this is now updated to include the additional commemorations in the Church of England's calendar of saints.

Until relatively recently a Church of England funeral was the default option of the majority of the British population. This is no longer the case. Today, in some urban areas, secular or humanist funerals now account for 40% of funerals. The numbers of Anglican funerals are in free-fall. In exploring what makes a good funeral, this practical guide aims to rebuild the confidence of clergy in their funeral ministry and to equip them for transformative, missional pastoral engagement. This book grew out of diocesan consultation with funeral directors who identified three essential qualities that only the church offers: a distinctive understanding of death continuing pastoral care hope, not just empathy. Building on this foundation, Robert Atwell suggests many practical ways in which the church can become better at conducting funerals and engaging with those who seek pastoral support at critical points in their lives.

Pilgrim is a major new teaching and discipleship resource from the Church of England. It will help enquirers and new Christians explore what it means to travel through life with Jesus Christ. A Christian course for the twenty-first century, Pilgrim offers an approach of participation, not persuasion. Enquirers are encouraged to practice the ancient disciplines of biblical reflection and prayer, exploring key texts that have helped people since the earliest days of the Christian faith. Believing that the Christian faith is primarily about relationship, Pilgrim aims to lay a foundation for a lifetime of learning more about God's love revealed in Jesus Christ and what it means to be his disciple. Assuming little or no knowledge of the Christian faith, Pilgrim can be used at any point on the journey of discipleship and by every tradition in the Church of England. Pilgrim is made up of two parts: Follow and Grow. Each consists of four short courses and a leaders' guide. Follow introduces the Christian faith for complete beginners, while Grow aims to develop a deeper level of discipleship in those who have turned to Christ. Each short course contains six-sessions, supported by online audio-visual resources. All sessions combine a simple framework prayer, reflection on the Bible in the lectio divina style, an article by a modern writer, and time for questions and reflection. The first book in the Follow Stage, Turning to Christ, explores the questions candidates are asked when they decide to become followers of Jesus.

Everybody wants a christening, wedding or funeral service to be unique to them and one of the main ways of personalising a ceremony is to choose one's own readings. Not everyone reads poetry or novels together and many do not know where to start in choosing a special piece. Here, an experienced editor of such books has collected together 100 readings from scripture and literature across the centuries in celebration of a birth, a marriage, a life that has ended. There is humour, tenderness, challenge, wisdom and realism in abundance, offering, quite literally, something for everyone.

Everybody wants a christening, wedding or funeral service to be unique to them and one of the main ways of personalising a ceremony is to choose one's own readings. Not everyone reads poetry or novels together and many do not know where to start in choosing a special piece. Here, an experienced editor of such books has collected together 100 readings from scripture and literature across the centuries in celebration of a birth, a marriage, a life that has ended. There is humour, tenderness, challenge, wisdom and realism in abundance, offering, quite literally, something for everyone.

Each year in the UK, 225,000 people are diagnosed with dementia. The implications for aging church congregations, and for the Christian mission to people throughout their lives, are considerable. God In Fragments aims to equip those engaged in or preparing for ministry to people with dementia. It explores the theological and spiritual challenges of dementia, suggests practical ways to help those living with dementia participate in worship, and offers a wide range of prayers and worship outlines. * Part One offers theological reflection on living with dementia, spiritual awareness, creating dementia-friendly churches and accessible worship. * Part Two contains services, prayers, readings and activities suitable for those with dementia, for use in formal or informal church contexts, church cafes, care homes and hospitals. In an Afterword, Samuel Wells reflects on unlocking the gates of memory.

A Time for Creation encourages us to praise God for his creation, take responsibility for our actions, repent of our misuse of natural resources and hear the voice of creation itself in our prayer. Drawing together texts from Common Worship with newly commissioned material, it offers liturgies for all times and occasions when there is a focus on creation - in daily prayer, services of the word, school assemblies, eucharistic celebrations and seasonal services to mark the agricultural year. It has been compiled by the Liturgical Commission of the Church of England and is designed to provide its parishes, schools and chaplaincies with a rich selection of resources for worship and prayer.

This anthology of writings, drawn from five hundred years of spiritual exploration, shows how the early Church Fathers 'kept company with God'. It witnesses to the continuity of the Christian tradition as it emerged and grew from the era of the Apostles. In these days of division and cultural fragmentation, this rich heritage constitutes an invaluable resource of learning and wisdom. Including material from Cyprian, The Desert Tradition, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, Augustine, Benedict, and Gregory the Great, this collection will inspire and impress contemporary readers with its vitality and variety of thought.

'Love' is an anthology of readings that celebrates the ideal and the humorously down to earth in relation to love, friendship and marriage across the centuries. Sonnets, poems, wedding blessings, readings from the Bible, and the reflections of various ancient and contemporary writers, together create a tapestry of wisdom about the joys of love and its occasional struggles. Offering, quite literally, something for everyone, 'Love' offers plenty of choice for those looking to personalise their wedding service.

This short booklet provides a contemporary summary of the essentials of the Christian faith for enquirers, new Christians and baptism and confirmation candidates. Written by the authors of the popular Pilgrim course, it follows the pattern of one of the most ancient teaching traditions of the Church: catechism. Originally a form of baptism preparation in the early Church, it explores Christian belief through a series of questions and answers - the way that Christians across the centuries have learned and taken to heart the core truths of Christianity. The Pilgrim Catechism complements the Pilgrim course in discipleship and acts as a summary for key questions that it explores, such as: * What is the faith of the church? * How do you become a Christian? * What is worship? * What is baptism? * How did Jesus teach his disciples to pray? * What is a sacrament? * How can we trust the Bible? * What is the hope in which we live? Scripture quotes and texts such as the Creed provide many of the responses and throughout, disciples are challenged to work out their beliefs in their daily lives.

This short booklet provides a contemporary summary of the essentials of the Christian faith for enquirers, new Christians and baptism and confirmation candidates. Written by the authors of the popular Pilgrim course, it follows the pattern of one of the most ancient teaching traditions of the Church: catechism. Originally a form of baptism preparation in the early Church, it explores Christian belief through a series of questions and answers - the way that Christians across the centuries have learned and taken to heart the core truths of Christianity. The Pilgrim Catechism complements the Pilgrim course in discipleship and acts as a summary for key questions that it explores, such as: * What is the faith of the church? * How do you become a Christian? * What is worship? * What is baptism? * How did Jesus teach his disciples to pray? * What is a sacrament? * How can we trust the Bible? * What is the hope in which we live? Scripture quotes and texts such as the Creed provide many of the responses and throughout, disciples are challenged to work out their beliefs in their daily lives. This multipack contains 6 copies.