Feast was an alternative
worship
congregation which met at Clapton Park URC (The Round Chapel) around
2006-8. It originated from
Host a similar congregation which developed out of the ministry of Rev.
Doug
Gay. After Doug Gay left Host ran out of steam but there was a new
cohort of
20-year-olds, especially a group living in the Manse on Powerscroft
Road who
wanted to meet for worship but in a new and different way from Host.
After a period
of discussion Feast was created. It flourished for a number of years
before it
too ran out of steam and went through another transformation into what
is now
called Sacred Space during the ministry of Rev. Elizabeth Welch. A
small website still exists! http://www.theroundchapel.org.uk/feast/
The Feast Vision
- We seek to be a Christian community that
provides the opportunity to learn, be inspired and nourished in an atmosphere
of intimacy and vulnerability.
- We also seek to be a space for creative
worship, where everyone can talk freely and a place where people receive
support for their daily lives.
- We want to be encouraged to be active in our
community and beyond, being committed to the principles of justice and peace.
- We don't want to forget the need to be made
uncomfortable by the gospel of Jesus.
Feast had many of the strengths and
weaknesses of alternative worship congregations. It was at times exciting, often
creative and it was part of a community which was important to many people.
Feast became a hub around which many different things emerged but it was also
fragile and unstable. Did it encourage
genuine Christian discipleship? Did it make a difference to our community and
our world? Did it develop a living spirituality relevant to its context and
rooted in the way of Jesus? I'm not sure. Certainly I learned much from it and
this learning went into the formation of An Evensong for Stoke Newington. I
wouldn't have been without it.
It also helped turn me into a liturgist!
Collected here is some of this liturgy.
Mostly this was for small groups of around a dozen people but occasionally we
did larger events -- especially the Coca-Cola liturgy when we welcomed a group
of American students. Feast also lead a number of liturgies at the Greenbelt
Festival although I wasn't involved in these.
A liturgy for Feast A
liturgy we developed for the launch of Feast based on using food
symbols. Some of these were later developed into liturgies in their own
right The Coca-Cola liturgy A service exploring globalization and the variety of Christian responses A liturgy of Bread Reflecting on the symbolism and significance of bread A litany of Hope A reflection on hope and suffering mainly drawing on biblical references Celebration of the Body A short reflection drawing on images from the Song of Songs A communion liturgy Telling the story of the Last Supper and developing themes of silence, mystery and love God of the Exodus A cry of anguish for liberation from oppression Liturgy of the children A celebration of children and their contribution to world history Make room for peace A meditation letting God’s peace enter into every part of our bodies This is the story of Jesus of Nazareth A communion liturgy telling the story of Jesus and his followers The light of Christ An opening prayer of gathering for worship Core group blessing A blessing for the people who took on a six-month responsibility for facilitating Feast Leading a Feast Service This gives some idea of the practicalities and purpose of a Feast service
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