Feast Liturgies

 


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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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