All Age Communion

At All Saints, children play an important part in our worship. They join in the songs and receive a blessing at Communion time. Their voices are heard throughout the service, to the delight of all.

Most weeks, when it is time for the sermon, the children go to their own activities, but, on the first Sunday most months, they are at the very centre of things. On this Sunday the adults take a back seat at sermon time. The children gather around the speaker, who uses pictures, words and actions to involve the Children in Bible stories.

It doesn’t stop there. Although Children who are not confirmed cannot receive communion, they still get a taste of it.

This Sunday the altar is replaced by a coffee table, which becomes a Children’s Communion Table. The Vicar and the children sit on the floor, around the table. The prayer of thanksgiving (Eucharistic Prayer) is short and aimed at helping the children understand what is going on.

At the end of the prayer, each child receives a special blessing and a ‘Holy-Mars-Bar’. As the Bible says, ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’