christian practices

• baptism 


  the sacrament through which people become members of the Church, it involves the use of water as a symbol of the washing away of sin
• believers' baptism 


  initiation into the Church, by immersion in water, of people old enough to understand the ceremony/rite and who have made the decision to live a Christian life
• christmas 


  the festival/celebration to remember the birth of Jesus
• easter 


  Festival/celebration of the resurrection of Jesus; the Easter season ends with Pentecost (50 days after Easter Sunday) which remembers the coming of the Holy Spirit to earth following the ascension
• eucharist / holy communion 


  literally 'thanksgiving'; a sacrament in which the death and resurrection of Jesus are celebrated, using bread and wine
• evangelism 


  preaching the gospel (the good news about God) to convert people to the Christian faith
• food banks 


  places in local communities where people in need can go to collect food; often run/supported by local churches and religious charities.
• infant baptism 


  sacrament of initiation of babies and young children into the Church
• informal prayer 


  spontaneous prayers spoken from the heart which are personal and unique to the person at the time
• Iona 


  place of pilgrimage founded by St Columba in the fourth century
• liturgical worship 


  a church service which follows a set structure or ritual
• lourdes


  place of pilgrimage where the Virgin Mary appeared to St Bernadette in a series of visions and it is claimed that miraculous healings have taken place
• mission


  literally ‘sent out’; the duty of Christians to spread the gospel (the good news about Jesus)
• non-liturgical worship 


  a service which does not follow a set text or ritual; sometimes spontaneous or charismatic
• persecution 


  facing hostility and ill-treatment; some Christians face punishment and death for practising their faith
• private worship 


  a believer giving God praise and worship on their own
• set prayers 


  these are prayers written throughout the centuries which many Christians worldwide use (eg The Lord’s Prayer)
• sacrament 


  the outward and visible sign of an invisible and spiritual grace, (eg Baptism and the Eucharist are recognised as sacraments by most Christians)
• street pastors 


  a Christian organisation involving people working, mainly at night, on city streets giving care to those who need it
• worship


  showing adoration and reverence; offering praise to God