Christian practices

• Worship


  The act of religious praise, honour or devotion. A way for Christians to show their deep love and honour to God
• Reasons for Christian worship


  • To praise and thank God
  • To ask for forgiveness
  • To seek God's help for themselves or others
  • To deepen their relationship with God
  • To strengthen their faith
• "Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.": '(Bible)'
• Informal worship


  A type of non-liturgical worship that is 'spontaneous' or 'charismatic' in nature
• Informal worship


  • Community or house churches meeting in private homes and sharing food
  • Quaker worship being mainly silent with people speaking when moved by God
  • 'Charismatic' worship involving dancing, clapping, calling out and speaking in tongues
• Importance of informal worship


  • People can take an active part in church
  • Services may have more of an emotional impact
  • Feeling of personal revelation from God
• Private worship


  When believers praise or honour God in their own home
• Prayer


  Communicating with God, either silently or out loud, sometimes through song
• Types of prayer


  • Intercessions (prayers made on behalf of others)
  • Thanksgiving (praying to say thank you to God)
  • Set prayers (written down and used in liturgical worship, e.g. Lord's Prayer)
  • Informal prayer (off-the-cuff, often used in non-liturgical worship)
• Importance of prayer


  • Encourages reflection in the middle of a busy life
  • Enables Christians to talk and listen to God
  • Gives strength in times of trouble
  • Helps Christians to keep a close relationship with God
  • Gives a sense of peace
  • Helps Christians to accept God's will even if it means suffering
• "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.": '(Bible)'
• "Our Father in heaven, hallowed by you name...Give us today our daily bread... And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.": '(Bible)'
• Baptism


  The ritual through which a person becomes a member of the Church. It involves the use of water to symbolise the washing away of sin
• "Make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.": '(Bible)'
• Effects of baptism


  • Imitates Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist
  • Becomes a child of God
  • Receives God's saving grace and the Holy Spirit
  • Cleansed of sin
  • Enters new life with Christ in the Christian community
• Infant baptism


  A formal service welcoming a new child into the Christian Church. It removes Original Sin. The parents can thank God for their new baby and celebrate with family and friends. Holy water is sprinkled over the baby's head, godparents and parents promise to bring up the child as a Christian and the child is welcomed into the Christian community.
• Believer's baptism

  A baptism that welcomes someone who is old enough to consciously decide about their faith. The person is fully immersed in a pool of holy water which symbolises cleansing from sin and rising to new life in Christ. They make promises to stay away from evil.
• Pilgrimage


  A journey made by a believer to a holy site for religious reasons. As well as making a physical journey to a sacred place, the pilgrim also makes a spiritual journey with God.
• Reasons for Christian pilgrimage


  • Meet others who share the same faith
  • Grow closer to God
  • Strengthen faith in God
  • Be forgiven for sin
  • Reflect on one's life
  • Pray for something special
  • Thank God for a blessing
  • Seek a cure for illness
  • Help other pilgrims who are disabled or ill
  • Experience a holy place
• Lourdes

  Where Mary is said to have appeared in a number of visions to a young girl called Bernadette. Pilgrims go to bathe in the waters of the spring, or to help other pilgrims who are ill or disabled to bathe in the waters. Pilgrims also pray for healing or forgiveness and may recite the rosary together.
• Iona


  Where St Columba established a monastic community in the 6th century AD. Pilgrims go for the quiet, peaceful and natural beauty, to spend time praying, reading the Bible, and reflecting or meditating. Pilgrims can also attend services in the abbey church, take part in workshops, and visit the island's holy or historic sites.
• Eucharist

  A sacrament that uses bread and wine to celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection. It recalls the Last Supper of Jesus, using his words and actions.
• "Take, eat..this is my body, given for you. Do this as often as you eat in memory of me." and "Take drink...this is my blood, shed for you. Do this as often as you drink it in memory of me.": '(Bible)'
• Christian interpretations of the bread and wine


  • Catholics believe the Holy Spirit transforms them into Jesus' actual body and blood
  • Anglicans believe they are symbolic
• Impact of the Eucharist


  • Christians receive God's grace by joining the sacrifice of Jesus, which strengthens their faith and brings them closer to God
  • It brings the community of believers together in unity by sharing the bread and wine, providing support and encouragement
• Festivals


  Days or periods of celebration for religious reasons, helping Christians to remember and celebrate the major events in their religion - particularly the life, death and the resurrection of Jesus.
• Christmas


  Commemorates the incarnation and the birth of Jesus. Celebrations begin on 25 December and last 12 days, ending with Epiphany (which recalls the visit of the wise men). Christians give gifts to commemorate the gift of God sending his own son to the world.
• Easter


  Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Celebrations begin before Easter Sunday, and finish with the feast of Pentecost. Christians celebrate by saying "he is risen" and by eating chocolate eggs that represent new life.
• "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.": '(Bible)'
• How individual churches help the local community


  • Educate people about Christianity
  • Provide a meeting place for prayer and worship
  • Provide activities for younger people
  • Provide a place where Christians can socialise and obtain spiritual guidance
• How the Church helps the local community


  • Supports local projects such as food banks
  • Provides social services such as schooling and medical care
  • Helps those in need
  • Campaigns for justice
• "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat" and "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me": '(Bible)'
• Christians should help others in the local community as Jesus taught people should show agape love - selfless and unconditional love, taught in the Bible
• Christians believe it is important to put their faith into action. Two examples of organisations that provide practical help to local communities are Street Pastors and Parish Nursing Ministries UK
• "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead": '(Bible)'
• "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors": '(Bible)'
• "let us not love with words or speech but with action and in truth": '(Bible)'
• Food Banks


  Charities which give food to people who cannot afford to buy it, such as The Trussell Trust and The Oasis Project
• Street Pastors


  People who are trained to patrol the streets in urban areas, helping vulnerable people by providing a reassuring presence
• Mission


  A vocation or calling to spread the faith. The Church has a mission to tell non-believers that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world as its saviour