Christian Practices

• Worship


  Acts of religious praise, honour or devotion
• Liturgical worship


  A church service that follows a set structure of worship
• Non-Liturgical Worship


  A church service that does not follow a set text or ritual
• Private worship


  When a believer praises or honours God on his or her own
• Why prayer is important to Christians


  • Allows Christians to grow closer to God
  • Christians can ask God for guidance and forgiveness and express their gratitude to Him
  • Set prayers allow the Christian community to unite, since they can pray them together
  • Informal prayers allow Christians to open their hearts more easily, using their own words
• Meaning of the Lord's Prayer


  • Gives Christians a pattern for how to pray, includes praise, confession and asking for help
  • Serves as a reminder that Christians must forgive others in order to be forgiven by God
  • Reminds Christians that God is the God of the whole Christian community
• Missionary


  A person sent on a religious mission, especially to promote Christianity in a foreign country through preaching or charitable work
• Evangelism


  Spreading the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness
• Matthew 28 - The Great Commission: '"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them."'
• Role of Pilgrimage


  Grow closer to God, be forgiven from sins, reflect on their lives, pray for a blessing or something special, seek a cure for an illness, visit a holy place, meet other Christians
• Importance of Pilgrimage


  • Not compulsory for Christians but can have an important spiritual effect
  • Can give a better understanding of their faith and renewed enthusiasm
  • May feel cleansed from sins
• Lourdes


  • Bernadette saw visions of the Virgin Mary, found a spring of water
  • The water is believed to have healing properties
  • 67 miracles and over 6000 other cures have taken place
• Iona


  • Island off the coast of Scotland where a missionary, St Colomba, established a monastic community
  • Some think it is a 'thin place', where the veil between the spiritual world and the physical world is thin
  • Place where God's power and presence can be felt
  • Pilgrims help out with daily meals and chore
  • Also time dedicated for silence and meditation and reading the Bible
• Christian Aid


  • Encourage sustainable development, provide emergency relief
  • Their aim is to end poverty
  • Slogan: 'We believe in life before death.'
• Tear Fund


  • Follow Jesus' example, travelling to places in great need, responding to disasters and helping vulnerable communities to transform out of poverty
  • Works with local churches to enable people to work themselves out of poverty
• CAFOD


  • Helps to increase access to clean water, education and healthcare
  • Campaigns for the UK government to help developing countries
  • Responds to natural disasters
• Holy Communion


  A service of thanksgiving in which the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus are celebrated using bread and wine, also called the Eucharist, Mass, the Last Supper, the Divine Liturgy
• Catholic view of Holy Communion


  • Believe that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus
  • It is a divine mystery how this happens
  • Priest says Eucharistic prayer, then prays over the bread and wine
  • Members come forward to receive communion
• Orthodox view of Holy Communion (the Divine Liturgy)


  • Hymns, prayers and Bible reading
  • Priest selects a loaf to be consecrated (blessed)
  • The bread is divided in 4, 3 parts are divided as the body
  • The bread and wine are delivered together on a spoon
• Non-Conformist view of Holy Communion


  • Hymn and prayer of thanksgiving
  • Minister reminds the congregation of Jesus' words and actions at the Last Supper
  • 'Open table': anyone who wants to participate can
  • People come forward to receive bread and wine
• How a Christian might show love for their community


  • Donate to food banks (e.g. the Trussell Trust)
  • The Oasis Project, in Plymouth, is a community hub with an internet cafe, courses, training opportunities etc.
  • The church building can also provide a location for Christians from the local community to meet, holding prayer meetings and socialising
  • They can also help the community with mother & toddlers' groups
• How Christmas is celebrated


  • Carol services with readings from the Bible, trees and homes are decorated with lights
  • Lights represent Jesus as the light coming into the world of darkness
  • Nativity scenes are re-enacted by children
  • Gifts are exchanged which remembers the gifts the wise men gave to the baby Jesus
  • Midnight Mass on Christmas eve
  • Many give to charity, as God gave the gift of Jesus
• How Easter is celebrated

  • Week leading up to Easter (Holy Week), Christians remember the events leading up to Jesus' death
  • Jesus was crucified on 'Good Friday'
  • On Easter Sunday, churches are filled with flowers (represents new life) and special hymns are sung
  • Orthodox Christians walk around the church with candles on Saturday at midnight then enter the church
  • Light a Paschal candle to symbolise the risen Christ
  • Easter eggs, a symbol of new life
• What street pastors do for their community


  • Adult volunteers are trained to patrol the streets in urban areas, mainly to challenge gang culture and the use of knives/guns
  • They aim to care for vulnerable people
  • They operate in nearly 300 locations worldwide with 14,000 trained volunteers
• Infant baptism


  • Baptised as a baby
  • Removes Original Sin
  • Welcomed into the faith as soon as possible
  • Blessed water poured on the baby's head
  • Parents and godparents promise to bring up the child in the Christian faith
• Adult baptism


  • Baptised when old enough to understand the meaning
  • Baptism doesn't save a person, it is their conversion to living a life committed to Jesus that matters
  • Full immersion in a pool
  • It is a symbol of the person's commitment to their faith (declaration)
• How Christians are persecuted


  Worldwide, Christians have been imprisoned, faced verbal/physical abuse and discriminated against
• How Christians should respond to persecution

  • Christians are encouraged to respond with love
  • Persecution can strengthen their faith
  • Christians should support other Christians who face persecution
• "Overcome evil with good." Romans 12
• "Turn the other cheek" Matthew 5