Introduction; 1. Should church be all-age?; 2. How does worship happen?; 3. What matters most?; 4. Rules of thumb for all-age services; 5. Coping with change; 6. Planning an all-age service; Conclusion; Appendix.
Lucy Moore works for BRF as Messy Church Team Leader. She is responsible for developing the work of Messy Church nationally and internationally-writing, speaking, reflecting and developing Messy projects. She continues to help lead Messy Church in her own church, where her husband is the minister. Before working full-time with Messy Church, Lucy was a member of BRF's Barnabas children's ministry team, offering training for those wanting to bring the Bible to life for children in churches and schools across the UK, and using drama and storytelling to explore the Bible with children herself. Her books include titles in the Messy Church series, as well as AllAge Worship, Colourful Creation, Bethlehem Carols Unpacked, The Lord's Prayer Unplugged and The Gospels Unplugged. She also presents Messy Church: the DVD. A secondary-school teacher by training, she enjoys acting, walking Minnie the dog, marvelling at the alien world of her two teenage children and guiltily watching unimproving television programmes. She is a Lay Canon of Portsmouth Cathedral.
From Regent's Reviews - October 2010 All-Age Worship is a fantastic
introduction to how to plan and prepare all-age services. All-age
or family services often get a bad reputation and here Lucy Moore
seeks to overcome this view and demonstrate, both the importance of
all-age worship and how it can be done well in practice. This is
the strength of the book: it's practical. The two most helpful
chapters are on some basic rules of thumb (keep it simple, uses
senses and emotions, use story, include participation, use
invitation) and how to plan. Every chapter includes stories and
examples. Creating space for the whole church to gather to worship
for this reviewer is not an optional extra, but is integral to
being church, and as Moore shows, this does not mean services which
only cater for children. Reading this book will hopefully open up
the possibility of how all-age worship might enrich a whole
congregation and provide encouragement to those who either struggle
with all-age or are looking for help. Reviewed by Andy Goodliff,
Belle Vue Baptist Church, Southend on Sea
From Ministry Matters - July 2010 I know that where all age worship
has been successful in our church it has been the times when there
has been a sense of us all being in it together making the service
truly all age. It's a key question in your planning turning 'how do
we include the children' into 'how can we do this together'. This
sense of encountering God and learning together I believe is what
should be at the heart of our all age times. I've recently read
Lucy Moore's new book on all age worship and she makes this point.
It's an excellent book that I would heartily recommend. Lucy also
gives a useful list of key points that she calls 'touchstones' for
all age worship, I found these tremendously helpful especially as
none of them were exclusively for the benefit of children. Let me
give you a sneak preview of four of them. They reflect some of the
key aspects of good all age worship. •Short - Keep your services no
longer than 40 minutes. •Symbol - Make use of symbolism especially
around the Eucharist. •Space - Give the time and the means to
reflect and respond in their own way. •Pattern - Follow a usual
structure. All age worship is something I think we all find a
challenge so please let me know what you do and how well it works
and I'll try and pass it on through the Diocese. Reviewed by Sam
Donohue
From The Good Bookstall - June 2010 We call ourselves a Church
family or the Body of Christ. Yet, in our worship we divide the
family up rather than deal with the whole. Or we concentrate on
doing things, going places for God, or watching for sin; without
considering the monster it would be if it were only hands, or feet
or eyes. Where is Jesus' command of open and accepting love? In her
book All-Age Worship Lucy Moore sets worship in the context of
community using the icon we call Rublev's Trinity - three people,
interpreted as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, sitting in a circle,
attending to one another, aware of one another, at one in their
understanding and action. There is a space inviting us into this
community, assuring us of love, understanding and acceptance. This
suggests a Church glorying in intimate fellowship, but open and
welcoming to outsiders, people who have a lot in common but who
remain distinct from each other, a community which draws from the
past but looks to the future. An all-age Church, she says, shows
the richness and diversity of God, with worship and working
together which allows members to develop and use their gifts. She
challenges us to look at why we worship and points out that if we
exclude any age group or people 'not like us' we are missing out on
the richness God wants for us all. Churches should be places of
healing on all levels and safe places where everyone can come close
to God. Lucy gives us examples of different ways of learning, using
word and story, drama, senses and emotions. She urges us to keep it
simple and to be real in our love, faith and sharing. All age
worship is difficult and challenging and much depends on the
attitudes of leaders because it is not just what we do that matters
but the way we do it. If all age worship is to be successful there
will be change but she offers ways of coping with this, and advice
on planning an all age act of worship. All-Age worship is about
something much more profound than a form of worship which appeals
to all ages. It is about what the Church is, and how we go about
being the Church, the people of God. It is not a new and trendy
idea but the rediscovery of an ancient skill. The icon shows us
three different people at ease together, acting and loving as one,
and that is the Church we aim to portray. A united Church knowing
where it is going, open to and using the gifts and ideas of a wide
range of people. Yes All-Age worship is difficult. Yes, it is
scary. Yes, it involves a lot of work. But, if you are really
interested and think this is way, then this book of Lucy Moore's is
a must. She gives compelling reasons why the Church should worship
together, is honest about the problems of achieving this and gives
practical advice as to how to overcome these and achieve the vision
of the family of God worshiping together in a way that allows
everyone to come into God's presence and feel his love. Reviewed by
Celia Rees
From Christian Marketplace - Feburary 2010 Another new book which
deserves a wide readership is All-Age Worship by Lucy Moore. If the
title alone puts you off then that's more than enough reason for
you to read it. This isn't just about that often dreaded time of
the month 'when the children stay in', although there are plenty of
ideas and suggestions for improving your 'intergenerational
worship' efforts. Lucy Moore explores worship as a whole and gets
the reader to think about why we do what we do in the way we do. As
she says 'Our God is a God of exciting differences. Our worship can
reflect his amazing multifaceted nature or it can be monochrome'
(p57). She writes with humour and clarity and a good deal of
common-sense. Reviewed by Clem Jackson
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