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i think a lot of people (Catholics and otherwise) have been caught up with and impressed by Pope Francis' first days. His simple style, connection with people and an unwillingness to be locked away behind closed doors has received a lot of praise, as if we had been waiting for someone to do this...

I was having a discussion with a non-churchgoing family member last night about how most of a church service was a waste of time and made no sense. Needless to say I disagreed but I think we came to somewhat of a compromise by agreeing that when someone has no idea why anything is happening, it...

As we recently celebrated the feast day of our patron saint, Michael, in church, I was interested in people's thoughts on what Angels actually are. I went to two services that day. In one of them, it was strongly emphasised that 'Angel' was simply the name for someone who helped (as in a...

Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru | The Church in Wales Read this article today about the Anglican 'Church in Wales' and a proposed merger. I would say that some kind of real unity is good but that from the scant detail provided, it sounds more like Anglicans are required to give up their theology on the...

Hi All, I was wondering if anyone knew of churches that successfully managed to mix different parts of often competing traditions? I usually attend churches where the Eucharist is central to the act of worship and is observed weekly and with all the liturgical trappings. However, this...

Hi All, Just wanted to start this by saying I'm asking this genuinely, not trying to pick holes or be annoying :) In the Catholic church there is a strong belief that relics are holy and powerful and that the intercessions of saints are useful. From my perspective, this automatically sets up an...

I'm finding it quite hard at church recently due to the lack of people in my age range. To give you some background, I have been going to my dad's church for the last few years and while there aren't really people my age there, my brother sometimes goes and its nice to see dad so its fine. This...

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, is due to step down at the end of 2012. As yet we do not know who will replace him. How do you think this will effect relations between the Anglican and Catholic churches in England and in the worldwide context. Bear in mind that Pope Benedict...

Has anyone had any experience with the 'Lendwithcare' initiative, supported by the Co-op? http://www.lendwithcare.org/ I'm trying to work out if this a good thing or not!

The question of Infant Communion came up today in a sermon and I thought I should really find out more about this. I know that the Orthodox church gives communion to children but they have already been baptised and chrismated. I know the Catholics have 'First Communion' but does this take place...

Hi, I'm considering going along to the local Catholic church service tomorrow morning (in the UK). Last time I went to a service, all I got was the Responsorial Psalm, Acclamation and Communion Antiphon. As the words throughout the service are similar but annoyingly different (:P) to Anglican...

Simple question really. Are there any Christian radio stations that you listen to? What section of Christianity to they come from, what are the programmes like? Are they broadcast or online stations? I'd be interested as I don't currently know much about this.

After an altercation with a mouthy young chav girl last night (she was laying in to my friends and I told her to back off, ended in a not so admirable swearing match), it now turns out she has threatened to stab one of my friends via social media and said "and as for the *****, he's dead"...

How is the liturgy presented at the services in your churches? Do you use authorised printed versions, your own printed copies, projections? How do your main congregation find your methods? What do newcomers think of your methods? Do they find it easy to read and to keep up with? More...

In the parishes where I live and in my local cathedral, the latest services are usually around the 3/4pm on weekdays and 5.30pm on the weekend. I often wish that there were later services, say 6pm to 8pm, that I could go to as this is when I am usually free from work or have personal time on the...

Simple question really. What activities are people taking on for Lent this year? I know that this time around, I really should take this period seriously and I have a few ideas but I'm not sure what people usually do. What are the most important aspects of Lent to you?

Hi All, I hope I'm ok asking this here, please be kind :). I have a friend who is about to join the Salvation Army and we've been chatting about churches. She's recently been to church with me (High Church Anglican) and I am going to go along to her service soon. As we did so, I realised the...

Literally, ‘Divine Reading’. Has anyone else used this method of bible study? We have started using it at our church and I went to the third of 3 introductory sessions last night (we are going to do it again later in the year). The reading was the Wedding at Cana in John’s...

I was wondering how different parishes/provinces have tried to enhance their liturgy and worship, especially in the recent years with the easy access to IT equipment etc. How have you been able to ‘enhance’ your services with new technology? Also, do you find that these changes...

Hi All, Quick question for you. What is the official position in the Anglican Church on receiving communion from other denominations? From what I gather, we would be happy to receive from RCC and EO churches in theory but wouldn't as they would not willingly distribute to us. Is this correct...