Grace is about adding a new dimension to worship, engaging the mind and the senses in an encounter between God and ourselves.
By combining ancient and freshly created rituals, liturgy, music and visuals we experiment to find new connections between our worship and our everyday lives.
With the Grace and Gracelet services we get the chance both to create fresh vital worship and become friends in a community to support the creativity.
But the freedom of creativity is addictive so we don't stop there, we also work on other projects, such as the Labyrinth or events for Greenbelt, or support each other in other ventures in the wider alt worship movement.
The monthly Grace service is experimental and hence rarely the same twice. We don't work to a fixed structure, giving us the opportunity to create a space, atmosphere and service suitable to the theme that we have chosen.
Walking through the door you'll probably find soft lighting, candles, TVs and projections showing words and images. Together these define the space we are using.
Alongside the visuals will be chilled-out music shaping the atmosphere. First time round this might all seem a little unusual. If so, grab a cushion (we usually clear the pews out of the way) and feel free to just sit, or lie down, and take it all in.
Both the visuals and music connect with our lives outside of Grace. We are all used to a soundtrack in our lives, from the TV or radio in the background, to muzak in lifts, to moments of silence. The music we use forms part of our soundtrack, creating a vibe of contemplation, excitement, peace whatever is appropriate. As we use contemporary music you might recognise some of the tracks, your CD collection may even overlap with ours.
The visuals are often complementary to the other parts of the service: more than wallpaper, less intrusive than an advert, hopefully they help make connections that may be missed otherwise.
Beyond the general styling the service is less predictable. There may be things to look at, touch and do, a chance to wander around and explore, write things down or simply sit or lie still. Meditation,
discussions, readings and prayers may be said, written or read.
Just don't expect a sermon. The closest you'll get is a guest speaker but that won't just be a one way activity, there will be a chance to ask questions.
To round off Grace there's often drinks and nibbles, a chance to chat and chill.
Although the most obvious part of Grace is the styling, the experiment goes much further. It's an event which questions what a church service can be, what kind of things it can contain, what kind of issues can be
explored and what kind of questions can be asked.
Grace is an event that's different every time, but without the formalities or subtle pressures often associated with church.
Gracelet is a simple intimate service with some or all of worship, prayer, sharing, liturgy, bread and wine, ritual. Expect less technology and effort in the set up.
Some of the excitement of Grace, for us, is the feeling of what next? our journey keeps giving us new challenges and inspiration to work with. you can join us on the journey or just watch this space to see where we
go next!