Sunday Services

Each Sunday there is  a traditional Holy Communion service at 8am without music or singing. There is also a service at 10.30am which involves music and takes the form of Holy Communion except on the fourth Sunday of the month when there is a family service.    Tea, coffee and biscuits are served after the service when there is plenty of time to meet new people and ask more questions. There are also services on most Sunday evenings which vary each week - see below.

For children:
Sunday Club is held in St Mary’s Parish Rooms every Sunday for Primary age School Children from 10.30-11.30am except when there is a Family Service which is normally held on the 4th Sunday of the month. Just turn up or for further information contact Gill Caswell 01799 520 485
On the first Sunday of each month Wiggle Church for 0-7 year olds and their families meets in the Parish Rooms at 9.15am for activities filled with fun, faith, and friendship. Find out more here.  

Sunday services taking place in the next fortnight

Click on the top  blue link for each entry to find out more
  

Holy Communion at 8am (BCP)

This early morning communion service uses the traditional language of the Book of Common Prayer. There are no hymns, and there is a short sermon or talk. The service takes 40 minutes.

Wiggle Church at 9.15am

Open to all families with young children. Join us for a morning filled with fun, faith, and friendship at Wiggle Church on the first Sunday of the month (except August) in the Parish Rooms at 9.15am.

Starting with croissants and coffee, the perfect fuel for an energetic morning of dancing, singing and activities. At 9:30am, the Wiggle Church will start, a lively and engaging 30 minute service for 0-7 years olds and their families. For more information  contact  youth@stmaryssaffronwalden.org 

Holy Communion at 10.30am

The communion service that is usually on the first, second, third and fifth Sundays, uses modern language liturgy from Common Worship and includes hymns along with a sermon.  On the first Sunday of each month communion is also administered in the Memorial Chapel where you can kneel to receive.  The service lasts about an hour and a quarter and refreshments are served  after the service.

Second Sunday Communion at 10.30am

This service usually takes place on the second Sunday of the month and is a more informal celebration of Holy Communion, giving us a chance to try new things.  During this time our children’s group, Team JC, meets nearby in the Parish Rooms and joins us just before we receive communion. The service lasts about an hour and a quarter and refreshments are served after the service.

Family Service at 10.30am

Usually on the fourth Sunday each month there is a shorter and more informal service which can include drama, activities, a mix of contemporary songs and hymns and a short talk.   This lasts about 45 minutes and refreshments are served afterwards.

Choral Evensong

This usually takes place on the 2nd Sunday of the month (6.30pm in Summer and 4pm in winter) and lasts an hour. Using the liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer this service includes an anthem and musical settings sung by the choir along with hymns and a sermon. To find out more have a look at our Choral Evensong service sheet.

Taizé Service

A Taizé service involves sung and chanted prayers, meditation, a period of silence, and liturgical readings. This takes places on Sunday afternoons/evenings several times a year in the North Chapel and lasts about 45 minutes. Download a past service sheet to give you a better idea about this service. Find out more about the Taizé Community here.

Taizé is a small village in eastern France. For 60 years, it has been the home of a Christian monastic community made up of people from many different countries, speaking many different languages and, uniquely, belonging to several different Christian denominations.

Catholics, Anglicans, Protestants, Orthodox and others live and pray together, share a simple life and welcome the tens of thousands of visitors who come to spend time with them every year from all over the world.

The community has developed a unique style of meditative singing which focuses on the repetitive chanting of short phrases from the Bible and other Christian texts in a range of languages. We are using some of those songs this evening.

Celtic Service

Celtic Evening Prayer is a simple, reflective service using resources mainly from the Northumbria Community and the Iona Community.  We use resources from both for our liturgy and prayers, and sing songs whose origins can be found in these communities and their supporters.

These communities are part of an exploration of the faith of Celtic Christians who kept the flame of the Gospel burning in post-Roman Britain.  Their rooted faith gave them confidence in difficult times and led to a missionary explosion, spreading Christianity from their (mainly) Northern base across the British Isles and Northern Europe.

Modern Celtic Christianity is often concerned with faith and environment, and faith lived out on the margins, amongst the poor and the dispossessed.  It holds a strong sense of "faith worked out" in the nitty-gritty of daily life.  Theologians call this "praxis."   It holds valuable insights for the Christian Church in a post-Christian society.

This service which lasts about 35 minutes is held in the North Chapel of St Mary's Church, Saffron Walden, on the 5th Sunday evening of the month, when this occurs. Click here to see a typical order of service used.

H2H at 6.30pm

(Highway to Heaven)  All are invited to our café-style worship led by our youth group, Aftershock.  H2H takes place in the Parish Rooms at 6.30pm on the 1st Sunday of each month.  Cake, coffee and tea provided. All welcome – young and old!

Living Stones

A United Service of Contemporary Worship held on a Sunday afternoon/evening in different churches in our Team. 6.30pm in summer and 4pm in winter - service lasts about an hour. All most welcome.