I can’t remember when the Family Service began. Clearly, before my time. The reasoning was obvious – Anglican liturgy as it was did not meet the needs of young families with children who struggled to follow the Prayer Book. (That might have been as true of the parents as the children, I don’t know.) But it became the monthly “flagship” service of All Saints’, and we were often able to fill the church. 

Not so much now. The 9.15am service has become “the place” for many families, and the Family Service has declined in popularity – to the point where it often has not many more at it than a 9.15am congregation.  

We did intend after the 9.15am started that the Family Service should be the one service where everyone, whatever their preference in terms of worship style, could come together, but it’s been very difficult to strike a balance of style, and it has wobbled erratically between the 9.15 and 10.45 “flavours” depending on who was available to contribute. Sometimes the 9.15 band could be there, sometimes it was one commitment too many.

So in both Ministry Team and at PCC we have been asking ourselves Why have numbers been going down? and Does the Family Service have a future? Our answer is YES – but we have to be clear who we are aiming at. It will not be a 9.15 service happening later. It will not be a regular 10.45 service. 

Not every parent with children likes having to join in as they are encouraged to at the 9.15. Not every family wants a service that doesn’t finish till nearly lunchtime. Not every parent welcomes having to stop their children fidgeting for a whole hour.

So, starting in November, there will be changes.

• The Family Service at 10.45 will become the Family Celebration at 10.00am.
• It will last no longer than 45 minutes.
• And while there’ll be activities aimed at children, parents can relax in their pews knowing they won’t be expected to join in.

One difficulty we have always faced at the Family Service is the pitch of the teaching. Should it be aimed at children, but risk having adults become bored by something pretty unchallenging, or should it be aimed at parents, in which case it will be right over the children’s heads? I can’t think of any other setting where every age group would be taught at the same time. It’s hard enough doing an assembly for 4-11 year olds, let alone 4-90.

So without having another whole week of Sunday Club groups, we hope to invite the children, part way through the service, to go to the back and do their thing, while adults receive a short address pitched at them.  

I hope you will be happy to work with us to make this a success. Spread the word, and I’ll see you at 10.00am on Sunday November 7^th.

 PS Since writing this for the magazine, Brenda, our Treasurer, has come up with the suggestion of calling it "Good News at Ten". I like that.