Have a look at our pages on Church Buildings and Symbolism

The word ‘church’ usually makes us think of church buildings but it also describes the people (Christians) who meet inside the buildings to worship God and Jesus.  To many Christians the buildings are not really that important. To them the word church means the family of God.  Many church families now have their own website, such as St Mary’s Church, Watford, Christ Church and St Mark’s, North Watford and Bushey Baptist Church.

Church buildings vary a great deal.  There are Christians worshipping Jesus all over the world. In hotter countries many Christians meet in the open air or under a simple grass roof. In some countries it is against the law to be a Christian, so meetings are held in people’s homes in secret.

Since Tudor times and the Reformation, church buildings in this country have varied a great deal. In the 1500s Henry VIII had a serious disagreement with the Pope, the head of the Church in Rome. Henry decided to break away from the Roman Catholic Church and set up the Church of England.  At the same time there were many other men who wanted to hear the Bible read in their own language instead of Latin. Others insisted on a simpler style of worship. Beautiful church buildings were vandalized - statues and carvings of saints were destroyed and wall paintings were painted over with lime wash (a bit like white emulsion paint).

Today some churches are very ornate. Orthodox Christians like their places of worship to be like ‘ a little bit of heaven here on earth’.  Other Christians prefer very plain simple buildings.  Some churches don’t bother with a building at all and meet in schools, offices or in people homes. Soul Survivor Church, www.soulsurvivor.com in Watford appeals to hundreds of young Christians.  The church meets in a warehouse on an industrial estate in North Watford.

Church Services
Most church services take place on Sundays. People meet together to learn about God and Jesus. They learn about God from the Bible and they talk to God through their prayers. They sing songs to God to show how much they love him. Some churches sing traditional songs called hymns with music played on an organ and often accompanied by a choir. Other churches sing modern choruses accompanied by guitars and drums. Many churches have a mixture of the old and new styles of worship to suit everyone. A group of people who meet together to worship in a church are known as a congregation.

Christian weddings usually take place in a church on Saturdays and baptisms are usually done on Sundays.

There are several different names for the people who lead church services - vicar, priest, minister and pastor are a few. Some where special clothes known as vestments. Bishops are above vicars and are responsible for several churches. The Queen is the Head of the Church of England.  The Pope is the Head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Activities: Some churches are used throughout the week for lots of different kinds of activities.  By visiting church websites make a list of all the different activities which are taking place in their church buildings.  Design some eye-catching posters for the church notice board to advertise some of these events.

Christians believe God loves everyone. Design a banner for a church that would remind people of that belief.

List the different reasons why people go to church (baptisms, weddings, funerals, holiday clubs, playgroup, Sunday School to learn about Jesus etc.). Do a class survey to find out how many people have been inside a church. What were their reasons for going to the church. Show your results in a bar-graph or a pie-chart.

Look in a copy of Yellow Pages for the list of ‘Places of Worship’. Identify the churches nearest to your school. Chose a church and write a letter (or send an e-mail) to find out what activities are provided for people in the local community. Compare your reply with those received by others in the class. Compare your reply with the church websites you have visited.

If you are able to visit a local church remember - JUST LIKE PEOPLE, CHURCHES CAN VARY A GREAT DEAL! It would be good to visit two different styles of church building to compare their similarities and their differences. If you get the chance, sit quietly in the church and think about all the different reasons why people go to church.

Look out for any symbols in the church (a dove shape, fish, unusual letters, sheep, etc).  Ask the person who is showing you round if they can explain what the symbols mean.

Useful Books

For pupils: A First Look at Churches by Lois Rock
(ISBN 0-7459-3750-0 £2.95 paperback or 0-7459-2499-9 hardback £4.95 published by Lion)
For teachers: A First Look -Teachers Guide ( 0-7439-3312-2 £25)
Cracking RE from the Stapleford Centre Autumn 2000
Faith in History by M. Cooling (0-86347-106-4 £17.99 published by Eagle)
Instant Art - Teaching Christianity text by Helen Thacker (0-86208-142-4 Palm Tree)

Notes for Teachers

A visit to St Albans makes a brilliant day out for History, Art or RE. The abbey, set in beautiful parkland, is home to many interesting artefacts and only a small admission fee is charged for a fascinating audio-visual show which explains the history of St Albans. It’s probably best to avoid a trip on a Wednesday as it’s market day in the town.

South Oxhey is a large, post-war housing estate. The two churches side by side are well worth a visit. It is fascinating to compare ancient and modern buildings so close together. The chapel (only open by prior arrangement) contains a wealth of historical interest including a unique wooden font and a recently uncovered cartouche. Children are often allowed to ring the bell and postcards of the interior are usually available.

The new church building is open daily for a variety of projects for use by the whole community. Although everyone is always made to feel welcome you should always book a class trip a week or so in advance.