Collective Worship

At Beaminster St Mary’s Academy worship is central to the life of school and is the main platform for exploring the school’s vision. It is well planned and of high quality so that the whole school community is engaged on a journey of discovery, exploring the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.

For Christians in Church, worship is about honouring God and responding to the loving nature of God as revealed through the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A school is not a Church but is a collection of people who come from a variety of backgrounds for the purpose of education. The family backgrounds may be very different and collective worship must take account of the varied circumstances of staff and pupils.

However, in Beaminster St Mary’s Academy the purpose of collective worship will be to lead people to a threshold where they can witness worship and join in, if they wish.

“Worship in (CofE) schools promotes theological and Religious Literacy and liberates participants to an imagining of a different order of justice, mercy and hope”[1]

Through Collective Worship pupils will be offered a space and a place for the telling of the Christian story. They will be offered an understanding of worship through being invited to participate in or observe prayer, reading and reflection on the Bible, liturgy, sacrament and experience of the musical and other imaginative riches of Christianity. Opportunities to reflect on the beauty, joy and pain of the world will be given. Pupils will be given time to consider their responsibilities to others and to grow in love and service. Time will be given for celebration, both for the accomplishments of school members and to mark the seasonal festivals of the Christian (and other faiths[2]) calendar. Pupils will be offered time to be able to contemplate and develop spiritually.[3]

[1] CEEO Vision statement “Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good” Autumn 2016

[2] Collective Worship in a CofE school must be in alignment with the religious foundation of the school (Christian), however there is a responsibility for schools in all contexts to mark, respond and learn from the festivals of other faiths. This may be designated as a separate act, not to be conflated with collective worship.

[3] “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God and to devote the will to the purpose of God”. William Temple (1881-1894)

Collective Worship - Workers in the Vinyard This week Rev Jo discusses the parable of The Workers in the Vinyard. Explore: What feels fair or unfair in this story? Why might Jesus be more generous than us? Which workers do you identify with? Another story: The Great Feast LSBP p32. Challenge: Find out something about Fair Trade or buy a fair-trade product.

Collective Worship - The Two Sons This week Rev Fiona discusses the parable of The Two Sons. Explore: What do we learn from the story of the two sons, how can we learn from our experiences and change, what help do we need from God? Another story: Mark 1:1-8 John the Baptist calling people to repentance. Challenge: Be brave and admit your mistakes and be honest.

Collective Worship - The Unforgiving Servant This week Rev Fiona discusses the parable of The Unforgiving Servant. Explore: Is there a limit to forgiveness? I wonder how often God forgives us? How often do we have to forgive? What values are displayed in this story? Another story: The Lost son, Luke 15:11-end p40 LSBP What do we learn about forgiveness in this story? Challenge: look for opportunities to be forgiving this week.