This year, the Queen is marking her 90th birthday and churches are being urged to get involved with the celebrations.Every parish church in England is being encouraged to organise a festival on the weekend of 10th - 12th June 2016, celebrate the Queen's birthday and her role as head of the Church of England. The idea from the Church Buildings Council, which has the backing of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, is to coincide with the official celebrations taking place in London.
The variety of potential forms for the celebrations is huge - from flower festivals to organ, bell-ringing or choir festivals, food or even beer festivals. It is hoped that, wherever possible, every church will take part.
In addition, to coincide with the Queens birthday,every church is being asked to organise an exhibition of the life of its parish over the previous 90 years. Such exhibitions should, by charting the changes in the lives of our communities since 1926, highlight the ways in which parish churches have been and remain the focus of those communities, and be a celebration both of our churches and of the people that they serve. Thehope is that most parishes will be able to find photographs, artworks and oral history connected with their church and the local area.
Though the onus will be on parishes to arrange their events, the Church Buildings Council will act as a hub for ideas and as a central co-ordination point. We will soon be sending out guidance on the organisation of these events, and all relevant guidance will be available on the ChurchCare website. Details of events will appear on ChurchDays.co.uk.
The Servant Queen - and the King She Serves
Her Majesty the Queen has written the foreword to a very special book being published to celebrate her 90th birthday.
The Servant Queen - and the King She Serves is a beautifully illustrated short book, which uses the Queens own words to draw out the central role of her trust in Jesus Christ, offering an inspiring, multi-faceted insight into a life well-lived for others.
Thousands of churches across the country will be giving away copies of this unique tribute published by HOPE, Bible Society and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.
HOPEs executive director Roy Crowne said:"We are thrilled to have the foreword of this book written by Her Majesty. The Queen has served the country and Commonwealth for more than 60 years. From 10th - 12th June 2016, we will celebrate her 90th birthday. It is a chance to say thank you to God and to the Queen for her life and example as a follower of Jesus Christ."
Co-author of the book, Mark Greene, Executive Director of LICC, added: "As Ive been writing this book and talking about it to friends, to family who dont know Jesus, to my Jewish barber, Ive been struck how very interested they are to discover more about the Queens faith. The Queen has served us all her adult life, with amazing consistency of character, concern for others and a clear dependence on Christ. The more Ive read what shes written and talked to people who know her, the clearer that is."
HOPE will be supporting churches with resources and ideas to bring communities together for this national celebration. These include:
posters, invitations, and bunting
a booklet to give away to children, published with Scripture Union
school assembly ideas and lesson plans, also from Scripture Union
church service ideas and a commemorative, customisable order of service
a street-party planning guide
All the resources areavailable from
Collects
Two Collects (BCP and CW) from the Liturgical Commission, which have been personally approved by Her Majesty, have been released for use at services celebrating her 90th birthday later this year. Also in the attached PDF are two graces for use at church and community gatherings such as street parties etc.