News and reviews

The following review is reprinted with permission from the 17 November 2000 edition of the Church Times.

The Queen is sparing with her praise of Common Worship

Staff reporters.

Well, did she like it or not? At the opening of the new General Synod, the Queen was given her first taste of a Common Worship service. The new liturgy is authorised for use from Advent Sunday onwards, replacing the Alternative Service Book.

The service took place in Westminster Abbey (order one, eucharistic prayer G). As is customary, the Queen then walked with the Archbishops to the chamber in Church House, where she addressed the 580 members who will serve on Synod for the next five years.

It was in her speech that she gave the strongest indication of her feelings for the new liturgy. She had appreciated meeting some of those involved in the production of Common Worship, she said. She recognised the importance of revising contemporary liturgy. She said that the aim of revision was to provide for diversity of worship.

But the word "pleased" was used only once, and then about the traditional element of the book. "I am pleased that Common Worship contains services from the Book of Common Prayer."

There followed two further references, to the Prayer Book and to "old ways" to worship. It is true, though, that the speech had been prepared before the Westminster Abbey service.

When Dr Hope stood up to present the Queen with an inscribed edition of Common Worship, the Queen showed little emotion. But she smiled when the Archbishop said that the gift-giving would stop there. "Common Worship is also published, of course, in electronic form, but I will spare your Majesty the CD-Rom."

In her speech, the Queen also praised the Church Urban Fund; called for determination in the task of forging unity between the Churches; and warned about the strains that exist within the Anglican Communion.

The Queen’s address in full

Thank you for the warmth of the welcome. I am delighted to be with you and to inaugurate this seventh General Synod of the Church of England.

Together we have just experienced the power and beauty of a celebration of holy communion at Westminster Abbey. The worship of God is at the heart of our faith, as it must be at the heart of the life of this Synod. The form of this worship is something special for each and every one of us. I therefore recognise the importance of your predecessors’ revision of the contemporary liturgy culminating in the production of Common Worship.

The aim of this revision is to provide for the diversity of worship in the Church of England’s parishes within a common framework. I am pleased that Common Worship contains services from the Book of Common Prayer in its main volume. Both the Prayer Book and modern services have a valued place in the Church of England today, and are part of its future. I have appreciated the opportunity to meet this morning some of those who have been involved in the design and production of Common Worship. Their work holds to a long tradition in the Church of England to worship God in ways, both old and new, which reflect the deepest strivings of our faith.

The Christian gospel expresses itself in action as well as worship. There will be many opportunities for this Synod to demonstrate the love of God in action in the five years ahead.

One of the earliest tasks will be to consider the future of the Church Urban Fund, of which I am proud to be patron. Over the past 13 years, the Fund has spent over £7 million in our most needy communities. This major achievement — with which the late Lord Runcie was so closely associated — reminds us that the Church of England’s mission is to the nation and to a needy world, not simply to its regular worshippers.

It is, of course, a mission that is shared with partners in other Christian Churches. I especially welcome so many representatives of those Churches, and of the ecumenical bodies which bring us together, here today.

The continuing search for full visible unity between the Churches is vital for the effectiveness of their shared mission. My own recent visit to His Holiness the Pope underlined both the progress that has been made, and the shared determination to continue with the task. Members of Synod, you will have an early opportunity to carry this forward when you receive the report of the formal conversations between the Church of England and the Methodist Church next year. I pray that God’s wisdom will guide you as you reflect on the next steps.

You will also have in mind the need to build unity both within the Church of England and in the wider Anglican Communion. I pay tribute to the tireless efforts of your two Archbishops to this end. The increasing diversity within the worldwide Communion inevitably introduces strains within it. None the less, the future will be one of hope if all involved commit themselves to ensuring continued dialogue and partnership.

Archbishops and members of the Synod, the five years ahead will undoubtedly offer you considerable challenges. I am confident that, working together, these can be overcome. Sustained by prayer, encouraged by the gospel, certain of God’s love, the Church looks to you for leadership and service. May God’s blessing be with you as you respond to that call.

This article first appeared in the Church Times, dated 17 November 2000 and is copyright © Church Times. Reproduced by permission.