Lighten our Darkness: An online seminar for Advent

Join us for an afternoon of worship, teaching and reflection on the Prayer Book service of Evensong.

Saturday, 27 November at 2.00pm via Zoom. 

Tickets are free but there is an option to make a donation to the Society.

Register here to receive the timetable and Zoom link.

Prayer Book's time is coming again

The Book of Common Prayer’s time is coming again. That was the message of the Chairman of the Prayer Book Society, Bradley Smith, at its AGM in London on Saturday. (11 September)

“The evidence comes from all over the country,” he told members meeting in St James’ Church in Paddington. “Every week I hear of a new Prayer Book service being introduced in a parish. Many of these services are taking the form of Evensong.”

There are some exciting initiatives, Evensong and curry (Tottenham and Preston), Evensong and supper (Canterbury) and even Evensong in the City (London), with bangers, mash and booze to follow.

Younger people are also getting involved. Bradley recently attended a new Evensong service in the Diocese of Chichester, “introduced by a young and recently ordained curate.” He plans a future visit to a parish which, once a month, will hold a Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion as its principal service.

He called on the Society’s members to be positive. “Talk about what is going well and is successful and is bringing blessings to the parishes in our country,” he said. “People are attracted by those with joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

As the Society approaches its 50th anniversary in 2022, Bradley reiterated the need for the Society’s voice to be “brought to the table”. He closed by saying, “The truth which is contained in the Book of Common Prayer must be heard.”

Online Streaming of BCP Services

During the first national lockdown of 2020, many clergy, lay ministers and musicians began streaming BCP services online. This online provision proved incredibly valuable and happily many cathedrals, parish churches and college chapels have continued to stream their services via Facebook, YouTube and Zoom. 
 
Please click here for details of streamed Prayer Book services for Sundays and weekdays.

Far be it from me to promote a cult of quaintness, but the power of the Prayer Book to connect with many of those who find the ordinary diet of the church banal, should not be ignored. There is now a younger generation who are realising afresh the importance of complementing the argot of Twitter and SMS with the majesty of Cranmer.  
  - The Rt Revd & Rt Hon Richard Chartres, Sometime Bishop of London

The Prayer Book Society offers fellowship and encouragement to lovers of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (BCP), both clergy and laity, spanning a great breadth of age, background, tradition and churchmanship. We:

• Work with theological training institutions to encourage the teaching and use of the BCP;
• Supply a copy of the BCP to every Church of England ordinand entering training;
• Provide training for ordinands and clergy, both online and in person, at national and diocesan level;
• Provide information and support to clergy and laity wishing to use the Prayer Book for baptisms, weddings and funerals, as well as in regular worship;
• Publish regular magazines, which are sent free of charge to all our members, and to senior clergy and other Church leaders;
• Provide opportunities for mutual support and encouragement for clergy, ordinands and others involved in ministry who have a particular interest in the BCP;
• Help clergy to find posts in parishes which make significant use of the BCP, and help such parishes to find suitable clergy;
• Run the Cranmer Awards, a prestigious national competition for young people aged 11 - 18 to introduce them to the BCP;
• Hold local and national events, including a popular Annual Conference, enabling our members to make contact with like-minded people.

Join us.