WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE                                OF WALKDEN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

 

We are situated at the heart of the community, close to the crossroads  in the centre of town, between Walkden Gateway              and the Gill Medical Centre, opposite the Ellsemere Shopping Precinct.

 

As our Church Motto says, we seek to be                                            "a church with a warm heart and an open mind."

                                                             
Some years ago the Church Meeting resolved that these fine words should be more than just a motto and so applied to register our church for Same Sex Marriages.                                                      Confirmation that we are legally authorised to conduct same-sex marriages was confirmed on the 21st of December 2016.

We were the first mainstream Christian Church in the City of Salford to offer this ministry.

We believe that for the Gospel to truly be "Good News"                      it must be a gospel of;

extravagant grace,

radical inclusion

and relentless compassion.                                                                            

To that end, we welcome people of all ages and backgrounds

and affirm that God`s love as revealed in Jesus Christ is for everyone and not just a chosen few.

                                                                                                     You are welcome to join us for worship any Sunday morning at 11am and to get to know us better over a cup of tea or coffee and a chat. 

     

                      

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For PARTY BOOKINGS or HALL HIRE, see the menu bar below for the relevant contact details. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE MINISTER

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PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY MAY 7TH

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Call to Worship

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!                                                    He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!

Exult, all creation around God’s throne!

Jesus, our King, is risen!

Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!

Rejoice, O Earth, in shining splendour,

radiant in the brightness of our King!

Jesus has conquered! Glory fills you!

Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, heavenly powers!  Sing, choirs of angels!

Rejoice, O holy Church! Exult in glory!

The risen Saviour shines upon you!

Let this place resound with joy,  as we sing,

echoing the mighty song of all God’s people!

 

Prayers of Approach, Confession and Pardon

O Most High,

in You we take refuge,

in You we find peace,

in You we find security.

When our world seems complex and confusing,

painful and pitiful,

dangerous and disturbing,

we find in You comfort and strength.

 

Jesus, Embodied Word,

You understand the pain of this world;

through Your death you defeated the powers

that seek to ensnare and hold us captive.

You show us how to be free,

and how to use our freedom wisely.

 

Eternal Flame of God’s love,

You quicken our hearts,

remind us of the joy that is within us,

and show us where we need to experience resurrection.

You show us where our hearts are hard,

our minds resistant to your Word,

and where our attitudes betray our calling.

 

Give us time, Gentle One, to change,

time to put right all that is wrong,

time to turn around again and find You running towards us,

arms outstretched, ready to hug and envelop us in love.  Amen.

 

Friends, here is good news,

the Most High, the Source of all mercy has,

through the death and new life of Jesus,

the incarnate Word,

sent the flame of divine love amongst us

that we might be free.

Through the ministry of the Church,

may you find freedom and peace,

reconciliation and renewal,

that, at the end, you may rise with Christ

and be happy with Him forever. 

Amen. 

 

The Lord`s Prayer

 

Prayers of Intercession

 

Eternal One,

Your glory fills the earth,

and in these joyful days of Easter,

we bring our praises and prayers to you.

 

We rejoice in the new life around us;

flowers in bloom,

crops growing in fields,

lambs skipping, running and playing in their flocks,

calves running joyfully with playmates in their herds,

birds renewing their love through song, flight, and nurture of chicks. 

Trees in leaf, reaching their branches up in praise of You.

In Jesus You have reconciled all things to Yourself,

renewed creation with Your glory,

and given us the awesome responsibility

to live in harmony with all creation.

Help us to fulfil Your call to us.

 

Risen Lord Jesus,

on the Cross, and in the tomb,

You defeated the powers of death and evil,

rising to new life,

vanquishing even death.

You showed that love can defeat violence,

unjust power can be usurped,

and evil can be resisted.

You call us to follow You,

bearing witness to Your love and life,

telling and showing how You want us to live.

We pray today for those who lead

and seek to lead our nations,

that they may resist evil,

turn away from policies which seek to divide

or promote injustice,

and which ignore the poor, the hungry,

the homeless and the destitute at our gates.

Flame of Love, Eternal Spirit,

You are at work in creation and culture,

causing us to see the divine glory

in the most unexpected places.

You call us, again and again, to turn back to You

and away from the ways of hatred,

war, and chaos that we prefer.

Bless those who work for peace this day.

Give strength to those on the move this day

fleeing from war, poverty, famine and persecution.

    

Give wisdom to Your persecuted Church

meeting in fear and secrecy this day;

prayer groups in Iran and Saudi Arabia,

underground congregations in China and North Korea,

and all believers who are persecuted

for declaring Your love and life. 

O Triune One,

we pray this day for the nations

which make up the United Kingdom.

Eternal God, 

You order and govern our world and all that is therein,

bless, we pray, Charles and Camilla 

as they celebrate coronation and anointing,

that amid the pomp and ritual,

they may feel your loving presence,

that they may fulfil the roles prescribed for them,

and that we may, in this kingdom, be better governed,

and always reminded of your eternal Kingdom

which is to come. 

Accept, O Three in One, all our prayers which we offer,

and, in Your time, make our world whole, 

Amen.

 

Closing Prayer

 

May God, Eternal Majesty,                                                give You joy and hope in these Eastertide days.

May God, IncarnateWord,                                                give You grace to bear witness to light and love              which vanquishes evil.                                                      May God, Flame of Love, inspire You to follow                despite all the difficulties which get in the way.

 

The Grace

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY MAY 14TH

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Eternal and ever-blessed God,
we give You thanks
for the joy that comes
when we gather to worship together
and are truly united as the people of God.

We thank You for the family of faith,
united in our desire to follow Jesus.
Thank You for those with whom we have laughed.
who have made this world a more cheery place.
Thank You for those with whom we have wept
and we have shared our sorrows
in our times of need.

We bless You for those we have served alongside
sharing together in a common task,
whose support has made the work more manageable.
We bless You for those who have shared our dreams
and pursued our visions,
as partners in a common purpose,
working to an agreed goal.

Thank You for those with whom we worship together,
for those with whom we pray together,
for those in whose company
we have listened to Your voice
and sought to see You face to face.

Forgive us for everything that has interrupted
the companionship we should enjoy:
for selfishness that made us want nothing
but our own way,
for intolerance which made us see nothing
but our own point of view,
for self-assertiveness that made us seek to impose
our own will upon others.
Have mercy, good Lord.

Forgive us for arguments in which we lost our temper,
for discussions in which bitter words
and sarcastic comments were thrown about,
for things we said in the heat of the moment
and now bitterly regret.
Have mercy, good Lord.

So cleanse and purify us, that in the days to come
we will work to live in unity with one another
because we are one in Christ.
Hear this our prayer
through Jesus Christ our Lord.                                          Amen

 

The Lord`s Prayer

 

Prayers of Intercession

Let us take our weariness and tiredness to God
who picks up those who have fallen
and raises up those who are brought low.

Bless those, good Lord,
who are bowed down
under the burdens they must carry.
We pray for those who are crushed

by their responsibilities at work
and those who feel the pain of our world,
who marvel that others can seem so indifferent to it.
Help them to keep on going.
Bring supportive friends alongside them.
Give them tokens of Your grace,
fresh vision and courage
and signs of encouragement in their struggle.

Let us take our loneliness to God,
who delights to put the solitary into families.
God our Father,
bless those who are lonely
those who have grown old
and whom the passing years have taken
all their friends and contemporaries.
Bless those who are shy,
who find it hard to initiate conversation
and have never known real friendships.
We pray for strangers in a foreign land,
for asylum seekers and refugees,
separated by language and culture
from familiar ways and much loved customs.
We remember all those
who even in the midst of crowds feel alone.

Help the Church, we pray,
to be a place of acceptance and belonging,
a place of welcome and inclusion,
where all can find a home,
a listening ear, a friendly smile and a helping hand.

Let us take our sorrows to God,
who binds up the broken-hearted
and comforts those who mourn.
Bless those whose hearts are sore today.
Be very close to those
whose family circle has been invaded
and whose joy has been darkened by death.
We remember those who have lost loved ones
for whom they have cared,
whose needs they have met,
whose lives have been so intertwined
that they still listen for a voice
they will not hear again.

We remember wives who have lost husbands
and husbands who have lost wives;
parents who have lost children,
who find their homes strangely silent and empty now
and children who have lost parents,
who are confused by a world that seems
less secure and more frightening than before
and all who for whom familiar places,

and sounds and smells
awaken memories that bring tears in their wake.

Thank You for our faith.
May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

Let us turn to God in trust
and recommit ourselves to God.
Send us forth this day
with the joy that no-one can take from us,
the life which is Your life
and the hope that gives strength to our actions.
Help us to sing of our faith
and in that singing find our strength to go on,
trusting in Jesus who lived among us,
died for us and rose again
and who prays for us today,
even as we pray to Him.
In His name we pray
Amen.

 

The Grace

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY MAY 21ST

ASCENSION SUNDAY

Call to Worship

 

Clap your hands, all you peoples;

shout to God with loud songs of joy.

For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome,

a great king over all the earth.

God has gone up with a shout,

the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

For God is the king of all the earth;

sing praises with a psalm.                                              God is king over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

 

Prayers of Adoration, Confession and Assurance of Pardon

 

Lord Jesus, preaching good tidings to the people,

proclaiming release to captives,

setting at liberty those who are bound:
We adore you.

Lord Jesus, friend of the outcast and the poor,

feeder of the hungry,

healer of the sick:
We adore you.

Lord Jesus, denouncing the oppressor,

exposing the hypocrite,

overcoming evil with good:
We adore you.

Lord Jesus, pattern of gentleness,

teacher of holiness,

prophet of the kingdom:
We adore you.

Lord Jesus, dying to save us from our sin,

rising to give us eternal life,

ascending to prepare our heavenly home:
We adore you.

Almighty and loving God, you loved the world so much

that you gave your only Son to be our Saviour.

You allowed him to empty himself of his heavenly glory and become a suffering servant.

Yet by your grace we have beheld his glory,

such glory as befits the Father's only Son,

full of grace and truth. 

 

Almighty God,

we confess that we have our eyes set in the clouds.

instead of on the earth You have given us.

We desire heavenly treasure

but we keep believing that worldly means will help us attain it.

Forgive us for our short sightedness.

Draw us away from the temptations

to seek worldly power and measures of success,

and call us to the down-to-earth message of Your love,

to care for the needs of those around us,

especially the oppressed and marginalized.

You have called us through scripture

to care for the widows and orphans among us;

help us to see all those who are left out by society

and are in need.

Help us to break down the dividing walls

that we have placed,

so that we may truly be one, as You and Christ are one.

 

We were made by God, brought forth from the earth,

the earth that was called good when God created it.

Your very being is good.

You are blessed, earth-born,

and called forth to care for the earth

and all who dwell in it.

Go, know that you are forgiven and loved

by the God who made the earth, and made you,

and share the Good News.

Amen.

 

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

 

You are free, Lord,

your Ascension has set you free:

free from the constraints of human existence,

outside the limitations of time and space;

free to be here with us now,

in our worship and fellowship;

and free to be with us always;

for in your freedom

you have bound yourself to us with a promise:

“Lo! I am with you always.

even to the very end of time.”

 

We pray, Lord, for those who need to feel you close,

who need the assurance of your love, the encouragement of your Spirit.

[Silence]

We pray for those who are persecuted, who are discriminated against,

who are mocked because of their faith or race or colour.

[Silence]

We pray for those who are imprisoned, who are tortured, who are exiled,

because they have fought, struggled and spoken out for the rights of their people.

[Silence]

We pray for those who are destitute,

who are hungry, who are refugees,

because of the selfishness and apathy of the world.

[Silence]

We pray for those who are filled with guilt,

who are broken-hearted, who are perplexed,

because a relationship has gone wrong.

[Silence]

We pray for those who are feeling fed up,

who are in discomfort, who are afraid, 

because they are ill in body, mind or spirit.

[Silence]

We pray for those who are numbed,

who are angry, who are desolate,

because they have been bereaved.

[Silence]

We pray for those caught up in war,

and violence, and hatred;

especially the innocent victims of these evils.

[Silence]

We pray at this time of financial turmoil,

for those who have lost jobs,

those who struggle to pay bills,

and those who have the power to affect positive change.

[Silence]

Be with us all, Lord:

in all our daily struggles as we seek to follow you.

in our periods of doubt and despair;

and in our times of happiness, health and loving.

Be with us all, Lord:

until that time when in your in your Kingdom of Love

our joy will know no end: 

Amen.

 

The Dismissal

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us also lay aside every weight

and the sin that clings so closely,

and let us run with perseverance

the race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,

who for the sake of the joy that was set before

him endured the cross, disregarding its shame,

and has taken his seat

at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

The Grace

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY MAY 28TH

PENTECOST SUNDAY

Call To Worship

 

Come, people of God, come.

Come with your fears and anxieties,

come with your joys and tranquilities,

come and listen,

come and receive,

for this is a day of new beginnings.

 

As rushing wind and tongues of fire,

as a gentle breath of inhaled air,

come and accept the Holy Spirit

so that you can go and proclaim

Christ as Saviour and Lord

as we are sent to do by God

 

Come and worship God.

 

 

Prayers of Approach & Confession

 

Rushing wind, tongues of fire,
come sweeping through this day.
Engulf us with your transforming power
so that our hearts, minds and hands
are open again for what you send your Church
to be and do: witnesses of Jesus Christ
and proclaimers of your glory
as the one God, now and forever.

 

On this joyous day, when we are reminded
of your powerful gift to the Church,
the Spirit that you have breathed into us at birth,
we praise and thank you, creator God.

Without you as Spirit, resting upon us and within us,
we would be just dust, drifting and without presence or purpose.

As your Spirit stirs and forms us to be your Church,
we remember the trust you place in us and our imperfections.
We remember our quickness to condemn and our sluggishness to forgive.

 

Silence

 

Spirit of God, as you flow through the world filling creation and giving life,
you come to know our thoughts, our words and our deeds.
You know when they are lacking,

when they are bound to the brokenness of the world,
or attempt to limit all that you make possible.

 

In your mercy,
come and cleanse our hearts,
renew our willingness
and guide our ways
in Jesus Christ.

 

Assurance of Pardon

 

Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
into the grace in which we now stand.
We can boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Hope does not put us to shame
as God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit, given to us all.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

 

The Lord`s Prayer

 

Prayers of Intercession

 

Creator Spirit,
as we look at your creation and see our mistreatment,

our squandering of resources,

and the scars we have left on the land,
we pray that you create is us an eagerness

to care for the world.
Whether it is as small as sorting the recycling
or as big as investing in green technology,
may we be as enthusiastic as you are for all of creation.

 

Silence

 

Spirit of Christ,
as we see the brokenness of the world,
the pain humanity inflicts on each other,

and the wars that rage,
we pray that you fill us with an urgency

to share your gift of forgiveness,
made possible by Jesus’s self-giving.
May we be instruments of peace,

and encouragers of grace
within the communities we serve.

 

Silence

 

Spirit of truth,
as we see the tangle of lies in the world,
governments weaving false narratives

to fulfil personal wants of power,
and the use of dishonesties to gain status,
we pray that you compel us to see the truth

and to be advocates of justice.
Stir us into action to make the world a fairer place,
where no one feels left on the marginalised.

 

Silence

 

Spirit of wisdom,
it so easy to rush in, to make quick decisions,
to do what we believe is best

without considering the consequences.
In our eagerness to care, our urgency to share,

and our advocacy for justice,
shower us with your wisdom

so that we discern what is best
and serve you rightly in the world.

 

Silence

 

And as we pray for the things

where we can bring about change,
we offer those places, people, and situations
which weigh heavy on our hearts and minds,
where the breath of your Spirit needs to be inhaled
lessening anxieties, calming fears,

bringing healing and hope.

 

Silence

 

Spirit of God, come fill our lives
and the life of world, now and always.                              Amen

 

 

The Dismissal and Blessing

 

Jesus says to us:
“Peace be with you.

As Abba God sent me, I am sending you.”

With the Holy Spirit as your sure companion
go and do God’s will, following Jesus’s way.

And as you go,
may the blessing of God,
Eternal One, Incarnate One and Abiding One,
be with you always.

Amen.