NOTES
for the
Family Service
at
St. Augustine's

September 17 2006

These are notes and comments on some of the items which appear in the Family Service script. Links from the script point to these entries; clicking the links in the left hand column of the table takes you back to the corresponding link in the script  - or, where more than one link from the script points to the note, back to the first such link.

The comments are typically related to features of the service which are specific to our church or the time of the service, or which for some other reason we think might require alteration for another setting.

For references to the internal geography of the church, it might be helpful to inspect the plan.

BEFORE THE SERVICE -
Properties : Back copies of the CFFD magazine;

Begging bowl;

Bookmarks;

Coins for people to put in begging bowl;

Pictures used in the service.

Furniture : Lectern by the Hospital wall.

People : Narrator at lectern,

Reader at lectern,

Computer person at computer,

Organist at organ.

ALL JOIN IN There was no spoken announcement, but the actors started to sing and the pew sheet included the invitation "Please stand for the hymn". It worked.

MINISTERS Doesn't necessarily mean ordained people - just people who are prepared to minister.

PICTURES The pictures illustrate various examples of healing. The list can obviously be adapted to fit any topical or local examples. Ours were A4 size, and just about big enough to be visible from the back of the church; somewhat bigger might have been better.

Our list of topics was :

  • 10 lepers;
  • Man begging;
  • Leprosy Mission picture;
  • Down through the roof;
  • Touching hem of garment;
  • Jesus took her by the hand;
  • Naaman;
  • picture CFFD magazine;
  • Dog helps man to talk;
  • Joseph reconciled with his brothers;
  • Elijah restoring healed baby to mother;
  • Jesus healing a blind man;
  • elders praying and anointing people with oil.

( There is more detail in the script. )

RIGHT PLACES There was nothing special about the places; we allocated a specific place to each picture so that the actors wouldn't have to search for places during the service.

TENTH LEPER Wishful thinking. Doesn't matter, though. We had only four lepers, but it's the principle that counts. If you can manage ten, it might be nice, but it might also be a bit distracting.

TESTIMONY This was a true testimony of healing from a very serious illness as experienced by one of our members. It relies on local references of various sorts, so isn't transferable. Replace it with another testimony of answered prayer for healing.

WHEN ALL WHO WANT TO Again with no announcement. There's a warning in pew sheet - "Remain seated as we prayerfully sing the hymn" - and the organist gave the signal to start with a chord. Organists know how to do that. The cast were primed to sing to reinforce the signal.