On Sunday 1 February Lara Deen led an all-age service that centred on the message of race equality.
Lara is the Intercultural Ministry Enabler at St Paul’s, Slough. The church is a resource hub for small teams from diverse parishes to develop their mission initiatives into thriving intercultural worshipping communities.
Lara said:
“We held a very meaningful All-Age Race Equality Service on Sunday which was warmly received by the congregation.”
The service started with an opening prayer: Loving God, we thank you for bringing us together today, young and old, friends and families, people of many backgrounds and stories. You made each of us in your image, with different colours, cultures, and gifts, and you called all of it very good. Today we celebrate your love for justice, your care for those who are treated unfairly, and your vision of a world where everyone belongs.
Lara explains how the service offered ways to worship inspired from other cultures:
“The service included worship songs in different languages and an interactive quiz designed to challenge assumptions about people based on skin colour. Before the quiz, I asked those wearing white to step aside and not participate. They were later invited to share how that experience made them feel. This created space to reflect on exclusion, and I highlighted that some of those excluded may have known answers others did not, thus illustrating how the wider community can be deprived of people’s gifts when exclusion occurs.
“I led the service, and we embodied the Lord’s Prayer using Indian dance movements set to a Caribbean tune. A young girl preached for the first time, courageously sharing her personal testimony of being bullied at school because of her afro hair while growing up in a predominantly white area with little cultural diversity.
“We prayed for the seven continents in the intercessory prayers. We also used a world map pinboard, where families placed pins on the countries they come from, creating a powerful visual representation of the many nations worshipping within our church community.
“The feedback from the service was very positive, particularly from the youth.”
The service ended with an adapted final prayer and dismissal: The blessing of God the Father, who made from one every nation that occupies the earth; of God the Son, who bought us for God from every tribe and language and people and nation; and of God the Spirit, who brings us together in unity, be with you and remain with you always. Amen
You can watch the service on St Paul’s YouTube