Glossary

Altar - The most holy part of the church.   It is the stone table that holds the bread and wine during a communion service and represents the place where Christ offers himself as a sacrifice for others.

Anglican - A Christian who belongs to the Church of England.

Atonement - The Christian belief that Jesus gave up his life to be crucified on the cross (sacrificed) so that the sins of people could be forgiven.  He paid the price for our sins.

Baptism - A religious ritual involving the dipping of the person in water or the sprinkling of the person with water at the font. Once a person has been baptised they join the church.  Most people are baptised as infants, although the Baptist church only baptises adults, using  a baptistery or pool.

Bible - The holy writings of Christianity. Said to be the Word of God and are divided into the Old and New Testaments.

Chancel - The area at the front of the church that contains the altar.  It is at the end of the nave.  The chancel is often separated from the rest of the church by the Communion Rail.

Communion - The sacrament which recalls the last meal of Jesus. The body and blood of Christ are symbolised by bread and wine.

Confirmation - The service where a bishop places his hands on the head of a Christian who has decided to confirm the promises made by parents and godparents on his or her behalf at baptism.

Creed - A statement of belief used by almost all Christian Churches.

Denomination - A church or a group of Christians that are still part of the Christian Faith even though they are known by a different name e.g. Methodists, Anglicans.

Gospel - Comes from an old word meaning 'Good News'. It is used for the four versions of Christ's life in the New Testament.

Liturgical - A type of Christian worship such as in the Roman Catholic church, where the emphasis of the worship is on the sacraments (e.g. Holy Communion).  The worship follows a set pattern (a liturgy) and it is very formal.  There is a lot of emphasis on rituals and symbolic actions such as kneeling, sprinkling Holy water and the burning of incense.

Minister - a person who has had training in theology and has been ordained by a bishop to lead the Church and to take church services.

Nave - The central aisle of the church that leads from the back to the altar at the front of the church.

Non-Liturgical - A type of Christian worship such as in the Methodist church, where the emphasis of the worship is on Bible readings and preaching.  Usually only the sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, Marriage and Ordination are used.  The worship tends to be informal and may not follow a set pattern.

Parish - Every part of England is divided into parishes, each served by a church.

Pope - The leader of the Roman Catholic church.   Infallible (without error) and the representative of Christ on earth.

Prayer Book - This sets down all of the Church of England services and form of prayers for the year.

Psalm - A book in the Old Testament of the Bible.   They are very old songs and are used in church either as hymns, readings or as prayers.

Resurrection - The event when Jesus was raised from the dead.

Sacrament - A religious event such as Holy Communion or Marriage that has spiritual significance. All sacraments have visible aspects to them, such as water in Baptism, but they also have invisible aspects to them such as the forgiveness of sins that happens at Baptism.

Sermon - a talk given by a minister during a church service.

Sin - The Christian word for wrong-doing and disobedience to God.

Transubstantiation - The belief, held by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians that at a point during the service of Holy Communion the bread and wine mysteriously change into the flesh and blood of Jesus.