Our weekly Sunday service goes for an hour from 8:30am til 9:30am, and is followed by morning tea. The worship service is called the Eucharist, or Holy Communion, and is the ceremony that commemorates Jesus’ last supper with his followers before his death. Bread and wine are shared by the congregation members in remembrance of Jesus’ faithfulness to his call to fullfil God’s mission.
At our weekly Sunday Eucharist music is central. During the service the congregation sing hymns and various sung responses, all accompanied by a traditional pipe organ. However, you don’t have to be able to sing to participate in the service! Whatever your singing ability the music ‘carries you’ in an experience of God’s presence - no matter what state of mind you arrive in.
Fr Olaf washes the feet of Deacon Tim Booth, in the solemn Maundy Thursday service. It reenacts Jesus’ final act with his followers after he shares in a last meal with them, and symbolises the subversive Christian message that God’s love for us is demonstrated in acts of humility, service and hands-on compassion.
During communion, when those assembled are invited to receive the bread and wine, a piece of meditative music is played by the organ or electric keyboard - often with the accompaniment from a small singing group. Sometimes a guitarist plays and sings. On their way back to their seats each person has the opportunity to light a votive candle and place it in the sand bowl as part of a silent prayer for a loved one, of gratitude or for some other need that is on their heart and mind.
The Sunday services follow the church year, a calendar in which different seasons and festivals are celebrated. The central seasons for Anglican Christians and those of many other mainstream church denominations are Advent/Christmas, marking the coming of Christ; and Lent/Easter, remembering the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. Other important seasons include Pentecost, often called the birth of the church, and the Season of Creation.
Single day festivals are also celebrated on Sundays throughout the year, and occasionally on other days - like Ash Wednesday - through the year. At St Michael’s these festivals include: St Michael’s Day on the last Sunday in September, St Francis’/World Environment Day on the first Sunday in October, and All Saints Day (last Sunday in November).
Address: 655 Brunswick St, New Farm Q 4005
Service Times: Sunday 8.30am followed by morning tea
A view of St Michael’s worship centre from Brunswick St. Note, space for on street parking and a semi-circular all-weather drop off zone at the main entrance. The covered 196 and 199 bus stop in-bound to the City and West End is just to the right of this photo’s right hand margin, while the out-bound stop towards New Farm Park and Teneriffe is opposite the church.