Site map

Hanwell Methodist Church
Composed and designed by Ray Garnett

This page has been prepared for
visiting ministers, local preachers or
other people who may be invited to

lead worship at our Church.

There may seem a lot of information on this page
but please don’t be put off, as things are very
simple really. Just turn up and it will all run like
clockwork. In this one page we have tried to cover all the different types of service - hence the relatively long page.

The list of Sunday services and calendar of preachers for each of the churches
within our Methodist Circuit (Ealing Trinity Circuit) is published quarterly in our Circuit magazine In-touch. Copies are normally available from the shelves at the back of our Church. You can visit our Circuit website at www.ealingtrinity.org.uk. Services planned for Hanwell Methodist with dates and who will be leading them are listed on the Worship page of this site.

Sunday services at Hanwell usually commence at 11:00am in the morning. However, there are a few exceptions to this time so please check our Worship page where our service plan and further details are listed.

Junior Church (Sunday School) is normally held each Sunday during school term time and runs alongside the morning service. As a general rule, the first Sunday of each month is usually a Family Service when members of the Junior Church join the adult congregation throughout worship. It often also incorporates a parade service for the uniformed organisations such as the Scouts and Guides.

On an “ordinary” Sunday, members of our Junior Church often join the congregation during the penultimate hymn.  We encourage speakers to acknowledge them after they have entered and the hymn is finished.

Before the Service

For most Sunday morning services we usually have two Church stewards on duty. It is the duty of the first steward to contact the visiting preacher a few days in advance of the appointment. This will be to ascertain information about if readers or other helpers will be needed with activities such as prayers, short plays, music or projection facilities etc. The first steward will also need to know Bible readings, hymn numbers (and possible accompanying tunes) in order to advise the organist and to display the numbers on the hymn boards at the front of the Church. The Church also has its own qualified Worship Leaders who can help out with items.

You can find a list and the versions of our hymn and tune books, Bibles and service books by going to our Service Books page.

If you wish to contact a Church steward in advance of them contacting you, then a list steward duties and who is assigned to your service is available on our Church Rotas page. Our Senior Steward’s contact details are on our Contacts page.

The first Steward will normally be in Church at least 45 minutes in advance of the service starting time and is likely to be keeping their eye out for you and lead you to the Vestry if you are new to our Church.

On occasions you may be asked to make an announcement such as a special birthday - we are used to singing Happy Birthday and clapping in our Church. You may also be offered a pin radio microphone. Toilet facilities are available in the Vestry. Just prior to the start of the service there will be a short prayer in the vestry usually lead by the Second Steward.

The Service

The Stewards will ensure that the vestry party come into Church at the right time and the congregation will stand until you reach the lectern and the Stewards make their way to their seats. Sometimes one of the Stewards may welcome you from the lectern and/or give out an appropriate notice.

There will be a Bible, hymn books and Methodist Service Book on the lectern shelf together with a glass of water. The congregation should also have these books in their pews. The lectern has its own microphone attached. The collection plate will be sat on the altar table.

The congregation will normally stand and sit automatically (unless instructed otherwise) before and after each hymn except the final one (see below).  For the offertory, the congregation will stand as the offertory is brought forward to be blessed, and then the collection plate placed back on the table.

If the Junior Church (Sunday School) is meeting then it usually joins the main service during the penultimate hymn. A Steward will usually leave to go and collect them during the singing of the hymn. Following the hymn we encourage you to acknowledge members of the Junior Church - you could ask them what they had been doing and if they had anything to tell us or show us. They are welcome to join you at the lectern or we have roving radio microphones if you wish to offer these. You can also use these microphones within the congregation at any time during the service but please advise us that you need them before the start. They will usually be left on a front pew.

At the end of the Service

Just prior to the end of the service a couple of members may leave to organise coffee etc. Usually after the last hymn the congregation will remain standing for a Blessing. Once this has been delivered they normally expect you to leave the lectern area and make your way to the back of the Church to greet them as they leave or partake of refreshments. As you move past each row they normally sit to say their own private exit prayer. But if you wish to offer instructions to change this then that is fine.

Audio Visual Facilities

The Church has a set of audio visual equipment and we encourage you
to use it whenever possible. The equipment is capable of projecting
images through a data projector and retractable screen and can playback
PowerPoint presentations, CDs, DVDs, iPods and iPads through its audio visual system. The leader can connect his/her own laptop/iPad and control it from the front or have it controlled by a helper at the back.

It would be useful to have any presentations sent in advance and the steward on duty to be advised so that arrangements and a test run through can be made with our technical people. Besides the preacher’s pin radio microphone there are other stand microphones available and a couple of roving radio microphones.

The Church also has Internet access throughout the building so you can call up web pages if you wish. Again tell the Steward if you wish to use the Internet system so that you can be provided with the login details.

At appropriate times, such as during the collection, the Organist may fill in with appropriate background music.

Click here for further details about our resources.

Visiting Ministers administering
Holy Communion

During our Holy Communion services, everyone,
whatever age, is welcome at our Communion rail.  

Following blessing of the elements and before the
general congregation proceed for communion, three or four helpers will be given communion first along with the minister. Normally the minister issues the bread and a steward follows with wine from a small glass.

Appointed Communion Stewards will then advise members of the congregation in an orderly fashion when to proceed to the Communion rail to receive. Members
wishing to receive a blessing and not partake of Communion should keep their hands down rather than raise them to receive the elements.

If members are unable to get to the Communion rail but would like to receive, then the Communion Steward(s) will indicate to the Minister to provide Communion where the person(s) is sitting after others have been served.

Normally, following Communion, and during the singing of the next hymn a further collection will be taken for the Church Benevolent Fund. Again this is usually brought to the front by the Communion Stewards, blessed and then laid alongside the general offertory on the collection plate.

Parade Services

On the first Sunday of each month or on special days (eg. Remembrance Sunday) we may be holding a Parade Service for the uniformed organisations. At these services their various flags are presented at the start of the service (usually during the first hymn) and distributed back at the end of the service (usually during the last hymn). The Stewards will brief you before the service about the procedure we use.

After the Service

Some members of the congregation will wish to shake hands with you and perhaps have a short chat as they leave the Church.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after our morning services.
If it's someone's birthday we may even get some cake!  
Please accept our invitation to come through into the hall
behind the Church or into our Centenary Room to partake of
refreshments. Anyone will show you the way if you do not
know the layout of our premises. (Pictures and plans of our
Church are available from our Facilities page.)

On the first Sunday of each month after our usual Family Service, we usually also have a homemade cake stall.

Disabilities

For those with a physical disability or sensory impairment, we have certain aids that might be of help. Our stewards will be very pleased to advise.

 Induction loop facilities for those with impaired hearing. You will need to sit in the central block of pews with your hearing aid turned to 'T'.

 Large print hymn books and service books.

 Braille hymn books.

 Toilets for those with a disability, are at both the front and rear of the premises. Toilets at the front of the Church also have nappy changing facilities.

Hymn numbers and Bible reading pages for a service are usually
displayed at the front of the Church on the hymn display board.

Notes for Preachers

Visitors' Book

If you visit our Church then please please take our greetings back to your own Church on your return.

Service Books and Bibles

If you would like details of the availability of service books, Bibles and audio visual resources for use in the Church then please click on the button below.

Service Plans and Steward Rotas can be viewed by clicking on the appropriate buttons below.

If you require more details about our Stewards, then do visit our Meet Our Church Stewards page.