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A Service of the Word for

Pentecost

The birth of the
worldwide Church
Resourcing the worldwide Church


Pentecost
The birth of the worldwide Church
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Thank you for downloading this resource pack for Pentecost.
SPCK Worldwide supplies theology students in the Global South with context-appropriate
theological textbooks (International Study Guides) in simple English.
In 2013, we sent 11,260 books to 1,693 students in 34 colleges. See some theological
students in Uganda talking about the impact the books have had on them here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9SgfQLWNfs
Please support the programme by making a donation or organizing a collection during your
Pentecost service. Contact Primavera Quantrill, Fundraising Manager, at SPCK on 020 7592
3900 or fundraising@spck.org.uk or visit www.spck.org.uk/support-us/.
Copyright information
We don!t only resource the worldwide Church; we are also resourced by our brothers and sisters in
Christ across the globe. This service includes many texts and songs from around the world to enrich
the worship in our local churches. We are grateful to the following copyright holders for their kind
permission to reproduce the following:
The image on the cover page, Pentecost by Fr Jean Sader, belongs to the Maronite Archbishopric of
Cyprus. Used with permission.
Texts from A Kenyan Service of Holy Communion, 1989, taken from Our Modern Services, copyright
Anglican Church of Kenya, 2002, 2008:
the call to worship
the Kyrie confession (Kyrie sentences adapted from the Kenyan prayer of confession)
the introduction to the creed
the offertory response
the intercessions
the final dismissal.
The following texts are copyright The Archbishops! Council:
introduction to the confession (New Patterns for Worship, B18)
absolution (New Patterns for Worship, B77)
the collect (Additional Collect for Pentecost)
the blessing of light, the commission and the first part of the conclusion (Common Worship: Times
and Seasons, Pentecost)
The chant "Laudate omnes gentes! is copyright Ateliers et Presses de Taiz, 71250 Taiz, France
and reproduced by kind permission.
The song "We will walk with God! is translated from the traditional Swaziland hymn by John L. Bell and
is copyright Wild Goose Resource Group, Iona Community, Scotland, 2002
The congregation!s responses are printed in bold throughout.
The songs
The songs in this service reflect the worldwide Church; the source of each one is
given in the order of service.
This service and accompanying resources were devised by the Revd Ally Barrett.
Pentecost
The birth of the worldwide Church
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The Preparation
Call to worship
O Lord, open our lips
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
The earth is the Lords and all that is in it
Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad.
Our help is in the name of the Lord:
Who made heaven and earth.
I was glad when they said to me:
!Let us go to the house of the Lord."
Praise the Lord:
The name of the Lord be praised.
A Kenyan Service of Holy Communion, 1989
For alternative collects and opening prayers, see Resources for worship, Alternative suggestions
FOR SUGGESTIONS FOR ALL-AGE, MULTI-SENSORY AND ALTERNATIVE WORSHIP, SEE EXTRAS
Song
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker;
come all you people,
come and praise your Maker;
come all you people,
come and praise your Maker;
come now and worship the Lord.
Uyai mose,
tinamate Mwari;
uyai mose,
tinamate Mwari;
uyai mose,
tinamate Mwari;
uyai mose zvino.
Shona text: Alexander Gondo, Zimbabwe, translated by the Revd I-to Loh
For alternative suggestions for opening songs, see Resources for worship, Alternative suggestions
FOR ALL-AGE ACTIVITIES DURING THE SONGS, SEE EXTRAS
A minister may introduce the service.
Presentation
SPCK: Resourcing the worldwide Church
You may either use the PowerPoint presentation (see Menu), the short YouTube
video (see above) or deliver your own talk at this point.
FOR ALL-AGE ACTIVITIES FOR THE PRESENTATION, SEE EXTRAS

Pentecost
The birth of the worldwide Church
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Song
Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum.
Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum. Latin
Sing praises all you peoples, sing praises to the Lord.
Sing praises all you peoples, sing praises to the Lord. English
Cantai todos os povos, louvai nosso Senhor.
Cantai todos os povos, louvai nosso Senhor. Portuguese
Alabe todo el mundo, alabe al Seor,
Alabe todo el mundo, alabe a nuestro Dios. Spanish
Music by Jacques Berthier Ateliers et Presses de Taiz, 71250 Taiz, France
For alternative song suggestions, see Resources for worship, Alternative suggestions
Prayers of penitence and forgiveness
The Spirit of the Lord fills the world
and knows our every word and deed.
Let us then open ourselves to the Lord
and confess our sins in penitence and faith.
New Patterns for Worship, B18 The Archbishops Council, 2008
You marvellously made us in your image;
but we have corrupted ourselves
and damaged your likeness.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
We have rejected your love and hurt our neighbours.
Christ, have mercy,
Christ, have mercy.
We have done wrong and neglected to do right.
Lord, have mercy,
Lord, have mercy.
Kyrie sentences adapted from the confession prayer in
A Kenyan Service of Holy Communion, 1989
May the Father forgive us
by the death of his Son,
and strengthen us
to live in the power of the Spirit
all our days.
Amen.
New Patterns for Worship, B77 The Archbishops Council, 2008

Pentecost
The birth of the worldwide Church
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The collect
Let us pray that the Spirit will work through our lives to bring Christ to the world.
Holy Spirit, sent by the Father,
ignite in us your holy fire;
strengthen your children with the gift of faith,
revive your Church with the breath of love,
and renew the face of the earth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Common Worship: Times and Seasons, Additional Collect for Pentecost
The Archbishops Council, 2006
The Liturgy of the Word
Old Testament reading
Numbers 11.2430
For the gift of his holy word
Thanks be to God.
Canticle
The Spirit of God fills the whole world. Alleluia.
1 I will take you from the nations,
and gather you from all the countries.
2 I will sprinkle clean water upon you,
and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses.
3 A new heart I will give you,
and put a new spirit within you,
4 And I will remove from your body the heart of stone
and give you a heart of flesh.
5 You shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
The Spirit of God fills the whole world. Alleluia.
Adapted from Ezekiel 36.2426, 28b
New Testament reading
Acts 2.111
For the gift of his holy word
Thanks be to God.
Pentecost
The birth of the worldwide Church
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The sermon or talk
There are two sermon outlines: see Resources for preaching and teaching. Sermon 1 focuses on
Pentecost and the worldwide Church; Sermon 2 on the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Church.
There are also two all-age talks. The first is on the theme of adventure and involves going outside; the
second uses balloons (or a bouncy castle) to talk about the work of the Spirit.
The creed
We stand together with Christians throughout the centuries, and throughout the world
today, to affirm our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed.
From A Kenyan Service of Holy Communion, 1989
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Pentecost
The birth of the worldwide Church
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Song
During which an offering is taken for the work of SPCK Worldwide.
We will walk with God, my brothers, we will walk with God.
We will walk with God, my sisters, we will walk with God.
We will go rejoicing till the kingdom has come.
We will go rejoicing till the kingdom has come.
We are on the Lord!s road, my brothers, we are on the Lord!s road.
We are on the Lord!s road, my sisters, we are on the Lord!s road.
On our way to heaven we are on the Lord!s road.
On our way to heaven we are on the Lord!s road.
We shall sing the Lord!s praise, my brothers, we shall sing the Lord!s praise.
We shall sing the Lord!s praise, my sisters, we shall sing the Lord!s praise.
On our way to heaven we shall sing the Lord!s praise.
On our way to heaven we shall sing the Lord!s praise.
We shall live the Lord!s word, my brothers, we shall live the Lord!s word.
We shall live the Lord!s word, my sisters, we shall live the Lord!s word.
On our way to heaven we shall live the Lord!s word.
On our way to heaven we shall live the Lord!s word.
Hallelujah, amen, my brothers, hallelujah, amen.
Hallelujah, amen, my sisters, hallelujah, amen.
On our way to heaven hallelujah amen.
On our way to heaven hallelujah amen.
Original text:
Sizohamba naye (wo)
sizohamba naye . . .
Ngomihla wenjabula
sizahamba naye . . .
Sizohalalisa (wo)
sizohalalisa . . .
Ngomihla wenjabula
sizohalalisa . . .
Sizohlalbalela (wo)
sizohlalbalela . . .
Ngomihla wenjabula
sizohlalbalela . . .
Swaziland traditional hymn, translated by John L. Bell
Wild Goose Resource Group, Iona Community, Scotland, 2002
Alternative suggestion: Longing for light/Christ be our light (Bernadette Farrell)
All things come from you, O Lord
And of your own have we given you.
From A Kenyan Service of Holy Communion, 1989

Pentecost
The birth of the worldwide Church
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The Prayers
We pray for the Church throughout the world and give thanks for those who help it to
grow in love, faith and knowledge of the Lord, by educating the next generation of
pastors, priests and ministers.
We pray for the multitude of devout people from every nation under heaven, that the
goodness and love they carry in their hearts will prevail over hatred and evil and fill
the world with your peace.
We give thanks for the tremendous energy and enthusiasm of churches in the Global
South. We thank you for their prophets and priests who in the power of your Spirit are
crafting Christian thought that meets the needs of their people. We pray for
organizations such as SPCK in their work to make this thought available to the next
generation of Christian leaders.
We pray for the 1,700 students in 34 theological colleges, who have received help
from SPCK Worldwide!s programme this year, that they might receive the Spirit,
prophesy, dream dreams and flourish in their spreading of the good news.
We pray for all theological educators around the world, from parents and primary
school teachers, to professors and bishops. In particular we pray for the authors of
SPCK!s International Study Guide series and for the teachers in the many colleges
that use these books in their instruction.
We pray that, like the apostles at Pentecost, we may all be given the knowledge,
understanding and courage we need in order to be able to share our faith with
everyone we meet.
The Lord"s Prayer
If English is not your first language, please do pray in your own mother tongue.
Being made one in the power of the Spirit
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
for thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
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The birth of the worldwide Church
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The Dismissal
The blessing of light
The minister moves to the Easter candle (or another large candle).
Blessed are you, sovereign God, overflowing in love.
With Pentecost dawns the age of the Spirit.
Now the flame of heaven rests on every believer.
Strong and weak, women and men tell out your word;
the young receive visions, the old receive dreams;
With the new wine of the Spirit
They proclaim your reign of love.
Amid the birth pangs of the new creation
the way of light is made known.
Source of freedom, giver of life,
Blessed are you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
Common Worship: Times and Seasons, Pentecost,
The Archbishops Council, 2006
For an alternative prayer for the blessing of light,
see Resources for Worship, Alternative suggestions

Candles are distributed to the congregation and lit, during which this song is sung.
Song
Leader: Send me, Lord:
All: Send me, Jesus, send me,
Jesus, send me, Jesus,
send me, Lord.

Lead me . . .
Fill me . . .
Leader: Thuma mina:
All Thuma mina, thuma mina,
Thuma mina Somandla.
Zulu (South African) traditional
For other song ideas, see Resources for worship, Alternative suggestions

Pentecost
The birth of the worldwide Church
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The commission
For fifty days we have celebrated the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ over the power
of sin and death. We have proclaimed God!s mighty acts and we have prayed that
the power that was at work when God raised Jesus from the dead might be at work in
us. As part of God!s Church here in this place I call upon you to live out what you
proclaim.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, will you dare to walk into God!s future, trusting him to
be your guide?
By the Spirit"s power, we will.
Will you dare to embrace each other and grow together in love?
By the Spirit"s power, we will.
Will you dare to share your riches in common and minister to each other in need?
By the Spirit"s power, we will.
Will you dare to pray for each other until our hearts beat with the longings of God?
By the Spirit"s power, we will.
Will you dare to carry the light of Christ into the world!s dark places?
By the Spirit"s power, we will.
Adapted from Common Worship: Times and Seasons,
Pentecost, The Archbishops Council, 2006

The Easter candle may be extinguished at this point. The congregation!s candles
remain lit.
The conclusion
The Lord is here
His Spirit is with us.
Today we have remembered the coming of God!s power on the disciples and we
invite that same Spirit to drive us out into the wild places of the world.
During the song, the congregation moves outside for the dismissal.

Pentecost
The birth of the worldwide Church
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Song
We are marching in the light of God, we are marching in the light of God.
We are marching in the light of God, we are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, marching, we are marching o-oh,
we are marching in the light of God.
Original text:
Siyahamb! ekukhanyen! kwenkhos!, siyahamb! ekukhanyen! kwenkhos!,
Siyahamb! ekukhanyen! kwenkhos!, siyahamb! ekukhanyen! kwenkhos!,
Siyahamba, siyahamba o-oh,
Siyahamb! ekukhanyen! kwenkhos!.
Xhosa (South African) traditional hymn
May the Spirit,
who hovered over the waters when the world was created,
breathe into you the life he gives.
Amen.
May the Spirit,
who overshadowed the Virgin when the eternal Son came among us,
make you joyful in the service of the Lord.
Amen.
May the Spirit,
who set the Church on fire upon the Day of Pentecost,
bring the world alive with the love of the risen Christ.
Amen.
Common Worship: Times and Seasons, Pentecost, The Archbishops Council, 2006
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be upon
you and remain with you, and with those you love, those you find it hard to love, and
those you are yet to love, this place and the whole earth, this day and for ever.
Amen.
Go out into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
From A Kenyan Service of Holy Communion, 1989