Rector's Letter

Transition Project

Home  Contact   Calendar   Help at Special Times  Music  Services   Sermons   Churches

Homework Help Answers

Activities for Young People at St Mary's Church. Click here or on the photo to find out more about what activities are on offer for all ages at St Mary's. Remember, you don't have to go to St Mary's Church to join these groups. Click here to find out about joining the Junior Choir - you get paid for this!.

You will find a lot of information about the Church on our History page - Click here.

Homework Help - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

Question 1: What are the uses and location in a church of the following objects: Font, Pulpit, Altar, Chalice, Paten, Lectern, Banners, Vestments? Answer ....

	The font is a place for storing holy water, which is used to baptise people, (usually children.) In Saint Mary's church, Saffron Walden, it stands in the South West corner of the church. People being christened have the holy water sprinkled on their heads. In some churches it is by the main entrance, to symbolise entry into the church body.
	The pulpit is a raised platform in church from which a sermon (religious lecture) is preached. The word comes from the latin word pulpitum which meant platform or stage. It stands at the front of the nave and is quite high, so people can see the preacher and to show how important the word of God is.
	The altar in Christian churches is a table on which bread and wine used during communion are consecrated (made holy by prayer.) Other religions before Christianity used altars as a place to sacrifice animals, so altars are a reminder that Christ was sacrificed for us. They symbolise the presence of God in a church and they are usually in the East End of the church, nearest Jerusalem.
	The chalice is a drinking cup, (often made of gold or silver,) and is used to hold the wine during the communion. The priest puts it on the altar and prays to consecrate the wine (make it holy) before giving some to each person who comes and kneels at the altar rail during communion. It is usually kept near the plate (paten,) which holds the communion bread or wafers.
	The lectern is a reading desk or book stand from which the bible is read in church. Its name comes from the word Legere, which is Latin for to read. Often the book rest where the bible stands is shaped like an eagle, which is the symbol of Saint John, who wrote one of the gospels (books in the bible which tell the story of the life of Christ.)
	Vestments are the clothes that priests wear during the services. They vary according to who is wearing them and what season it is. During normal times of year the priest wears green robes, during special festivals gold or white (Christmas and Easter) and during times of repentance (Lent and Advent) like the season of Lent, purple.
	Banners are pieces of cloth which have symbols and names on them. Banners can be hung from the roof or from poles which can be carried in parades.
	See also Plan of a church

Return to Homework Help Index Page

Question 2: What are the different parts of a church building? Answer....

	The nave is the main long central part of the church which leads up from the big door (the West door,) to the altar: its name comes from the latin word navis which means ship, and the roof looks a bit like the bottom of a ship and was sometimes built by ship builders (Some people say that the Christian church is like a ship of faith which carries its members towards God.) During the service the priests and the people who serve the bread and wine (servers) and the choir walk along the central aisle (the path between the seats,) of the nave in a procession behind the cross.
	At one end of the nave is a screen, called the rood screen. This separates the part of the church where the altar rests (the chancel,) from the rest of the church.
	Hidden behind the rood screen in Saffron Walden is an organ loft, where the organist sits. He can see the choir below through a closed circuit t.v.
	On either side of the chancel (the area behind the rood screen) are chapels: the South chapel and the North chapel. These are places of quiet prayer or may be used to store things during the preparation for the service. In Saint Mary's there is also a little chapel on the right of the nave which is a chapel of remembrance to help people grieving for people they love who have died. The communion rail in this chapel is shaped like a crocus which is the symbol of Saffron Walden.
	The tower is the tall square part of the church which holds the bells.In Victorian times a new spire (steeple) was added to St Mary's, Saffron Walden. This was a tall, pointed structure, which was added to the top of the tower so that the church could be seen above the roof tops and from far away.
	The church is in the shape of a cross with two small rooms sticking out from the nave at the sides: In Saint Mary's Saffron Walden these rooms are used for dressing the priests and the choir and are called vestries. They lead to the North and South doors.
	The windows are sometimes made of stained glass and show pictures of bible stories. They were sometimes paid for by the families of people who had died, as a memorial to them. We hope you will be able to visit us and see the church for yourself. This photo is of the west window.
	The East window is the big window behind the altar, at the East end of the church. The altar is usually in the East. Usually it is made of stained glass (see Stained glass). It is the most impressive window in a church because it is the one which people face during the service.
	See also Plan of a church

Return to Homework Help Index Page

Question 3: Why are some churches built in the cruciform shape, and why are more modern churches being built in other shapes for example circles? Answer...

Return to Homework Help Index Page

Question 4: What are the following things in a church: a Vestry, Crossing, Transept, Sanctuary and other artefacts in a church? Answer ....

Return to Homework Help Index Page

Question 5: Why do Christians go to church? Answer...

Thank you for your question. Another website user has sent in this answer: "Christians go to church for the peace and tranquility, to interact with others, because they believe and to affirm their faith by giving thanks. "

It could also be said that Christians go to church because they find it a good place to meet and to worship God.

Return to Homework Help Index Page

Question 6: What are the uses and places of the reredos, stained glass windows, church bells, lamp, organ, tabernacle, bishop's chair, candles and steeple in a church? Answer....

	A reredos is the decorative screen on the wall at the back of the altar.
	Stained glass windows are the beautiful windows made of stained or coloured glass. When most people could not read they liked to look at the pictures to help them to remember the people in the bible stories and saints. Christians still enjoy looking at them today. Each saint wears or carries different things so that you can know which ones they are, for instance Saint Peter usually carries keys and Saint John sometimes has an eagle next to him.
	Church bells are huge bells that usually hang in the church tower. They are rung by bell ringers, (campanologists) who ring them at weddings and to call people to come to church. Sometimes they are run by machines but the church at Saffron Walden is very fortunate to have some very good and loyal bell ringers. bells were used to call people to church, but also in medieval times to warn the townspeople of invaders. Bell ringers still ring the bells at Saint Mary's every Sunday.
	The organ is a musical instrument which is played during hymns and at other times during services. It can make hundreds of different sounds and sound like many different instruments. It works by pumping wind through tall pipes. The organist sometimes sits high up in an organ loft and watches the choirmaster below through a mirror or video camera. The organist's seat looks a bit like the cockpit of an aeroplane because it is surrounded by knobs called "stops". The organist has to play with both hands and both feet. You can find out more about the organ in Saffron Walden church by clicking here
	The lamp is an oil lamp which hangs in front of a niche in the sanctuary wall (the tabernacle) When there is consecrated bread in the tabernacle, the lamp is lit. Some consecrated bread is kept in the tabernacle so that it can be taken to people who are too ill or old to come to church. It is a symbol of Christ's presence in the church.
	The tabernacle is a place for putting the communion bread which has been blessed (consecrated). Sometimes it is on the altar but usually it is in a little alcove (niche) in the wall.
	The bishop's chair (cathedra) is a place in a cathedral where the bishop sits. A church cannot be called a cathedral unless it has a bishop's chair in it. The bishop only has one chair and it is in the cathedral of the city of which he is the bishop. It symbolises his authority.
	Candles are found lit in churches to symbolise prayer. People can light candles to show that they care and are praying. Sometimes people light candles for other people they are worried about or people who have died. Anyone can light a candle in a church. Usually there is a collecting box next to the candles so that you can give some money so that the church can buy a candle to replace the one you burn. Lighting candles helps people to show their feelings.
	The steeple is another word for the spire.

Return to Homework Help Index Page

Question 7: What are the uses of a communion table and a communion rail? Answer...

A communion table is like an altar which is explained on the page parts of a church part one; see here. Some churches use lots of ceremony and beautiful things in their worship. Other churches prefer to use simple things because they think it makes the meaning of things clearer. Usually churches which prefer ceremony use the term altars and churches which prefer simple things use the words communion table. Altars often have grand cloth covers whereas communion tables are often bare or have a crisp white table cloth.

The communion rail is a railing which runs between the altar and the rest of the church. In a church of England church, when the priest is giving out bread and wine, the people kneel next to the rail and rest their hands on the rail outstretched to take the bread. In Saffron Walden church the communion rail in the chapel of Remembrance, at the side of the church, is shaped in the shape of crocuses, which are the symbol of the town (Saffron was a dye which was made from crocuses in the Middle Ages.)

Return to Homework Help Index Page