A couple of weeks ago we had a pulpit swap! Mother Cordella, vicar at St Philip’s Norbury came to Immanuel & St Andrew’s to preach and lead Holy Communion and I (Rachel) went to St Philip’s.

Although only about a mile away from Immanuel Church, I didn’t know much about St Philip’s church. In some ways the church is quite different from Immanuel, for instance they have stained glass windows and pews. The services are a bit different too. They have a large choir who lead the singing, the vicar wears robes and processes into the service with the choir and they have an altar server who sets up and helps at Holy Communion.

I was a bit nervous as this was the first time I had led a Holy Communion service outside of Immanuel church. However, just like at Immanuel, everyone at St Philip’s was really friendly and supportive. Before the service I was informed that no one minds if you make a mistake which made me feel so much better! I so enjoyed leading the service and meeting everyone at St Philip’s Church and I’m thankful to St Philip’s for making me feel so welcome.

Mother Cordella was also pleased to visit us here at Immanuel. And, just like me, she admitted that at first she was a bit nervous about preaching and administering Holy Communion to a different congregation. But she said your warm welcome, kind words, and vibrancy helped her relax almost immediately. She especially enjoyed our music, which is so different from the hymns at St Philip’s and is already looking forward to coming back.