Taizé Services at TMC
Taizé at Timperley Methodist Church
During the past few months Peter, Cathy and Rita have led three Taizé style services at Timperley.
As we hope to continue these services into the future it may be of interest to understand a little of the background behind the Taizé style of worship and its community.
The Taizé Community is an ecumenical Christian community in Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France. It is composed of more than one hundred brothers, from Catholic and Protestant traditions, who originate from about thirty countries across the world. Brother Roger Schutz a Reformed Protestant founded Taizé in 1940 and its influence has since spread giving rise to a unique style of worship that has become popular in churches, retreat centres and seminaries throughout the world.
At the heart of any Taizé service is prayer and silence with the singing of distinctive and repetitive chants in a background of candlelight. Taizé chants are simple phrases, usually lines from the Psalms or other pieces of scripture, the repetition is designed to help meditation and prayer bring us closer to God.
The Taizé community remains resolutely ecumenical, bringing together people from all denominations and cultures. It is a sign of hope in a divided world and its spirituality has brought new life to Christian churches throughout the world.