Tour of The Church

This is the outside view of Morecambe Parish Church. You can see all the stain glass windows, which are down the side of the building. Recently the church has had many of the windows protected with polycarbonate to protect them from vandalism. Some people chose to sponsor a window, and you still can. In the tower is a peel of eight bells, which are rung by a team of dedicated Bell Ringers. The bells are rung for every Sunday service all year round, and a bell chimes on the hour.

 

 

This is the view of the inside of our church, taken from the gallery. The gallery is not in general use for worship, and so is used for storage. In the gallery there are the remnants of a pipe organ, which is not in use anymore, however the shell (keyboard and pipes) are still there and look very impressive. The organ has now been replaced with a modern instrument (see below) but there are speakers up in the gallery, so many visitors do believe that the old organ is still in use. Hanging from the rafters are laid up standards (flags). At the right hand side you can see the Lady Chapel (see below) and at the left hand side is a door to the vestry, which is not very clear. There are 3 rooms in the vestry, an area for the choir to robe, and an area for the servers and one for the clergy to vest.

 

 This is the new organ, which we now use, and you can also see the piano, which is often used in services when appropriate. The piano has a microphone inside it, which connects it to the main sound system in church, which means it is much easier to hear, especially for people with hearing aids as the church has a “loop system” to help them. The door in the photo leads to the choir vestry and is mainly used by the organist. The main door to the vestry is at the side of this picture.

 

This is a photo of the sanctuary in our church. In front of the lower Main Altar, you can see an arrangement of flowers which was done by the flower guild, who arrange flowers most weeks, apart from during lent. At the back of the photo you can see the High Altar. This is rarely used (only for midweek services) because we prefer to use the Nave Altar as it is nearer to the congregation. Around the communion rail are tapestry kneelers, which were made by people in the parish and show the activities of many church organisations, including uniformed groups, bell ringers, and the choir. The rails around the sanctuary and the Nave Altar can be easily removed making that area perfect for bands and orchestras to play concerts.

 

In this photograph you can see the Lady Chapel Altar, which is to the right of the main altar and next to the side entrance of the church. This area is normally used for small services and for the “laying on of hands for healing” which takes place during some communion services. On the side wall of this small sanctuary (you cannot see it in this photo) there is an Ambry where consecrated bread and wine is stored which is used for home communions during the week.

 

 

This is a picture of the pews in our church. As you can see there are a lot and they are usually full on a  Sunday morning. In the corner of the church, right at the back you can see “St Laurence’s Corner”. This is a quiet corner for private prayer and meditation. There is a stand where you can light a candle and say a prayer, and a banner of St Laurence.

 

 

 

 

This is our font, where many people young and old are baptised. The font used to be at the back of church but when reordering to the church took place in 1998 it was moved to the front by the South East door to the church. Baptisms normally take place on a Sunday around lunchtime, but occasionally they are during the main Sunday morning service. To arrange a baptism please contact the church office, any Tuesday evening between 7.00pm and 7.30pm.

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: 23.4.08