All Hallows has a long tradition of liturgical development.

The starting point for this was the church’s involvement in the campaign for the ordination of women in the Church of England in the late 1980s. Elizabeth Baxter, one of the ministers of the church at the time, was instrumental in introducing to our community the insights of feminist theology, especially as it related to liturgical practice.

Exploring images of God that go beyond the traditional masculine images and incorporate the feminine has thus been a part of our worship for a long time, as has our commitment to justice, peace and inclusivity.

From 2000 onwards we have been developing the current series of seasonal liturgies. Within the same basic structure, each liturgy includes material that is appropriate to its season of the Christian year, starting with Advent.

As well as writing some of our own material, we have drawn on the beautiful writings of liturgists such as Janet Morley, Jim Cotter, Lisa Woodrow, Jan Berry and Kathy Galloway, to name just a few, and we have used chants and songs from the Taizé Community, the Iona Community, and other parts of the worldwide church.

We want our liturgy to be alive, reflecting the love and power of God and responding to the times we are living in, so we continue to experiment and to work together to develop new liturgies.