How to introduce worship into an outreach or social action group

This download will help you with talking about Soulspace for the
first time, with sample announcements and suggestions for when
and where Soulspace could be held.

Use the links to download all you need for this Soulspace session:

• Leaders’ running order – with lots of options and notes for you to select and follow.
• Handout – to print off and give to participants.
• PowerPoint slides – use instead of a handout if you have projection facilities. It includes an optional slide for reflecting on a photo. You can replace the photo with a different one if you wish.

Use the links to download all you need for this ‘Service of the Word’ Soulspace session:

• Leaders’ running order – with lots of options and notes for you to select and follow.
• Handout – to print off and give to participants.
• PowerPoint slides – use instead of a handout if you have projection facilities.
  It includes an optional slide for reflecting on a photo. You can replace the photo with a different one if you wish.

Use the links to download all you need for this ‘Service of the Word’ Soulspace session:

• Leaders’ running order – with lots of options and notes for you to select and follow.
• Handout – to print off and give to participants.
• PowerPoint slides – use instead of a handout if you have projection facilities. It includes an optional slide for reflecting on a photo. You can replace the photo with a different one if you wish.

Use the links to download all you need for this Soulspace session focused on the theme of Joy:

• Leaders’ running order.
• Handout – to print off and give to participants.
• PowerPoint slides – use instead of a handout if you have projection facilities. It includes an optional slide for reflecting on a photo. You can replace the photo with a different one if you wish.

Use the links to download all you need for this Soulspace session focused on the theme of Comfort:

• Leaders’ running order.
• Handout – to print off and give to participants.
• PowerPoint slides – use instead of a handout if you have projection facilities. It includes an optional slide for reflecting on a photo. You can replace the photo with a different one if you wish.

Use the links to download all you need for this Soulspace session focused on the theme of Peace:

• Leaders’ running order.
• Handout – to print off and give to participants.
• PowerPoint slides – use instead of a handout if you have projection facilities. It includes an optional slide for reflecting on a photo. You can replace the photo with a different one if you wish.

Use the links to download all you need for this Soulspace session focused on the theme of Guidance:

• Leaders’ running order.
• Handout – to print off and give to participants.
• PowerPoint slides – use instead of a handout if you have projection facilities. It includes an optional slide for reflecting on a photo. You can replace the photo with a different one if you wish.

Reflective general

1. Satie: Gymnopédie No. 1/Rousseau/4:04 minutes/No words.

1. Grieg: Morning Mood from Peer Gynt Suite/London Symphony Orchestra, Jakub Przybycien/4:15 minutes/No words.
2. Brahms: Lullaby/Yo-Yo Ma, Kathryn Stott/1:56 minutes/No words.
3. Mozart: Romance from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik/Gewandhaus Quartet/5:33 minutes/No words.
4. Puccini: O Mio Babbino Caro/Malakai Bayoh/2:27 minutes/Words.
5. Delibes: Flower Duet/Katherine Jenkins, Kiri Te Kanawa/3:51 minutes/Words.
6. Haydn: The 7 Last Words Of Christ, Op. 51: Sonata V: Sitio (Adagio)/Kodaly Quartet/6:29 minutes/No words.

Joyful/hopeful

1. Handel: Hallelujah Chorus/Voces8/3:49/Words.
2. Beethoven: Ode To Joy/Royal Scottish National Orchestra/4:20 minutes/Words.
3. Prokofiev: Finale from Symphony No. 1 in D Major/Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Francois Leleux/4:19 minutes/No Words.
4. Copland/Hoe-Down from Rodeo/London Symphony Orchestra, William Warfield/3:32 minutes/No Words.
5. Holst: Jupiter from The Planets/BBC Symphony Orchestra, Susanna Mälkki/7:19 minutes/No Words.
6. Mozart: Overture to The Marriage Of Figaro/Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano/4:32 minutes/No Words.
7. Mozart: Allegro from Sonata in C K.545/Lang Lang/3:32 minutes/No Words.

Sad/Lament

1. Barber: Adagio For Strings Op. 11/Vienna Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel/9:01 minutes/No Words.
2. Mozart: Adagio From Clarinet Concerto in A/Martin Fröst/6:51 minutes/No Words.
3. Mozart: Lacrimosa From Requiem/Kings College Cambridge/2:46 minutes/Words.
4. Elgar: Nimrod From Enigma Variations/Academy Of St Martin In The Fields, Sir Neville Marriner/3:49 minutes/No Words.
5. Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement/Rousseau/7:24 minutes/No Words.
6. Brahms: Trio For Piano, Horn & Violin 3rd Movement/Naoko Keatley, Angela Barnes & Zeynep Oszuca/7:12 minutes/No Words.
7. Arvo Pärt: Spiegel Im Spiegel/Tasmin Little, Martin Roscoe/8:14 minutes/No Words.

Reflective general

1. I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say/Emu Music/3:21 minutes/Words.

1. Man Of Sorrows/Hillsong Worship/5:19 minutes/Words.
2. Only A Holy God/CityAlight/5:41 minutes/Words.
3. The Saving One/Starfield/4:06 minutes/Words.
4. When I Survey The Wondrous Cross (O Waly Waly)/Keith & Kristyn Getty/4:01 minutes/Words.
5. Goodness Of God (Bethel Music)/Kaleb Brasee/4:32 minutes/No Words (piano).
6. Be Still My Soul (William Joseph & Zack Clark)/4:43 minutes/No Words (cello & piano).

Joyful/Hopeful

1. Rejoice/Dustin Kensrue/3:15 minutes/Words.
2. Look And See/Michael Bleecker & Ross King, The Village Church/5:11 minutes/Words.
3. Hymn Of The Saviour/Emu Music/3:53 minutes/Words.
4. In Christ Alone Overture/All Souls Orchestra/4:24 minutes/No Words (orchestra).
5. Hallelujah/Emu Music/3:33 minutes/Words.
6. All Praise To Him/Sovereign Grace Music/3:42 minutes/Words.
7. His Mercy Is More/Matt Papa & Matt Boswell/4:48 minutes/Words.

Sad/Lament

1. Hear Me, Lord/Emu Music/3:42 minutes/Words.
2. The Mercies Of Christ/Matt Searles, McKenzie Fuller/3:43 minutes/Words.
3. Lord From Sorrows Deep I Call/Matt Papa & Matt Boswell/3:36 minutes/Words.
4. The Silence Of God/Andrew Peterson/3:47 minutes/Words.
5. When I Survey The Wondrous Cross (Rockingham)/The Carnelian Quartet/3:22 minutes/No Words (string quartet).
6. Abide With Me/Audrey Assad/4:38 minutes/Words.
7. O God Of Mercy, Hear Our Plea/Sovereign Grace Music/4:17 minutes/Words.

Reflective general

1. Heaven/Lamb – Apple Music or YouTube

1. Sanctuary/Urban Myth Club – Apple Music or YouTube
2. The Kingdom of God/Taize – Apple Music or YouTube
3. God is a DJ/Faithless – Apple Music or YouTube

Joyful/Hopeful

• Wonder/Lamb – Apple Music or YouTube
• Bless the Lord/Taize – Apple Music or YouTube
• Joy/Tracey Thorne (Christmas) – Apple Music
• Breathing light/Nitin Sawhney – Apple Music or YouTube

Sad/Lament

1. Why does my heart feel so bad/Moby (Reprise) – Apple Music or YouTube
2. Wash me clean/Page CXVI – Apple Music or YouTube
3. Whomsoever dwells/Sinead O’Connor – Apple Music or YouTube
4. All Alright/Sigur Ros – YouTube

Choose from one of the following:

• Work through one of the gospels, choosing an appropriate reading for each time you meet.
• Choose a recent lectionary reading or a reading from your personal devotions, if appropriate.
• Choose some other reading that will resonate with the group.
• Choose from the following readings:

Luke 24 13-36 – On the road to Emmaus

Luke 15 1-10 – the Parable of the lost sheep

1 Chronicles 16:23-31 – ‘Sing to the Lord all the earth…’

Psalms

Psalm 139 – ‘You have searched me, Lord, and you know me…’

Psalm 99 – ‘The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble…’

Psalm 100 – ‘Shout for joy, all the earth…’

Stories of hope

Hope amid the storms of life: Matthew 14.22–33
Hope in a broken world: Luke 5.17–26
Hope for social outcasts: Luke 7.36–50
Hope instead of worry: Luke 12.22–34
Hope for those who feel lost: Luke 15.11–32
Hope for unpopular people: Luke 19.1–10
Hope at the point of death: Luke 23.32–43
Hope for those who are despised: John 4.4–18, 25–42
Hope for those who feel judged: John 8.3–11
Hope when you’ve been wronged: Matthew 18.21–35

Luke 1 46-55 – Mary’s song

Jeremiah 29 4-7 and 11-14 – ‘For I know the plans I have for you…’

1 Chronicles 16 23-36 – ‘Sing to the Lord all the earth….’

Psalms

Psalm 67 – ‘May God be gracious to us and bless us…’

Psalm 19 – ‘The heavens declare the glory of God…’

Psalm 16 5-11 – ‘Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup…’

John 14 1-3 – Jesus comforts his disciples

Revelation 21 1-7 – A new heaven and a new earth

Romans 5 1-5 – Peace and hope

Psalms

Psalm 42 – ‘As the deer pants for streams of water…’

Psalm 46 – ‘God is our refuge and strength…’

Psalm 23 – ‘The Lord is my shepherd…’

Luke 1 78-79 – ‘because of the tender mercy of our God…’

John 14 1-4 – Jesus comforts his disciples

Colossians 3 15-17 – ‘Let the presence of Christ rule in your hearts…’

Psalms

Psalm 23 – ‘The Lord is my shepherd…’

Psalm 29 – ‘Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings…’

Psalm 85 – ‘You, Lord, showed favour to your land…’

Job 19 23-27 – ‘Oh that my words were recorded…’

Isaiah 58 11-14 – ‘The Lord will guide you always…’

John 16 13-15 – ‘But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes…’

Psalms

Psalm 119 97-105 – ‘Oh, how I love your law!…’

Psalm 37 23-31 – ‘The Lord makes firm the steps…’

Psalm 25 – ‘In you, Lord my God, I put my trust…’

In Milton Damerel, a collection of hamlets in north Devon, the parish church was ‘non-operational.’ It had no PCC, no Church Warden and no regular worship. The Rector of the Benefice, Mark James, and some lay people planned a re-launch on Palm Sunday 2025. They discovered Soulspace and thought it might work better than the celebration service they had in mind.

At 4.30 pm they welcomed 14 people, five churchgoers, five who didn’t attend church, and four who came on special occasions. With Soulspace as a framework,

• they sat at cafe-style tables at the back of church,
• opened with some gentle music and a prayer,
• used a few images and questions to spark conversation about community and the church’s role in connecting people,
• heard the story of the lost sheep,
• reflected on questions about the story (eg ‘What draws your attention in this story?’),
• connected with the world through a table activity focused on: Who or what do you care about deeply right now? Where is the world hurting and how might light reach that place?), and
• gathered their thoughts up in a prayer.

Afterwards, they had tea and continued talking. They decided to repeat Soulspace once a month, and restart a monthly Evensong alternating with Holy Communion on another Sunday – a ‘mixed ecology’ of church!

Already, after the second Soulspace, there have been notable spin offs – a ‘Friends of [the church]’ group, the beginnings of a gardening group, the core of a PCC, offers of help.

Mark is toying with the idea of developing a version of Soulspace for isolated farmers – perhaps monthly in-person and weekly online.

’As a model, Soulspace works brilliantly,” Mark said. ‘It gives me a steer, but there is space to move around in. There is so much material you can draw on, and the name itself works well.’

On 7 April 2025, Alan Hillier, Community Outreach Lead at Holy Trinity Aldershot, contacted the Church of England’s Church Support Hub to say thank you for the Soulspace material.

Holy Trinity had been using Soulspace at their Wednesday Fellowship Meal, which starts with Christian reflection, for several weeks in place of a Bible study.

‘We felt that Bible Study required skills in literacy with which our guests (primarily from the street community) might struggle. Soulspace in contrast is more reflective and experience based and is therefore more inclusive.’ It also connects with guests who do not attend church, about a quarter of the total.

‘We’re planning to introduce Soulspace into Brunch Club,’ a cooked breakfast on Saturdays, ‘as an optional extra in a separate area after the meal.’

For several years, Laundry Love has met every other week in one of a mid-sized group of midwestern American towns. Folks gather to do their laundry, paid for by local churches, and to have lunch together. Some of those involved wanted an opportunity to discuss issues of life and spirituality and so Nancy, the founder of Laundry Love, started Bread and Blessings in the local library.

In February 2025 she introduced Soulspace into these library gatherings. They have used the Comfort, Joy, Peace and Connecting liturgies. One person adapted a couple of these themes to recognize that people in the group have some knowledge of Christianity even though they are not regular churchgoers.

‘It is working perfectly!’ Nancy wrote. She loves the themes. ‘The suggestions and links are helpful and we have used several of the musical offerings…Soulspace makes it easy to form a beautiful, simple “service”. One person said he enjoyed it because it was “earthy.” He felt he could ask questions and stayed behind to ask about the Trinity.’

Sue Hughes, a curate, leads Play Cafe in a rural parish. She tried the 10-minute version of Soulspace before Christmas 2024. Two women and two children joined her. One woman was a mother and the other a helper. One loved it, the other was so moved she was reduced to tears.

In her second session (in the New Year), she had three mothers and four children. She said, ‘I am loving using these resources and maybe able to add in some ideas over the next few months as the toddler group I am using it with – at the end of the play session – has been with small children joining us.’

She has used Soulspace intermittently since because she is feeling her way about how to accommodate the children. In March she was planning to encourage older children to watch a video on her laptop while the adults did Soulspace.

Watch this space!

The Rev Rik Rasmussen had been wondering how they could spiritually feed the 50 or so recipients of the church’s Sack Lunch programme. In December 2024 he introduced Soulspace and called it ‘Feeding our Spiritual Side.’

They met in the sanctuary when the lunches had been given out. ‘That didn’t work! When we started packing up the sack lunch table people just left.’ So they moved out of the building into a pop-up canopy on the sidewalk and now meet earlier. Nineteen of their volunteers and un-homed neighbours attended ‘last Saturday.’

After a few weeks he asked if people would welcome individual healing prayers and anointing with unction. The answer was yes. So now the short service, which he changes every week:

• ‘starts with an opening prayer and candle lighting,
• ‘followed by a reading from scripture – usually the Gospel, or part of the Gospel for the next day.
• ‘Then a time for silent prayer/meditation while I go around and offer healing prayers.
• ‘We conclude with a closing prayer and a blessing.’

For Lent they are using resources from a group called A Sanctified Art, modifying some of the prayers to fit their context.

If you want to call it something different to Soulspace, other possibilities are almost endless! Some examples might include: Spirit Zone, God Space, Wellness Zone, Spiritual Mindfulness, A Selah (from the Hebrew word, used in the Psalms, for “pause”).

The resource has been developed with a great deal of experience and expertise.

It is based on the notion of “apt liturgy” in ‘Journeying Out: A New Approach to Christian Mission’ 2004, by Ann Morisy, ISBN-13: 978-0819281012. This is worship for spiritual seekers who do not attend church regularly or at all. It provides a vehicle for them to encounter God, creates a hunger for more and helps those who are on a journey to Christ.

The author of the resource, Mark Berry, is part of the national Church of England Greenhouse team which supports fresh expressions development. Mark is the team’s pioneering consultant and Chaplain. He has many years of experience in leading fresh expressions and working with other experienced leaders in the field. Read more about Mark.

Mark and others are working with the Church of England’s Liturgical Commission, with a view to the resource being issued with the Commission’s support, but you are free to go ahead and use it now, if you wish.

A training video will be produced to offer further guidance on creating your own worship. It is expected this will be published later in 2024.