Churches in England are rushing to obtain copies of a special millennium liturgy designed to be used on Sunday, 6 April this year - exactly a thousand days before 1 January 2000. The liturgy has been prepared by Churches Together in England (CTE), which groups England's main denominations. Stephen Lynas, CTE's Millennium officer, said this week that 7000 sets of the special liturgy had been sent out in just seven days.

The liturgy is the first of a number of projects to be produced by CTE's millennium group, which is planning further liturgies as well as materials for those who do not attend church.

In the '1000-day service' worshippers are asked: "In a thousand days from now, will we simply be caught up in the middle of a commercial and secular jamboree? Or, will we be reminding ourselves and others that the Millennium finds its true meaning in the historic event of Jesus Christ?"

In a major speech on 6 February, the Government minister responsible for the Millennium celebrations, Virginia Bottomley, said: "The Millennium is a Christian anniversary. But the celebrations surrounding the Millennium are being welcomed by members of many different faith communities as a chance to rejoice in and reflect on so much of what we share in common."

Despite the success of the 1000-day liturgy, the CTE is not planning a series of services to mark further stages of the countdown.

Article from: Church Times