What Is?

A Christian is........ Someone who knows they are not perfect. Someone who knows they need to make things right with God. Someone who accepts Jesus died for their sins. Someone who has asked Jesus in to their life.

General Synod is like the parliament of the church. Members are elected by Diocesan Synod (our local area - Blackburn Diocese) and Diocesan Synod members are elected from Deanery Synod (our Leyland area). Deanery Synod members are elected at each church's annual church meeting and once elected they are also on the Parochial Church Council.

A Christingle is made of a lighted candle (symbolising Jesus, the Light of the World), mounted on an orange (representing the world), and a red ribbon around the middle of the orange (indicating the blood/ love of Christ). Four cocktail sticks bearing dried fruit and sweets are also stuck into the orange to signify the four seasons and the fruits of the earth. Our Christingle service is on Christmas Eve. Money is collected for the work of the Children's Society, please see the link on the links page. This year is the 50th anniversary of Christingle services in the UK.

If you are a UK tax payer and you gift aid any money that you give for the work of the church then the church can claim back any tax you paid on that money. That makes a £1 gift into £1.25! Thousands of pounds of the church's income is due to members gift aiding. Please consider gift aiding - you cannot lose and the church can only gain.

Planned Giving is the way that many members of the church like to organise the using of their Time Talents and Money in helping the church. All the money needed to run the church, including salaries, comes from the members of the St. Ambrose community.

Taizé, in the south of Burgundy, France, is the home of an international, ecumenical community, founded there in 1940 by Brother Roger. The brothers are committed for their whole life to material and spiritual sharing, to celibacy, and to a great simplicity of life. At the heart of daily life in Taizé are three times of prayer together. Our Taize Music and Meditation Services are based on the Community's chants which reflect its simplicity. If you want to discover more please go our links page and go to Taize's website.

No it's not part of the Church building. It is a person..Adrian Pope is our Sacristan. It his job to look after the Bread and Wine that we have at Communion. A Sacristan is an officer of the church responsible for the eucharistic elements.

An Inclusive Church is a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. The Inclusive Church Movement of which St Ambrose is a member has vision statement which says: “We believe in inclusive church – a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality. We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.”

LLM is the abbreviation for Licensed Lay Minister. You may have heard the term “Reader”, which is what LLMs used to be called. Licensed Lay Ministers (LLM) assist in the church's teaching and preaching ministry under the direction of the Vicar.

ALM is the abbreviation for Authorised Lay Minister. ALMs used to be known as Readers. Unlike LLMs who are nationally recognised ALMs are not. Under Vision 2026 the Diocese is looking to expand the roles and responsibilities of the LLMs.