A rhythm of worship
Worship is a key element in the life of the community. Staff and students work together to plan services, enabling different gifts to be discovered and nurtured. Our desire is to encounter God in worship together so that we may be transformed into the likeness of Christ and equipped to serve God in our daily lives.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” Colossians 3.16
There is a rhythm to our worship as a community, with three main components:
- College Communion
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College Communion
Every Thursday during term time, the whole community is invited to gather to hear God's Word and to celebrate the breaking of bread. This is the main act of worship during our week. Children and teenagers have their own groups to attend.
- Federation Worship
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Federation Worship
The community is also invited to gather every other Tuesday with members of the Cambridge Theological Federation (CTF) for ecumenical worship led by each of the CTF houses in turn.
These services give us a valuable opportunity to experience worship from a range of traditions and at the same time help us to appreciate both our common ground and our diversity.
- Morning and Evening Prayers
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Morning and Evening Prayers
Students studying modules taught via block week delivery, worship together three mornings of each teaching week. Similarly, ordinands meet every weekday morning either for Morning Prayer in Chapel or in small groups.
"The Ridley community is a genuine praying community and we experienced this ourselves, both being prayed for at the beginning of the inspection visit and throughout the week, and also being aware of students meeting quite naturally to pray for one another and for their other concerns." Ministry Council Inspection Report, published 2012
A mission-focussed community
"My daily prayer for Ridley Hall is that it will continue to flourish as it plays a vital role in the training of leaders for the Church." The former Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu (Ridley 1974–77)
At Ridley Hall, in addition to the many college-based mission opportunities (see for example mission experience for ordinands), we are passionate about seeing integration of mission into the everyday reality of student life.
The student body currently partners with two organisations, the Cambridge Churches Homeless Project situated locally and ECSSSUP, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan Episcopal University Partnership, much further afield.
We are passionate about seeing both projects thrive so they are supported financially and practically through our student body – including by means of 'Mission Soup Mondays' where students give up their usual meal to help contribute to these two causes.
In Easter term we take part in a local missional initiative, this year partnering with the Besom project in Cambridge to give our time and skills to serve those in need.
We are also involved in a number of other missional activities: Ridley's StreetPrayer group goes out into the city centre each week to offer to pray with people; and our Eco-mission group focuses on encouraging us as a college to live and work sustainably, as well as working towards A Rocha Eco-Church accreditation, for which Ridley has been awarded the bronze award.
We actively and prayerfully seek out new connections to the mission work happening all around us and welcome opportunities to partner with a variety of mission-based opportunities as they arise.
