Last updated 5th May 2023

The Coronation of King Charles III - resources for parishes and schools

Introduction to this special Coronation resources page

The Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday, May 6.

The Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

His Majesty King Charles III will be crowned alongside The Queen Consort.

The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.

There will be lots of opportunities for communities across Lancashire and beyond - including church communities - to celebrate. 

This page, coordinated by Diocesan Communications Manager Ronnie Semley and Being Witnesses Manager, Joy Rushton, features a raft of resources and useful links to help you engage with the Coronation and to maximise the opportunities for evangelism that it presents too. 

The Coronation will be a historic moment in the life of our nation, a time to reflect on our history, celebrate who we are and look to our future. Explore the official Government Coronation website here. 

At its centre is a Christian service in which His Majesty will be anointed as King. It will be rooted in longstanding tradition and Christian symbolism. We offer our prayers for King Charles III and the Royal Family for this important occasion.

We hope that this might be a moment for the nation and many around the world to encounter the person of Jesus Christ, the servant King, and hear His call to each of us to serve others.

Key dates to note ... 

• 28 Days of Prayer, Sun 9 April to Sat 6 May
• National Week of Prayer, Sun 30 April to Sat 6 May
• The Coronation, Sat 6 May
• Big Coronation Lunch, Sun 7 May
• Big Help Out, Mon 8 May

Join in - even if you don't go to church we'd love to see you!

It's true ... don't let the fact you haven't come to church for a while, or ever, stop you going this time. You can find your nearest church at www.achurchnearyou.com 

Pastoral letter from the Archbishops

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have written directly to all clergy across the county, including here in Lancashire, to share their hopes, desires and prayers for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. 

• Read the letter here. 
• Meanwhile, the Archbishop of York says he hopes to "represent the people of the North" at the Coronation and expects the event to be 'the grandest service' that he had ever taken part in. Read more. 

Bishop Jill encourages prayer for the Coronation

Bishop Jill has written a letter to parishes and schools across the Diocese to encourage involvement with and prayer for the Coronation; including participation in the 'Coronation Big Lunch'.

The letter also looks further ahead to the annual 'Thy Kingdom Come' prayer initiative for Pentecost. 

Read that letter here in pdf and Word formats and watch the accompanying video via the embedded link below ... 

Amended forms of prayer for the Royal Family

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING FROM LAMBETH PALACE

Prayers for the Royal Family

1. On 3 May 2023 the King directed by Royal Warrant that the prayers for or referring to members of the Royal Family should be altered, and the amended forms used thereafter. The Warrant indicates that, with effect from 6 May 2023, in every prayer for the Royal Family contained in any form of service authorized for use in the Church of England, instead of the words ‘Camilla the Queen Consort’ the words ‘Queen Camilla’ should be inserted.

2. From Coronation Day onward, the Prayer for the Royal Family in the Book of Common Prayer will therefore read: Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless Queen Camilla, William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the Royal Family: Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly grace; prosper them with all happiness; and bring them to thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

3. In a further Warrant the King directed that the forms of service for Accession Day be re-promulgated with the necessary amendments.

3 May 2023

The Revd Dr MATTHEW SALISBURY National Liturgical Adviser

GOD SAVE THE KING

Celebrating the Coronation Weekend: Webinar recording

• CLICK HERE FOR THE WEBINAR. 

The coronation of King Charles III gives a wonderful opportunity for churches to engage their communities in celebration and worship, and to support volunteering, as well as to pray for the King.

This webinar recording will update you on the national plans and resources for the coronation weekend with suggestions as to how to use them locally to create a memorable and outward-facing occasion.

Hosted by Stephen Hance (Vision and Strategy Team) with colleagues from the national Church. 

Coronation resources shared in the webinar are available here. 

These include:

• The Information Pack, first mentioned on the webinar at 9 minutes 0 seconds 
• The 28 Days of Prayer. First mentioned on the webinar at 9 minutes 35 seconds. 
• Liturgy and Worship. First mentioned on the webinar at 15 minutes 28 seconds. 
• Design guidance and publicity toolkit. Shown on the webinar from 30 minutes 30 seconds 

Attend a live version of the Coronation webinar

If you would prefer to attend and participate in a live webinar then, following the popularity of the webinar above about the Coronation, another is to be held on April 20 from 4-5pm.  

• Visit the webinar registration page here. 

Church events across Lancashire this weekend

Churches across the Diocese are holding a wide variety of events this coming weekend to celebrate the Coronation.

From services to community help-out events and much more, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved and have some fun. 

We asked parishes to tell us what was happening in their area and many did so.

The list below is not exhaustive as there will be even more events happening than are listed here but they give you a flavour of what is happening.

Where there is a link available for more information we have also added that, but you can also contact parishes for more details via the A Church Near You website as well. See story following this one for more on that, or click here for the ACNY site. 

Don't forget about A Church Near You

This is a also a time when people will be watching a spectacular church service on TV and will be hearing the Gospel message.

They may want to come to your church the next day, Sunday, May 7. Let's be ready to welcome them and tom make it easy to find us. 

Keep your page up to date on A Church Near You if you are your parish Editor and make use of the Coronation resources also available on there in the Coronation Hub.

They include a list of suggested hymns for Coronation services in the music section. If you are not already an editor on the site you will need to register to see this page.

Guide to how the Coronation Day will unfold 

From the BBC website, here is complete guide to how the Coronation day itself will progress. And here is a 360 degree video view of Westminster Abbey from the King's perspective ... the route he will move through the building. 

The Coronation Big Help Out Initiative

To mark The King’s Coronation, thousands of organisations across the country are getting together to give us all the chance to help out in our own local communities.

Churches across Lancashire and the whole of the UK are invited to join #TheBigHelpOut on Monday, 8 May 2023 to recognise the contribution of volunteering to our communities.

Information for those wanting to organise an event is available on the Big Help Out website and a Q&A document is available.

You can also download a toolkit that includes visuals for publicity.

Digital resources

Many of the websites linked to on this page have additional resources for engagement and download.

Here are some more pointers to some specific sites and we will add more to this page as we find them. 

• Daily prayers and reflections
• Become an editor on AChurchNearYou.com to access logos, posters, web banners, photos and more.
• Design guidance and publicity toolkit
• Trailer for a special edition of the national Church of England online service. The full service will be available from 9am Sunday, May 7, on the Church of England YouTube channel.

Coronation resources for children, young people and families

Both here in our Diocese and nationally the Church of England is providing a huge range of resources; including many for children, young people and families.

We will signpost a selection here. 

Bishop Philip has recorded a primary assembly video (pictured) about the symbolism undergirding the Coronation. The video was edited and produced by David Harris, Digital Media and Resources Officer in the Diocesan Board of Education. 

It's not live yet, but will go live the week before the Coronation here on the Board of Education resources YouTube channel.

The Church of England national teams are also providing a range of resources to help schools, young people and families to mark this historic moment in the life of our nation as the new King and Queen are crowned. 

These resources explore the six elements of the Coronation Service as the structure for reflection on the Kingdom of God, including a prayer, a commitment and elements from the Commonwealth. Visit this page on the national Church of England website to access the resources. 

Meanwhile, here on the official Government Coronation website there are many resources available for young people and children, including fun activity sheets; a series of Coronation receipe sheets; a Spotify playlist and much more ... 

There are also Government provided resources for schools available. You will find them here. 

Hope Together resources for all ages

The Hope Together organisation has also created a wide variety of resources - available here on their website - for all ages to help you make the most of this opportunity in your community, school and neighbourhood. 

As they say on their website, it's an ideal time for us as the church to point to the kingship of Jesus, the ultimate King of Kings.  

Resources available on the page include 'Crowned King' a beautiful Souvenir Gospel, available to order in paper form or to view and read online here.  

There is also a 'ready to go' school assembly plan and much more. 

Join in the 'Coronation Big Lunch'

This year there will be a special 'Big Lunch' for the Coronation. 

The idea started with a very simple idea from The Eden Project. What if, on one day a year, people came together with their communities and shared a meal?

And so, in 2009, The Big Lunch was born. It’s the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours and its grown ten-fold since then, each year getting bigger and better as millions of people take to their streets, gardens and neighbourhoods to join in for a few hours of community, friendship, and fun.

The Big Lunch connects people and encourages friendlier, safer neighbourhoods where people start to share more – from conversations and ideas, to skills and resources, and, for some, it ignites a passion for doing more good things where they live. 

Bring your community together with The Big Lunch this year - be part of history and join millions across the UK, and further afield, with a Coronation Big Lunch on 6-8 May. 

• Get your Big Lunch Coronation Pack here. The pack includes ready-to-go planners, posters, invitations, menus, social media graphics and much more. 
• Make sure you put your own Big Lunch on the national map and help us to promote what's happening locally more widely! 
• Find out more about the Big Lunch project generally.

God Save The King in British Sign Language

God Save The King is available signed by Brent Allen, a Deaf Christian BSL user.

The translation consultant was the Revd Canon Gill Behenna, the Church of England’s National Deaf Ministry Adviser.

Two videos are available to download and use for free in online and onsite services, assemblies, and events without any additional music licences.

A two verse lyric sheet is also available to download.

Featuring the Royal Standard, the first video is available in one-verse and two-verses versions. Request instant access to download from the Christian BSL Download Centre

Featuring the Union Flag, the second video is available in one-verse and two-verses versions. Request instant access to download from the Christian BSL Download Centre

Practical tips for planning an event for the Coronation

If you are holding an event such as a Big Lunch or Big Help Out then there are further pages with practical advice available. 

• The Church of England site has lots of ideas for events
• And from Ecclesiastical Insurance: Planning a church event

Ring for the King!

Advice for churches who wish to take part in bell ringing to celebrate the coronation:

• Ring for the King website
• From the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
• From Ecclesiastical Insurance

Ronnie Semley. Page initially created March 2023; live from April 2023 and updated regularly