Some Christian churches have a chancel which is at the front part of the church from where the service is conducted, as notable form the nave, where the congregation sits.
The chancel is usually a slightly elevated platform, around three steps from the nave where there are choir stalls and the altar. Icons are highly conventional religious painting on wood, whereas iconostasis which is orthodox churches separates the nave from the chancel. It is a screen that is tall but doesn’t quite reach ceiling height. It is covered in icons which are religious paintings. The nave is where the congregation gathers for worship, the transept is a space between the chancel and the nave, giving the building a crucifix floor plan – meaning that it is cross shaped when observed from an aerial view.
In the Church of England you will find a range of furnishings. This is one of the more elaborate Christian churches along with Roman Catholic Church. To be precise it would contain a high alter where the Eucharist is celebrated (and is not the same as the normal alter). It is slightly raised so that it is visible to the congregation. Nearby here is the chancel and the choir stalls which are areas around the altar for the clergy and choir to assemble and sing hymns. The pulpit is elevated so that the congregation looks up to the preacher or conductor of the service. The nave is the central area of the church where the congregation is seated on the pews. The organ is the large wind instrument that is played when entering and leaving the service. Lastly the north and south transept are the two ends of the church, one being the back and the other being the front entrance giving the church a cruciform plan from aerial view. There are other features including stained glass windows, hymn books and stands, tabernacle, hassocks, bread and wine also lambs and chi-rho carved into furnishings which all symbolise different things.
In Roman Catholic Churches, there are a number of the furnishings mentioned above. There is usually a porch at the entrance which leads to the pews the nave. There is also an altar where the Eucharist, Divine Liturgy or communion takes place which is also known as mass, a sanctuary where scared objects are kept. There is a confessional booth where a priest sits to hear confessions privately. A stoup is a basin filled with holy water where you can bless yourself often just outside the entrance or just inside the entrance. A font which is where you get baptised and the priest enters you into the Christian community. A tabernacle which is a small cupboard built into the wall which is where the bread and wine are kept. Stations of the Cross which are on either side of the nave stations of the cross on the wall. There is an organ loft where the organ is played and where the choir may sit and sing hymns, There is also a pulpit which is where the priest leads and preaches during the service. And lastly, there is the Lady Chapel which is a smaller chapel with an altar to the Virgin Mary within the church; there are other features like stained glass windows, rosary, tabernacle, bread and wine, lambs, chi-rho, doves carved into furnishings which all symbolise different things.
In an Orthodox church you will find fewer furnishings than a Roman Catholic Church or Church of England but they can be very ornate. There are steps going up to the royal doors in the large iconostasis which has the altar on one side and people on the other who stand during worship. There is a choir which is smaller than would be found in a Roman Catholic or Church of England building. There is a curtain behind the royal doors in front of the altar, and on either side of the altar is a diaconium where garments and service books are kept. On the other side there is prosthesis where the bread and wine is kept before consecration.
Within a Baptist Church which is similar to a Methodist Church the pews are situated in the nave. There is an organ which is played when entering and leaving the service and when the choir are singing hymns. There is an altar or communion table where consecration takes place and just in front there is the baptistery which is designed for baptism by total immersion. Removable floor boards are over the baptistery and there is a pulpit situated behind the altar where the priest will preach and lead services. Behind the pulpit is the minister’s room which is where the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist are kept. The vestry is on either side of the minister’s room and is where the garments and books are kept.
In a Methodist Church which is similar to a Baptist Church, there is an organ to be played at the beginning and end of the services. There is also a pulpit which is where the priest will preach and lead services. There is a communion table, also known as an altar, where consecration takes place. There are also pews for seating, cloak rooms for books and garments, a minister’s vestry for consecration items and a choir vestry for garments and hassocks. Lastly there is a vestibule at the back of the Church which is a large entrance or reception room.
A Quaker holy building is the most simplistic of all six of these holy buildings. It is so simplistic that it is called a meeting house rather than a church. It has no signs or symbols and is an empty room with a table in eh middle with chairs around it and a bible on the table.
You also find people go to church for a variety of reasons to worship God, to be close to God, to find peace and quiet, to ask for something or for their sins to be taken away by going to a confessional. By taking part in church life, Christians are taking on board what Jesus did at the last supper and they reflect on how they can change their daily lives to be more like Jesus himself. Christians will also go to church to celebrate different occasions such as Pentecost, Easter, Trinity, weddings, Christmas, funerals and births.
On special occasions the holy buildings will contain seasonal symbols such as eggs, colours, cakes, christingle and Christmas items and doves. Services will also differ inside churches and as such there will be furnishings in addition to the usual objects and decorations. In terms of colours at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus and at weddings to start a strong marriage there will be yellow and gold to reflect divinity and happiness. In addition at Christmas time, there will be advent wreaths and Christmas trees. Easter Sunday is celebrated with white and gold colours and eggs, as well as wooden crosses, crowns and thorns and nails showing Jesus dying on the cross are not on usual on Good Friday. Feasts of food at harvest festival, red representing the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and lastly green at trinity.
In conclusion, the Christian religion is made of many denominations, each with its own style and place of worship with different furnishings for different purposes. All churches will have people in them. Sometimes people will be in church for weekly religious services and at other times they will be either celebrating calendar festivals or personal celebrations. In some cases, people may be at church for community matters or meetings.
