Christian Significance

The pulpit is traditionally where the preacher stands to deliver the sermon to the congregation. This is a short talk which explains the Bible reading for that day, links it today’s world and tries to encourage people in following Jesus. In the past, the preacher stood up here when they spoke, but now our preacher stands in the middle of the church and preaches from the small lectern there. This pulpit came originally from the chapel at Lamer House, when it was pulled down after a fire. It used to have a large ‘sounding board’ behind it, so that the preacher could be heard more easily.

Why do you think it is more appropriate for the preacher to stand in the centre of the church now?
Clue: we now livestream all our Sunday morning services.

In Anglican churches, sermons can be given by licensed members of the congregation, called Lay Readers, as well as by the clergy (people ordained by a bishop to conduct Communion and baptisms). We are lucky to have a number of Lay Readers at St.Helen’s.

What would you like to say to people if you had the chance to preach a sermon? 

Architectural / historical

This Pulpit may have come from the chapel at Lamer House, between Wheathampstead and Kimpton, when it was pulled down after a fire. Originally it was placed on a base and so was much higher, and had a sounding board overhead to direct the voice downward and lessen the echo.

Lamer House was the home of the Garrard Family, many of whom were Lord Mayors of London. It is said that Charles I, in disguise, hid there on his flight in 1646 from St. Albans to Newark. It was the Grandfather of the Garrard who sheltered the King who built the splendid memorial in the North Transept. 

St Helen’s is equipped with a modern Sound/AV system which includes the ability to live-stream services or meetings. The TV screens around the building help with the difficult sight-lines and using these to present liturgy and hymns on screen has greatly reduced the amount of paper used by this church.

It is not ourselves that we proclaim. We proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

St. Paul, writing in Corinthians 4.5

Sir, we would see Jesus…

John 12.2