Worcester author Robin Parry's book "Worshipping Trinity" was officially launched with a special event at St Paul's Church in Worcester in April 2005.
 | | BBC H&W presenter Phil Simpson |
The presenter of BBC Hereford & Worcester's "Sunday Breakfast Show", Phil Simpson, was the host for the event, and well-known worship leader & songwriter Stuart Townend led the worship. Robin works as a commissioning editor for Paternoster Press, and "Worshipping Trinity" is his second book. In the book, he suggests that many churches fail to reflect the rich, trinitarian view of God in their worship. He asks, "If worship is God-centred and the God at the centre of Christian worship is the Trinity, then what should our worship look like?" The Trinity, he argues, is right at the heart of Christian faith and living, so it needs to be given the central place in all the diverse kinds of Christian devotion.
 | | Robin Parry |
Stuart Townend, who's one of Britain’s most well-known composers of contemporary church music, joined Robin to help launch the book. Stuart’s songs are used by churches across the world, and his contemporary hymn “In Christ Alone” appears in a recently-published list of the top twenty hymns of all time compiled for the BBC’s “Songs of Praise” programme. Around 300 people from a number of different churches in the region attended the event - which included a question-and-answer session with Stuart and Robin talking about the importance of the Trinity in the worship life of the church. Robin explained why he'd decided to write the book in the first place, and told the audience that he was convinced churches needed to adopt a more trinitarian approach in their services and in their worship. At the end of the evening, Stuart led a number of songs - including the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty" and his own composition "In Christ Alone".
 | | Words of 'Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty' |
Afterwards, Robin said he'd been very pleased with the number of people who attended the launch, and their response to some of the questions he's raising. It was Stuart Townend's first visit to Worcester, and he too was impressed that people from so many different church backgrounds had come along. He feels the central message of Robin's book will have a great impact on the church, and in particular on those who are involved in writing songs and hymns for use in worship. You can hear Stuart Townend talking with BBC Hereford and Worcester's Phil Simpson by clicking on the link under SEE ALSO on the right hand side of this page. "Worshipping Trinity: Coming Back to the Heart of Worship" (ISBN: 1-84227-347-7, £7.99) is published by Paternoster Publishing, and is available in Christian bookshops. | 
