A METHODIST church has axed hymn books after installing a big screen that displays the words to each song.

And Trinity Methodist Church, Parson Lane, Clitheroe, said the move had boosted attendance.

Trinity leader Rev Tim Thorpe said the installation of the new system showed that the church was moving with the times with more interactive services.

He said: “I never need to buy a hymn book again.

“I can just buy a CD with the hymns on.

“By putting words to hymns on screen it means people are not singing into their books, they are singing outwards with their heads up which has increased the volume in the church.

“It also helps elderly people who may be hard of hearing because they can read the main points of my sermon off the screen.”

The church installed a fold-down screen and Power-point computer system.

The idea came to Rev Thorpe during his time as a priest in Penrith, Cumbria, where they had a similar system in place.

The technology was provided by Heywood based IT specialists Think4, which is more used to handling requests from business users. It also enables Rev Thorpe to post photographs of parishioners who may be celebrating a special anniversary and he intends to put pictures up to accompany his sermons.

He added: “I’ve even got a funeral coming up in which the family has requested that we have pictures up of the person who died.”

Church member Dennis Ogden is part of the team that helps put together the services once they’ve been emailed by the preacher and they operate the equipment during Sunday services.

He said: “Most people are very happy with the system.

“I’m slowly learning how to put it together but there are other members of the team who are much more capable than me.”

A CD full of hymns is around £100, much less than the £2,000 Rev Thorpe said it would cost to replace the church’s collection of hymn books.