What does your Church do, that you really wish they didn't?

[Sausagenbacon]

I'm obviously not going to do a flounce on the basis of this, but..
We used to have hymn numbers in the service sheet (there's no boards). But they've stopped doing that, in the aim of inclusion. Instead, the hymn numbers are announced during the service.
Which is ok, except when we stand to offer one another a sign of peace.
So the clergy say 'you may now offer each other a sign of peace, and the next hymn is xx'
Written down, it doesn't sound that bad, but it actually feels like an interruption in a lovely part of the service.

If you are using 'worship' to mean 'singing', then I would feel short changed if we didn't sing more than once.

It's good preparation for heaven when there will be lots of singing worship around the throne 😀

It will probably sound a bit nicer there 🤭

Fair point @12purplepencils

We have hymn, prayer, reading, hymn, reading, sermon, hymn, prayer, hymn.
Blessing and done.

We have the C of E Common Worship Communion Service which is:

Welcome
Hymn
Prayers of penitence and absolution
Reading from the New and Old Testament
Hymn
Gospel
Sermon
Creed
Prayers
Hymn
Holy Communion
Notices
Blessing
Hymn
Coffee/tea/sherry/whatever wine we can find in the fridge.....

When I arrived here the notices were at the beginning but like true Anglicans many are late and we are really only up to full strength by the second hymn, so I moved the end.

Do you think it’s about ‘right’ or perhaps about ‘unexpected but allowed’?

Most people would feel uncomfortable moving around during worship, if they have been in traditional churches. By emphasising it’s ok, they are reversing that perhaps?

I like to stand at the back where I can be a bit mobile without anyone seeing. I struggle to stand still and worship, it’s a whole body activity for me possibly from playing instruments.

Yes that's it. There isn't a set end time. Yesterday we had to leave and it was still going on 1hr 45mins in.

My experience has been not of telling people that it's OK, but telling people that they should be being more demonstrative.

When I arrived here the notices were at the beginning but like true Anglicans many are late and we are really only up to full strength by the second hymn, so I moved the end.

My last Church did notices at the beginning, and my current one does them at the end.

I'm always there on time, but still find notices at the end MUCH more effective, as I can then remember to respond to them. When they are at the beginning, I think 'Oh, I'll sign up to that / put it in the diary / speak to so and so about it / etc' but will have forgotten after an hour, when free to do so.

@ballroompink I'd have to leave a church if dancing, jumping around and shouting became the expectation.

I get that. What i meant was the second worship part after the sermon, is it within the allocated overall church service time or does it extend so that they go over the time when 'church' should've ended?

@ballroompink that's a long service. I try and get the service done in just over an hour at the biggest church and if people want to stay for coffee/wine/chat that's up to them. My village church services are 45 minutes. I can do a Book of Common Prayer Matins service in 30 minutes if I speak fast but with four hymns it is longer. Yesterday it was so cold we were done at speed so we didn't freeze!

To be honest I'm not really sure if there is an official end time!

I find myself thinking about the Outpouring at Asbery in 2023. I believe that went on for at least 16 days, 24/7 🙌🏻

Every post I read increases my affection for our 'Sunday' Mass, ca 35 minutes start to end, usually no hymns, certainly no actions, 6-7 minute homily grounded in the day's Gospel.

My very devout parents get antsy if Mass takes more than half an hour on Sundays and twenty minutes on weekdays.

Quite right too.

I watched quite a bit of it live online.
It was wonderful.

When the Spirit moves, time means nothing.

I’ve made quite a study of various outpourings throughout the years, in particular The Ulster Revival (circa 1859) and the Revival on the Isle of Lewis (1949-52). Worth looking into. 🔥 🙌🏻

I recently went to a Catholic funeral for the first time. It was nearly 90 minutes. What I found strange was that there were members of the congregation there who didn't know the deceased. Seemingly it was part of the mass that would have been on anyway.

I’m Irish. We usually bury our dead within three days, unlike the English.
Here we have wakes during that time that are sometimes signposted on the local roads and all sorts of people turn up.

Quite often family members go without sleep or with very little sleep from the moment their loved one passes away until they are buried. And the house is a continuous blur of visitors, tea, sandwiches and cakes.

These days it’s partly because there aren’t enough Catholic priests around to cover daily Mass at maybe two churches in a parish, plus a funeral, take communion to the housebound, fulfil catholic school chaplain duties, blow their nose and have a sandwich etc.

Not sure. There were 3 priests at this one service.

Our service is an hour and a half. The first half hour is a couple of songs, prayer, scripture, updates/ church news. Then about 20-30 mins preaching and then 30 mins of worship / people going up to read scripture or pray or share. I love it.

Ours is 40 minutes in total with about a 10-15 minute sermon. Suits me fine.

I also enjoy my visits to very high CoE that last 90 minutes. I think it's nice that all churches are so different