Religion Chat thread number 1

[nickelbabyjesus]

I wanted to put some random thoughts and stuff regarding church, without it having to be a debate or a specific topic (and not prayers, either)

It's basically, a "what happened at church (or in my musical/spiritual life) this week" thread.
Please join me!

I'll start:

We had Midnight Mass (on Christmas Eve, would you believe!), and it was half past 11, everyone was sitting and ready for the service to start - I waved the organist to give me my notes: he was just about to plat them when:
" TAXI FOR suchandsuch " came blaring out of our speaker system.
There's a Wetherspoon's over the road and looks like the DJ's mike was on the same frequency as our radio mikes.
So, all the congregation started giggling and we had to wait 5 minutes until everyone was calm and collected enough to carry on.

why aren't you involved in the website then?

i would love to get my hands on ours, but apparently it's very hard programming stuff.
why can't they just change it to a desktop based web publisher like the one i use for my shop?
soooo much simpler.

we're all rubbish at names too.........so it's stuck at Toddler Church for eons now.

Oh - I can't get on either

it's okay, mhd, he's resigned to it now.
He's also the one person in the church who wouldn't fare complain.
he sees it now as his gift to the church

Well - exH years and YEARS ago set on up for the church - but that fell by the wayside when he stopped going to church (and no-one ever used it).

Then this lady from church took it up and redid it.

I would like to be involved with it.

I may suggest actually that I help with it - as I do the newsletter would be really REALLY easy to update "what's on" and stuff as it's all here on my computer anyhow.

I personally think it's a bit dull loooking and could do with a bit of "oomph"

oh and I'm not involved because I'm "just the organist"..........no really I am, I'm just the music maker..................

Go for it Baroque. I do our church website and it's good to be able to keep it updated. I always think rubbish church sites are such a turn off (don't mean yours is, haven't seen it! Just that some are never updated and look pretty tedious)

'Just the organist'. You're the Worship Leader! Nothing 'just' about that....

When I started going to the church, and then dropped in that I was an organist, and was begged asked to do a service the following Sunday evening as the organist hadn't realised there were 5 Sundays that August. I had no idea that 9yrs later I would still be there and be so involved.

The then organist resigned a few weeks after I'd covered for his service and they asked me to take over. I said yes - and never gave money a 2nd thought. It was only when they asked for my bankd etails that I went "eh - I get paid for this?".

In moments of despair/depression when I've tried to quit as I've felt guilty about the problem child care creates for evening services, and pointed out that I'd getting paid to play for services I'm not doing I had it pointed out to me that I only get paid 1/2 what I should be anyhow, and that I play for Toddler Church and Leapfrog as well - which wasn't included when I started there.

actually - I'm the "Director of Music" .

I don't do organising, or leading, or standing up at the front, or planning or anything - no I really don't......I just help plan hymns, occasional throw something special together for Chirstmas/Easter and play the organ.....

I initially only joined the Leapfrog planning team for my music input - but I seem to keep finding myself doing other stuff.......that I don't really do..........

ooh, MHD - there's a good reason to get your free-form seating!

All the ones that have woodworm, pull them out, throw them away - they will start to eat everything wooden in sight, even beams and floorboards.

then auction the ones that are okay.
People pay good fortunes for old church pews.

then you can use the use the money to buy your new spanky free-form seating.

I keep telling DH he's the Music Director, but he won't have it.
he oesn't want to be the Choirmaster but he's stuck with it.

absolutely nickelbaby - that's a fabulous idea.

I agree that pews look lovely - but they're just not practical in the 21st century when churches are much more than "sit down and listen to the man at the front" places. They're limiting and restrict what you can do.

I am the Director of Music in the Parish Magazine - I think when DS3 (or was it D2 - or maybe both) was born we put that down as my occupation on his birth certificate too

I know DH would love to be an organist full-time.

actually I really ought to stop pretending that I'm "just" the organist and that's all I really do well........as the more I deny the more opportunity, ideas, and experiences He seems to throw at me.........it's starting to get worrying - I found myself disappointed recently when I discovered that our Diocese has/is introducing the Youth Ministry lay coursers but not the Music Ministry ones that other Diocese' have

do you think He's got it in for you then?

He's saying "until Baroque recognises the bloody gifts i've given her, i'm going to make her life hard, mark my words!"

yep - that sounds about right - but it's a massive leap out of my comfort zone to just "go with the flow" so while on the surface I'm embracing it all as I go along, underneath I've got a tight grip of what I'm comfortable with.

It sounds like all of you and your churches are doing loads! I don't envy you the pews removal though. I was in a church where some people were very opposed and even argued against selling them 'because they might end up in a pub'

indeed thanks - because of course church stuff should never end up anywhere as heathen as a PUB! Jesus would never associate with the likes of Pub Goers

Yes we really do need to look into the pews removal possibility. Some of the floorboards are looking pretty ropey too.

There will most likely be opposition

Baroque sounds like you're getting loads of new opportunities :) Your videos are great, do you think you might do more stuff along those lines?

Yes I am getting lots of opportunities - problem is - while while just below the surface I'm much happier than I used to be, and day to day life is great - I still have hang-ups/issues deep down that I'm not letting go of quite so easily.

They're so much part of who I am it's almost scary to let them go iykwim.

TBH I'm not sure where I'm heading now. Definitely going to be doing more videos already got 2 more in the pipeline.

But whether I can shake off the deep rooted stuff to really open up my opportunies I have no idea.

shucksm, thanksamillion - that's exactly where i'm expecting they'll end up!

it's hard to let go of stuff, Baroque.
that's one reason we're lucky to have faith.
it makes it that little bit easier to cope.

what's your video making programme?
I need a new one, cos my Ulead VideoStudio8 refuses to work on my new computer, and to get it working on my old computer, i have to buy a sound card.

oh I know - it's the faith that's got me to where I am now - at least doing my normal day to day stuff without falling to pieces.

I just don't seem to quite have the faith to let go of the deeper stuff. I@m guess I'm almost scared to - as I know that letting go of all (or even some) of it will mean I'm not the "me" that I know any more - if that makes sense?

It's been a long hard battle just to be happy with life and who I am now, I'm not sure I want to let go of it and find out what is underneath. Even though that I know that if I do I'll be able to grasp some of these opportunities with both hands, instead of the fingertips with one.....

I'm now using Power Director 9. I had a (free) old version of PD8 on my laptop and was using that - but treated myself to the upgrade before I did these last 2 videos.

There's probably better/easier to use ones out there - just this is the one I discovered and have got to grips with so it'll do me for now

I know exactly what you mean - your scars are part of you.
It'll come in time. don't try to force it.

I'm going to google power director....

I know it will, I think what makes me more nervous is that its been playing on my mind a lot more recently so it almost feels like "it's time", or nearly time now. Last week when I went to show the Vicar the video before I produced it I came within a whisker of letting it all spill out.

I know when I was dealing with/letting go of some of the lesser/shorter term stuff I could feel it bubbling up until eventually it spilled out onto which ever church friend happened to be there at the time. - I feel like that again, and I keep trying to squash it all down again (which I know is totally pointless as when He decides he's going to give the shove to let it out I'll be able to sod all to stop up)