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.

:)

oops - sorry - went off on one there.

no you didn't! I just didn't want to make a patronizing "there-there" response, so I smiled encouragingly at you

ahhh I see - LOL. I thought it was a "my word what is she blethering on about" smile - hard to tell on the screen

oops - checking back in - lots of chat over last few days so I'll catch up at some point.

FWIW I'm in the hands-down camp. No waving or clapping here :)

Oh yes, forgot to say I'm with MHD in the other corner. Only at the moment the church where we work is definitely not. Luckily DD2 is normally in my arms so hands are occupied and I can turn any accidental swaying into a 'comforting baby' move

lol @ accidental swaying

ooooooooo

Just been looking at "Alternative" Easter scripts for Good Friday evening.

In years gone by they used to do either Stainers Crucifixion or Olivet, however as we don't have a choir, and I refuse to "pretend" we have a choir by filling the choir stalls with members of other church choirs, plus the fact that another church in town always does one of those 2 anyhow we've done something different the last few years.

STarted off with Jerusalem Joy, but then the last few years did a play called "Father forgive" - interspersed with music, multi media etc. The traditionalists have stopped moaning about the change now, and one even commented last year that "it was really refreshing to have something different" - plus it works well for the town. Those that prefer the traditional well known Good Friday things can go to the other church that does that, and those that want something else can come to us.

Want to change it this year and do something new. Adding a bit more in between scenes. Just found \link{http://www.dramatix.org/archive/Easter/csi_jerusalem.html\this here} which at first glance I was CSI Jerusalem??? But actually reading it through I really like it.

ooo - now I've found a load of monologues too - accounts from different people on Good Friday...

plus \link{http://www.dramatix.org/archive/family/three_churches.html\this one} that made me - given our conversations about different styles of worship etc

I'm a strictly arms down by the sides kind of a girl. To be honest though, it is mostly because I'm shy. I'd love to be a bit more arms in the air etc but my church is pretty restrained that way and I'd feel everyone was staring at me (they probably would be too!).

We did an amazing Good Friday thing last year.
We had an hour at the cross. It was at St Miachael's, but it was a joint service.
Our choir did a couple of pieces and St Mary's singing group did a couple of pieces, we had a couple of hymns and some meditations as well as th usual readings.
We basically did the stations of the cross sitting down.
We've got a massive wooden cross and all the congregation took turns holding it in the middle of the Nave (it was a small service, so we were all sitting around the nave). The readings were done in turn by people, and we could either stand up (with the cross) or stay in our seats to read them. There were 3 or 4 meditations, done by the priest, and she did them from different points of view - Judas, one of the disciples, Mary and someone else. (hazy memory)
I was forced to do the last reading, which I was so terrified about - partly because I hate doing readings but mainly because I cry like a baby at any mention of cruxifiction.
I had to allow a huge silence before my reading to build up atmosphere. then after that, the meditation was about that reading - about jesus shouting triumphantly "It is finished!" (cos i'd read it as a whisper) - i don't know who's the perspective was.

The programme is here

it was 2 traditional hymns and two happy (sad?)/clappy songs.
I can't remember which pieces St Mary's did, but they did one at the beginning (maybe it was 1 each of chor items??)

We definitely filed out in silence.

Motisia is angry in every single sentence....

ahhh - see we also have the Meditation at the cross on Good Friday afternoon which is similar to what you've described. So the evening thing is a replacement for Stainer or Oliviet (both great works don't get me wrong - but with no choir of our own to speak of, and another church in this, pretty small town, always doing it it seems silly for us to cobble one of them together).

hehe Nickel - I know - but then she is from the dying church

gosh -I hadn't realised how late I was up last night - no wonder I'm knackered this morning.

I've bookmarked about 20 plays/scrips/monologues/poems (not all Easter) for possible use in the family services/leapfrog/easter etc haha

jaffa - i think you've got to go with the flow.

I could be tempted to say "hold a hymn book firmly, that'll stop you wanting to wave your arms about!" but I won't - with the right hymns/songs, it's fine to add a little expression. arms at elbow height, maybe?
When I'm in congregation, I sometimes tap my thighs with my hands and tap my feet.
(when I'm in the choir, the feet tapping is mostly to keep warm!)

oooo sorry Jaffa - didn't see you in there

Yes I agree - go with what you feel comfortable with. >

Easter's quite late this year isn't it??

What about using the school again? You could have an evening of performances like that.
I have to admit, I don't really get much out of "plays" done in churches - I can't do church without music.
Not saying do the whole Crucifixion (can't decide how to spell that), but something big with music.
I remember doing a play about the crucifiction at school.
There was a cool song in it - "How Strange, how strange, and very unexpected: you've made your choice, barabas lives and Jesus is rejected. How strange, how very very strange"

That might be fun if you can get school in.

yeah, it's the latest it can be - 22nd april is good friday, St George's day is Holy Saturday and easter day is the 24th.

I know this is catholic, but i thought some of these are nice

lol at the three churches. Get the feeling the author isn't overly enamoured of mega churches or small traditional churches

Liking your Good Friday ideas. We did something similar last year, we had monologues from different characters ie Jesus, Peter, Pilate, Mary etc. Interspersed with mainly Graham Kendrick (aaaagh) songs (I will concede that some of his Easter themed songs are pretty effective) It was thought provoking and powerful.

nickel I love it that your two different flavoured churches joined together to produce something wonderful, how it should be. :)

oh no - it's not just a play. The play we did last year "Father Forgive" was only about 15 minutes long. But the scenes were interspersed with music iykwim??? Whole thing was about 50 minutes long. We're hoping for a bit longer this year.

Schools out of the question - we won't get them in the middle (well end) of the school holidays. We only manage the Christmas one because it's only 2 days after the end of term, and most people don't go away between end of term and Christmas.

I wish you could have seen Father Forgive when we first did it. Last year wasn't go great - think as we'd done it the year before it lost some of it's impact. But the first year was amazing.We asked people to stay seated during the (very short) scenes, but during the music (variety of including choir, CD, congregation hymns, solo etc) people were invited- if they wanted to walk to the back of the church.

At the back was a lump of wood (bit of tree), a hammer, and nails that had a piece of red ribbon tied around them. The sound of those nails being hammered in while the choir sang "God So Loved the world" (Stainer one) was almost haunting.

Jaffa, it can be hard to express yourself how you want to if it doesn't feel 'normal' for that particular gathering, for me it also feels weird in my own church to do the whole arms up thing because it's not 'done' so I generally reserve it for meetings where it feels natural then I can go all out As Adrian Plass once put it, 'hands down for coffee, you cuddly charismatics!'

Just do what is natural for you - a bit of elbow height/hands out type of state isn't OTT and can be done anywhere really

Baroque that has made me go all shivery :)