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.

haha madhairday - I will shortly........

has anyone done Back to Church Sunday before? We had quite a few who drifted away during the interregnum (sp? can never spell that word ) The new priest has been here almost exactly a year (after a 10 month gap) so it would be a good time to encourage a few back if we can.

we have - it was not very well attended.
:(

but that's our church all over, really.

We try the advertising approach, but really, nothing comes of it.
the thing with back to church is that you're supposed to invite a person/people personally - ie you have to ask them and give them the details - you can't just pop something through a neighbour's door.
problem with that is, that we have so few people in our congregation that know people, that they've got noone to invite anyone!

take me, for example, everyone I know either doesn't live in the parish (thereofre will be invited to their own church) or I know from church!

your situation, though, is perfect for BTCS - people who haven't been away long enough to have died or moved away (as most of ours did!) and they now have the chance to meet a new priest and have aregular worship leader.

I am PMSL @

"people who haven't been away long enough to have died "

is that what you tell your congregation to keep them........DON'T MOVE AWAY OTHERWISE YOU WILL DIE

you kow that's not what i meant!

unfortunately true for quite a large proportion of our congregation...they can't afford to be away for long...

Not got anything to add but still

or <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.weblogcartoons.com/cc/downloads/back-of-church-sunday.gif&imgrefurl=www.cartoonchurch.com/content/cc/back-of-church-sunday/&usg=__90o4h0Z7pWeX1RBo-QvJlw1uMTU=&h=1529&w=2939&sz=56&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=_9tk226nWJysOM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=228&ei=GlRNTYDpFtKZhQevzOmzDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dback%2Bto%2Bchurch%2Bsunday%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DaFj%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D810%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=127&vpy=140&dur=744&hovh=162&hovw=311&tx=142&ty=101&oei=GlRNTYDpFtKZhQevzOmzDg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">back of church sunday

that whole website is hilarious: cartoon church

OMG - that cartoon church is absolutely brilliant - going to use some of them on the church newsletters

\link{http://www.cartoonchurch.com/content/cc/the-organ-recital\heehehhe Nickel} you and your DH will appreciated this one

hehehehehehe

I like the PCC one best - that's our PCC!

oh yes the PCC one is class - there's load of absolutely brilliant ones

I have now

been to Morrisons
Showered
Done the newsletter

yeay!

tick
tick
tick!

I'm just going home - everyone feel free to carry on while i'm gone and i'll speak to you all on monday!

Love that website, dh often uses them in sermons

Just back from church. was good, we have had quite a few young families coming lately. Have messy church later, must rest.

i am a bit late joining this thread but better late than never i guess,, for the firs time in ages, i went to church and heard the word of God, thats because DD was not with me,:o so what do us mothers do? we are encouraged to take our children with us, when we are there the kids start crying or something, i have to go out with her, then miss the whole service, she is too young to hang out with the other kids, what to do? go without her or go but not hear anything..

BA - how old is DD? I've been trying out different things with my 2 DS. My biggest problem with them is that if they are sitting together they start to wind each other up and short of separating them I haven't any answers to that one.

I have tried some things though to keep them quiet. Raisins have always worked to some extent. I take the little boxes so they don't rattle. When the kids were young I'd hand them individual raisins. Now I give DS2 the box (DS1 is older and doesn't get them any more). As his fingers don't reach the bottom it keeps him amused for ages while he tries to get the raisins out the bottom. Bread sticks and oatcakes can work too but are a bit messy. DS2 will also spend some time drawing. I wish I'd tried that when he was younger as it works quite well. He'll also cuddle into me if I give him a teddy to play with. I'd not suggest any form of vehicle with wheels. I've tried matchbox cars and both DS just raced them along the pews and made "vroom vroom" sounds. It was even worse if they had a police car/fire engine/ambulance. I've learned my lesson with that one! Another idea is one of those "magic pads". I'm not sure of the proper name for them. THey are a bit like an old fashioned etch a sketch but come with a stylus so you can draw anything and not just lines. I'd suggest taking quite a variety of quiet toys. My DS2 has the attention span of a goldfish so I find it is best to have a selection of toys, books and food so I can bring something different out every five minutes or so. I've tried finger puppets too but they didn't work for us - both DS wanted to play with them and make up lots of silly voices for them.

Having said all that they are days when DS2 just decides he isn't going to do what I want and makes lots and lots of noise. This may include singing "Happy Birthday" or the theme tune to anything on Nic Junior. Sometimes you just can't win.

jaffa she is 10m0nths.

:o at your son singing happy birthday..

the raisin idea sounds nice and will try it sometime, thanks for your response...

I can't wait till I have to cope with entertaining children during the service

I love those magic pads - they're a great idea (and quiet too!)

DH was being grumpy again yesterday, because I spent the afternoon going through SF2 and talking to him about the crappy music in there.
He moans that sunday afternoon is supposed to be for chilling out - but what he doesn't understand is that I get carried away when it coems to music.

I've made him a little Choir Planner where he has to write in what music we need to do each practice and when to learn new stuff etc.
then I started suggesting new stuff from SF2 and he got even more mardy - saying that he doesn't know any of it, so noone in the congregation will know any of it, and then they'll moan.
I started all this off because I wanted to find another tune to do All Things Bright and Beautiful to - I love the words, so jolly, but the tune is .
He's not so convinced - after I made him do We Plough the Fields to the tune of I Vow to Thee My Country and TWO! people complained about it, that we shouldn't mess with established tunes and that we just won't do it.
I couldn't find ne that worked, anyway - the tunes all had a minim as the penultimate note of the first line, which means you'd be going "all things bright and beaut iiii ful".

on the issue of music, and instruments, is it possible to learn to play when you are not so young, i am 31 and would like to learn to play at least a guitar,or piano but i am told that i am a bit late to start, what do you think?

no, it's not too late to start.

Can you read music?
that's the first place to start - if yo ucan read music, then yo ucan learn most instruments.

I've just started learning the piano (i've been doing it about a year now), and I'm 34.
I'm not brilliant, but I'm getting better all the time - it still frustrates me that I can't play something by sight, but that's just me being impatient.
I can play most things with one hand at a time, and then I can join them together.

Have a look at this book John Thompson's preparatory adults' piano book.
and the first grade book

I've got the second one, and it's really useful.
I could read music before I started, which is why I skipped the preparatory one.

The guitar is different again - I learned the basics at school.
I don't know if you can do it from a book, but most modern hymnbooks have guitar chords above the music, and if you can get someone to show you how to start, then it's pretty easy (most guitar boosk show you the chords, and if yo uknow how to put your fingers on the fret board and strum, then you can pretty much get any chord from sight)

thanks for so much help, the thing is i never ever got the chance to learn music, but i think now i have it, so will first learn how to read music, then will take if from there..

I solved the children issue by throwing them in the creche (in the choir vestry hidden from the main body of the church by a large curtain), and then as they get older into Sunday school.

I'ts great - 9.45am on a Sunday morning I hand over my children and they know that unless it's an absolute emergency then they have to sort them out

(though when DS3 was little I was often seen playing the organ

a) while breastfeeding (or breastfeeding between hymns)

b) playing the organ with my right hand and feet..........and my left arm stretched out behind me rocking the pushchair backwards and forwards