Graham, Gloria and Gossip! Religion Chat thread (part 4)

[nickelbabe]

I know we've not officially finished the last one, but I wanted to get the link in before we ran out of room!

Everyone welcome - the aim of this thread is to generally chat about church life, or just gossip in general!
You don't have to be a regular church-goer, nor do you have to know what we're going on about!
It's not about debate, it's just about chatting
:)

DD asked about being confirmed before she knew she'd have to get up early for it :o. Its either at the Cathedral, or go to the deanery confirmation (which is at the church I refuse attend any services/functions at, due to previous shabby treatment).

ah, it'll be nice doing it at the cathedral - you'll get a proper traditional one there. :)

Actually we've had excellent "proper traditional" confirmation services at our church in the past, only the bishop that used to come and do them has jumped ship and swum the Tiber! Cathedral liturgy isn't always as it should be, but I think they can manage a Confirmation :o (did I mention that for my licensing, the liturgy had been incorrect/invalid for the previous 6 years, and it was me that spotted the missing section - when I pointed out to my then vicar "oo look, they've left out the bit where I promise allegiance to you in all things lawful and honest!)

oopsie.
there's the problem with Common worship as it is - you can copy+paste all the bits, and there will be some mistakes.

Mary - I bet you are so proud of dd, what a grown up decision she has made.

Yes, very proud of her! :)

The stupid thing is, Nickel is there is a defined liturgy for licensing a Reader, rather than a cut and paste the bits in to suit, so how hard can it be to take that and insert a few hymns etc? And how come no-one spotted it for 6 years?

Off to Southwell Minster tomorrow, I haven't got any expectations, so hopefully will enjoy the evening, apparently we have the Minster to ourselves apart from an organist, quite excited about that, love organs! I get a sense of Gods power when in church and the organs playing. strange girl xx

What's strange about that Soozi? I once sat outside Ely (!) cathedral for an hour or more as it was getting dark listening to the organist practising, couldn't get in as it was too late. Church organ music brings you that close to God, it's scary.

Hope you have a great time tomorrow Sooz, I'm sure it will be wonderful esp as you find organs so helpful and get you close to God :)

(I am the opposite and don't but we're all different and I do appreciate that many people find this so, dh loves them too)

I love Southwell Minster (my home diocese). It's a beautiful building, beautiful sound :)
And I totally agree with you about the sound of the organ - i feel it even more now I understand what hard work goes into practising and learning the pieces (and the techniques!) - it really feels like God's work going on. (talented musicians who are working hard with what God gave them and giving it back to everyone around)

Mary - can only say and a bit

I love the sound of the organ, particularly the base notes where you can feel the vibrations through your feet. I've always thought it'd be lovely to learn to play but don't have the opportunity or the time. Bach just doesn't sound the same on the piano.

MHD - I think that both large scale and small scale events can work but perhaps for different people. In the past I was very shy and if I thought I might have to talk to someone I'd have been less likely to go to something than if I could just have sat and listened to what was being said. It may be harder to judge the success of a larger event though if people don't want to talk and give you feedback!

It's great to get all your feedback on my question, thanks. As you know we are only just starting out here and pondering all this. We are starting to make good links and relationships and wondering about some kind of christmas community event as well. :)

I totally get what you're all saying about the organ, nickel your words about people's hard work and how they use it in worship to God are really lovely. But still prefer a good rocking band any day

ooh mhd keep me updated
always welcome at our celebration eucharist on November 20, one of our youngsters will play the drums

jaffa - the organ is pretty much like the piano when you get into it (apart from using your feet as hands and having to change stops!), but you're right, Bach doesn't sound the same on a piano!
I have been told that once you know the organ, you can't go back to the piano

mhd - we will convert you one day. In the meantime - the rocking band is also usign their skill to worship God

nah nickel, I'm unconvertable, a veritable Heathen when it comes to Organs

Hello all!

MHD - FWIW, I agree with Nickel that a mix of both is important. I think the personal touch makes a huge difference and helps people get more involved but I also think that large community events help people feel part of the large community that they are part of IYKWIM!

Soozi - hope you've had a great day today.

Mary - what fantastic news about your DD :) I can understand the concern with time and practicalities but I'm sure it will be so special.

music - I'm one of those easy to please people with music as I love traditional organ music and how it resonates through me with such power but I also love the modern guitar, drums, any other instrument that cares to join in as I like the way it involves so many people.

Nickel - how are you feeling? Must only have about 2 or 3 weeks to go? I have my 12wk scan on Monday

Last night I gave a talk at my RCIA group on The Trinity. It would have been straightforward if it was only a 10min thing but it was just over an hour. In 10mins, I could have told them some facts and left it at that but with the time I had, we really had to go into they mystery of it and how difficult it is for humans to comprehend as we know of nothing else like it! If I get chance I must type up what I said so I can use it another time! Feedback was great and one of the other team members emailed me today to say she thought it was one of the best sessions we'd done, which was lovely :)

Quote from today's Lucas on life every day:- "The church does not have a good record when it comes to embracing the new. When a certain musical instrument was first introduced widely into churches, there was an outcry, because it seemed too progressive, too 'worldly' for so called 'sacred' purposes. The instrument that ignited the uproar was not the guitar or the drumkit - but the organ.

SES - i've got 2weeks and 3 days left. [bites fingernails even more] - actually, biting fingernails is easy, because they're growing about twice as fast due to the pg... they're really really long!

good luck for your scan - i'm sure it'll all be fine. :)

don't envy you your talk on the Trinity.

Oma - it's true - the organ was seen as the death of church music - mainly because most parish churches had bands of musicians that would play every week. Having said that, of course, they weren't necessarily good at playing

I love that fact about the organ and have often brought it up when people talk about how bad it would be to change to something more 'worldly' - love to tell them how worldly the organ was and that some of the hymns used were popular pub tunes

The church then was radical and changing with the times :)

SES - all the best for you on Monday :)

yes, popular pub tunes.
that's what we need (along with early closing on christmas eve would be good!)

which reminds me, it was just after christmas last year we started these chat threads!

Oma That is a fabulous fact about the organ. I am saving that for future reference.

MHD I've been thinking about your question (a bit late to the discussion sorry...) and definitely agree with everyone else that the key is to have the right mix of 'small' and 'big' events. You need to get people through the door who wouldn't normally think of going to a church event, or people like me (me-a-year-ago, that is) who are interested but either uncertain in their own beliefs, or scared, or both. On that level things aimed at children are good, because they tend to be lively and people will tend to assume that if you're doing, say, an under-10s tea party then you won't sit them down and just preach at them for an hour. I think kids are a great way in too because people who were brought up going to church but stopped as adults may still feel that they'd like their children to know more about Christianity, even if they don't (think that they) want to get back involved themselves.

BUT once you've got people in and interested a personal approach is great. I've been going to the same service at my church (admittedly a cathedral so perhaps more likely to be large and impersonal) for nearly a year now and it has taken until two weeks ago for someone to speak to me (the guy who normally sits behind me said 'hello', and there was a flicker of recognition,in an 'I'm sure I've seen you here before' kind of a way, from the Dean as I made my way out last week). Admittedly I don't thrust myself forward and may have given the impression that I didn't really want to be spoken to, but there has to be a happy medium between insisting on group hugs all round at the first available opportunity and just ignoring people and letting them get on with it. So just talking to people, being interested in them, not forcing anything on them, but being accessible, I think, is great.

I've gone on a bit, sorry... I've been on a 'Corporate Manslaughter' course this morning and am a bit freaked out. Basically, as far as I can tell, everything is my fault and we're all doomed! (I'm so glad I'm not a lawyer!)

SES Well done on your talk [impressed] and good luck for the scan.

Well, big disappointment, didn't enjoy my evening at Southwell Minster, it was dark, too quiet, no life, NO ORGAN! Architecture is of interest to me I would have liked to see it.

We were asked to refrain from talking if we could as we walked round alone find a place and pray "be still with the Lord God" & we were given a slip of paper that read "What would it mean for me to surrender to God? What holds me back?"

My mind went blank, I couldn't think of anything and just felt empty, another lady said she had felt the same, maybe they were asking too much of us, its a lot to take in when you are in such a magnificent building, but the whole idea of the course is stillness and meditation, suppose they were trying to help us, but sorry it didn't work for me. I was cold, so huddled myself together in what I think looked like a lady chapel and sat there for 40 minutes by myself just reading the question over and over again! It felt lonely, so I sang 'Shine Jesus Shine' (in my head of course)

Now very reluctant to go to the Holy Convent on Saturday, 6 hours is a long time.

Although some good news! my 'Street Bible' has arrived and I am enjoying it very much!

:(
fancy not giving you an organ.
bastards.
I don't see the point in them taking you to such an awe-inspiring place when most of the awesomeness isn't happening.
they might as well have taken you to the pub!

Aw Sooz...sounds like you'd have been better off in the pub tbh, at least you'd have been warm! Sorry it was such a disappointment. I'd take an iPod along to the convent so you can listen to worship songs etc and maybe some christian books to read, they can inspire, you don't have to just sit in silence.

Thanks TUO - that's interesting to read. I think what is hard around here is that there is nothing in place as such, so suddenly holding a large event then having nothing to follow it up in any sense will possibly be counter-productive. However we are looking at different possibilities - we're all very much making it up as we go along!!

Oh no Sooz, sorry to hear that! Can you just think of your day at the convent as a day of relaxation and stressfree away from the DC and just for YOU!
I would find something to look at helpful, even if it is just nature pictures or something.Sounds a bit pants to have nothing!!!! I really hope Saturday is better for you. (and warmer)