Cool Choirs, Clappy Choruses, Cringy Coffee: Religion Chat Thread No 5

[madhairday]

I thought seeing as our other thread has gone somewhere into the oblivion that is old MN pages, I would start us up again anew for a new term. This is a place for those who are Christians (and anyone who's not, we're not an exclusive little club) to chat about life, theology, church, any other stuff and of course Graham Kendrick, as nickel would not forgive me if I forgot to mention him

So all welcome, old and new, it would be fun to chat and chew over anything that comes to mind. Lurkers say hello!

Anyone got a nice juicy topic to get the ball rolling then? Or if not come say hi anyway and tell us how you are doing. :)

ah, plaingirly welcome to the thread

another one for the traditional side
join me on the choir bench

I have found that the old-fashioned churches don't even exist anymore - ours is old-fashioned, but not old-fashioned enough for me. Evensong and early morning BCP services are better, but unless it's a choral evensong, you don't get much music.

mhd - i think i know what she means - it's the music. to me, the pop type christian rock doesn't feel like worship, it feels like a gig.

I think it depends how it's done. If it's all about the band, esp the singer, it feels wrong, but if the band are simply facilitating worship and more in the background so to speak, despite obv having to be at the front, then it feels better. Either way, for me it's about bringing worship to God, so it doesn't necessarily matter in what way it's done, it's where my heart is at, iyswim. I love the band led worship though and find it a much more natural way for me to come close to God. But we're all different :)

nickel are you keeping a spreadsheet of people on this thread with 2 columns of trad and HC?

think i might.

yes, i see what you mean - i've been to a couple of churches where, to me, although everyone is joining in, it feels like a gig. even if it's a CD playing. very loud, too.
It has to be interspersed with prayer and comment. I think often, the HC churches seem a bit too try-hard and miss the mark with me.
of course, i'm glad that they've found their way to worship God. i don't think it needs to be so "trendy" though

Why not though? Organs and early hymns were seen as 'trendy' and groundbreaking at the time. For example, some of the famous Wesley hymns were plagiarised popular pub tunes! People complained about the use of organs and such hymns because they were too 'common' and of the time.

Nothing new under the sun....

Hi ladies, and gents if there are any on here,
I have been thinking for a while about starting a prayer support thread on the Mental Health board.
I have ok'd it with MNHQ.they said it was a lovely idea,and suggested I link it to here.I think it was this thread they meant,unless they were talking about a prayer thread somewhere?
So if it is ok with you, I will do that sometime in the next few days.
Hope that will not be a problem. Let me know on here or pm me if necessary.
Thanks.

I agree that prayer and comment is good too, and find services broken up in such ways helpful, but do love a good old prolonged worship session too - I see worship as prayer as well, and as connecting with God in the most intimate way, and sometimes the 'hymn sandwich' just isn't enough depth to do this - for me.

It's a good thing there are different church styles out there - we'd all be so frustrated if we had to stick to one dictated style!! :)

that's very true.

and they were also Annoyed that they were replacing bands in village churches!

million I think they probably meant this thread Christian Prayer Thread

Come and chat on here anytime you like btw, would be lovely to see you :)

amillionyears - there is also a prayer thread on this board. here
definitely put a link on there.
and of course you may put a link on here too :)

nickel indeedy!

ooh, mhd - i don't like the hymn sandwich.
in my original church, almost everything was sung - the gloria, the gospel responses, the eucharistic prayers, the creed, the kyries, the agnus dei.

as well as hymns (5) and choir items (and i think they usually did a psalm)

what i mean is, i don't like the hymn sandwich, i think it should all be singing!

Everything sung is wonderful, but you have to be in the choir, not just a listener.

Hello Plaingirly. I hope you find a church that you like soon. Sometimes, I think it is worth trying a church more than once to see if it changes from week to week.

I like lots of singing too - it drowns out the noise of the DCs. Seriously though, I do love singing and like more than a hymn sandwich. A lot of people don't though. My Dad is tone deaf and very aware of it. He hates singing because it makes him feel awkward. I think to be inclusive that the average Sunday service should try and be a mixture so it has something for everyone. I do like a praise service too but think it should be an occasional thing or held at a different time. I also don't like music that is too loud. Not only does it drown out my DCs, it hurts their ears. Personally, I like a mixture of music - everything from Be Thou My Vision to Stuart Townend. Actually, maybe they aren't too far apart in some ways. I like stuff with a good tune that people can belt out and not be scared that they are going to get the tune or the rhythm wrong. I don't ask for much do I?!

Thanks for the links.

I dont think I can contribute much on here. My church is very old fashioned and then some.Most of the congregation hate having to change anything at all. My kids did like going though because of other relatives being there,so I stay on.

I don't know Oma - at my church, everything was the same every week for years, so the settings were sung by everyone.
and the choir bits were sung when everyone was getting communion.

In choral evensong, most is sung by choir and the congregation just do the hymns, so, yes, I can see that is true for that.

amillionyears - it's not just about music on here :)

You lot dropped of my TIO list again... :)

amillion - this is chat about anything and everything, we just happen to mostly have faith in common :) Jump right in!

nickel, I went to a church when I was little where I was in the choir and it was all choral lead evensnog etc. I didn't like it too much....maybe my feelings for what I like were developing even then I can appreciate good choral music, but it doesn't reach me in the way a good belting singalong does somehow...I don't know. Except for Christmas carols. Then it really works...I know. Inconsistent me.

well at least you're back tink

agree with mhd , years we talk about all sorts of stuff, and our common theme is that we are all christians (so far - we welcome other faiths too if they want to join in!)
and please feel free to turn the conversation to whatever you like :)
it stays music so much because most of us seem to like to use music in our worship (whatever style), and it's important. But we can talk about anything!

I don't mind singing - I sing Jerusalem LOUD!!

It was all about the pastor's wife - she was the singer .... of every song.

I have Mennonite pen pals and that sounds more me - perhaps a little strict though!

Has anyone heard of the Mennonite Bible Conference in Wales in December?

I'm getting all excited about our visit to Ripon College next week :)

Oooh Blue, that is exciting! :)

Morning all - or rather afternoon.

Afternoon all! I'm in the middle of trying to write an essay for the DDO on 'Why I am an Anglican'. It's really difficult!

MHD so glad to hear you are better, and good to see you again Blue. Hope the visit to Ripon goes well, I daredn't even think about visitng a college yet, the whole discernment process seems to be going so slowly.