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Original poster

hideous hymns, vocal vicars and theatrical thuribles. Religious Chat Thread Number 6!

999 replies

nickelbabe · 17/02/2013 19:24

Welcome to the Religion Chat thread.
We're mostly Christians, but all are welcome.
a lovely soace to talk about church life, spiritual journeys and stuff in general.
It's not about debate, it's about chat.
Come oldies and newbies!

this is the previous thread

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Dutchoma · 06/09/2013 08:35

Precious comment from our choir mistress yesterday. Nobody picked it up but it gave me the giggles:

"The bases start on the same note as the tenors who come in the beat after..." Beginning of Palestrina's He was despised. Not at all our usual repertoire, part of the Peterborough Festival.

niminypiminy · 06/09/2013 10:37

You are quicker off the mark than me, DO: I had to think about it for several minutes before I got the joke! I hope you are enjoying singing the Palestrina though -- are you doing a concert in the Peterborough Festival?

MHD I am very excited at the thought of you being around in my neck of the woods! I wonder if there would be time to meet up -- that would be so lovely!

I've been staying at my mum's this week. She's out of hospital and getting better (hurrah!) but has needed someone to be here. I've found just a week of being a carer really demanding hard work yet unbelievably boring. And a real strain not getting into arguments with mum, who I have quite a difficult relationship with. But I should be going home today. Mum thinks she can manage a night on her own, and to be honest, I think it would be good for her to be on her own for a bit when you're used to living on your own it's demanding to be with someone else all the time. (Or maybe this is just my self-justification as I am missing the children and DH and longing to be at home myself.) Anyway, have been praying a lot this week for people who are carers -- and especially for DO.

Original poster
nickelbabe · 06/09/2013 10:57

I don't get it :(

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niminypiminy · 06/09/2013 11:10

how can the basses start on the same note as the tenors are singing if the tenors only come in the beat after?

Dutchoma · 06/09/2013 11:41

Oh Nickel

Dutchoma · 06/09/2013 11:44

Niminy, no it is what used to be called the Free Church Choir Union and every two years we borrow a cathedral and have a festival with about 400 singers.

Original poster
nickelbabe · 06/09/2013 11:52

ooooohhh! i see! the tenors should be starting on the same note as the basses.

i get it Grin

Blush

(i'm used to our tenors never coming in on time, so I thought that might have been the joke...)

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niminypiminy · 08/09/2013 13:01

DO that sounds lovely (the choir I mean). There's something about a large choir that's so thrilling when you hear it - all those voices joined together. Not that small choirs aren't wonderful too - but different.

Just been to my church for the last time. A bit sad, but it's time to move on. It'll be strange to start the whole business of getting acclimatised and starting to know people again, and this time as an ordinand.

thanksamillion · 08/09/2013 13:44

We had baptisms today (and the harvest festival). It was a lovely service but at 3 hours plus a wee bit long! The first two people from our village were baptised so we're going to start having a kind of bible study/mid week service at our house. Exciting!

cloutiedumpling · 08/09/2013 15:32

3 hours! I hope they have comfy seats.

I've got a shoebox to make up for LinkRomania. We have a choice of one for the elderly or one for families. I'm going to do a family one because I think it is good for the DSs to see that not all children are as lucky as them. Are there any things in particular that people want? The list that we have mentions more things than you can fit in the box, so it is good to get some pointers. Thanks

thanksamillion · 08/09/2013 20:52

Sadly it was benches outside so not at all comfy! I was also translating for some visitors so it was very hard work Grin

Re shoeboxes... we help to compile the lists so anything off there! The best/most helpful things that I've seen are windup torches if you can afford to put one in. Sweets are always popular as are little toys. The other thing that I thought of this year is small craft kits (like you get in Wilkinsons). Again they're on the expensive end of things to put in so I appreciate it might not be possible!

Tell me what your box looks like and I'll keep an eye out - you never know - it might make it to us! And thank you for doing it. They are so genuinely appreciated by people here Smile

Original poster
nickelbabe · 09/09/2013 13:59

oh yes, windup torches are brilliant for the shoeboxes

small craft kits are gret too.
I have seen sewing kits for younger children that have plastic needles in, so you can put them in (I assume metal needles are counted as sharp items and are not allowed)

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cloutiedumpling · 09/09/2013 18:55

I think metal needles are OK. The list for this year has a craft sewing kit mentioned and many of those will come with needles included.

It is great that the shoeboxes are really wanted by the people who receive them, particularly when some of the critics of other shoebox schemes say that they often go to people who don't need or particularly want them.

Our shoebox will probably be wrapped in gold paper.

GaryBuseysTeeth · 10/09/2013 12:34

Room for another one? Have recently started going to our church, baptism this month (same time as DS1 & 2 which will be nice!), confirmation next month.

If you're going to do little toys cloutie, Hawkins Bazaar are always good for unisex stocking/party bag type things.
Also, Sports Direct(!) sometimes have random toys/stuff in stock fake lego quadbike set for £2.
Lidl sell trolli sweetie hamburgers in a multipack for under £2, they're tiny but a nice 'fun' sweet.

niminypiminy · 11/09/2013 10:53

Hello GaryBuseysTeeth! You're very welcome to join us! That's great news about the baptism and confirmation -- very exciting!

We have a lighthearted questionnaire for newbies about yourself/your church -- I'm not sure I remember it all correctly (nickelbabe is the official Keeper of the Questions), but some are:

Traditional or happy clappy?
Organ or worship band?
Choir or singers?
Books or screens?
And ... Graham Kendrick: love him or loathe him?

Feel free to answer as many or as few as you like! There's not many people around at the moment but you are very welcome here!

Original poster
nickelbabe · 12/09/2013 10:59

Hi GaryBuseysTeeth - welcome to the thread :)

Yes, niminy has posted all the questions correctly Grin

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niminypiminy · 12/09/2013 11:21

Phew! Smile

Any further Lord's Prayer-related developments, Nickel?

Original poster
nickelbabe · 12/09/2013 14:30

funnily enough, yes Grin
on sunday morning, the Junior Chorister was there and one of the adult-child choristers - both of whom hadn't been there last week.
the Lord's Prayer started and adult-child chorister got all confused and I whispered "oh, they've changed it" and she replied "i thought something odd had happened, I don't like that", then at the end JC1 said "what's happened to the Lord's Prayer? Confused "

so, I went up to NV at the end and said "I've blown your argument out of the water" (that being that young people only know the new version - JC1 is 11 and Adult-child chorister is 17) "both JC1 and A-CC said "what's happened to the Lord's Prayer?" " Grin
"where have they learned that version?" says NV
"here," says I, "at the church they've always come to. Children will learn the version of the church which they always attend."

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Labro · 13/09/2013 18:12

Can I join in? Ds is 11 and actually won't say the modern version even though our previous church was evangelical, he went to a catholic primary school until age 9, current church is a completely weird mismash of evangelical and high church and he loves the 'old words' so think your NV is grasping at some very bendy straws!

thanksamillion · 13/09/2013 19:14

Hello Labro and welcome GaryBuseysTeeth nice to meet you Grin
Everybody welcome here!

When is your baptism Gary? We are having a run of them in local churches at the moment. Autumn is a popular time because most of the baptisteries are outside so need to be when the weather is warm, and because you always have to have a church lunch for everyone who turns up and produce is cheap right now!

Labro · 13/09/2013 19:23

Thanks!
Interesting times ahead not new vicar has announced changes to service times and the choir have reacted like hes shot someone, but nobodies telling him just gossip gossip gossip!

niminypiminy · 13/09/2013 19:43

Ah, who'd want to be a vicarGrin

Original poster
nickelbabe · 14/09/2013 00:35

welcome labro.
that's very interesting.

we don't like change either.

in other news, we had a new prospective junior chorister tonight.
we'll see if she likes it :)

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Labro · 14/09/2013 07:29

Agree that change should be discussed, this has been done through the PCC, is literally half an hours difference so that hes not trying to break a record hurtling between two churches. Choirs traditionally don't like change, I'm slightly odd in that the answer to 'the questions' would be both - other than graham kendrick where it depends what song and I did find it amusing when we had a mini graham kendrick revival in amongst the new wine songs and many a person was 'ohhhhhhh thats a naice song'

Original poster
nickelbabe · 14/09/2013 08:41

so both for Graham too then Grin

I suppose we choirs have been through so many clergy changes that we've seen this change to that and back to this. so we're cynical.
our seervice times, when we firat became a benefice, were 930 and 11. as in alternatjng week on week. so that both churches could have the same time.
the last knobhead was the one who changed it so other church has 5pm and we have 10o'clock.
he put ours to a sealed vote to the whole congregation asking 930, 10 or 1030. he really wanted 1030 but we chose 10. -late enough to feel like a lie-in and early enough so we could still get home at a good time.

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