Choirs, worship songs, after service coffee - the all new religion chat thread

[niminypiminy]

A new place for us to share the lovely, silly and annoying things that happen in church life and share our great love of Graham Kendrick.

No madness detected at all Edd! How wonderful to see you feel able to enthuse about your faith. I think you should sing too. All will be very healing while you separate.

I too had not heard of Graham Kendrick bit noticed his name in our hymnal. 'Shine Jesus Shine' is wonderful.

Not madness Edd! You should go for it :)

I think you'd love Greenbelt. Haven't been for years but really enjoyed it and I know they have a wonderful variety of speakers and bands and creative stuff. I'd also like to go again one day. Maybe an MN meet up...

Hello!
Ooh, it's a bit like walking into a new church for the first time... Is there anywhere I shouldn't sit?

I haven't read your whole thread, just dipped in and out. Interested in people's experiences of church.

I'm happiest in the shambolic churches, because it doesn't show when I make a mistake! I feel really uncomfortable in churches where the regulars know when to sit/stand, and everyone knows the words.

Don't sit in my seat or I'll glare at you passive aggressively for the whole service... Lol

Our church doesn't have a strict order of service so things just flow as they flow, and we often sing things that people don't know, and the ones everyone does know, there's enough of us to pull you along with us and you'll know it by verse three and be singing just as loud as the rest of us!

Unless you sit in my seat of course, and then you're on your own for learning the song...

Shuffling across a few seats...

We have first and last hymns on organ, middle two/three with a worship group. We are a very small church, and our sound system is rubbish. We have a projector, but sometimes the tech lets us down and it all goes wrong...

I'm afraid across won't do... I need that entire row. It's for when I take a nap half way through the rest of my family to sit there.

I love it when the tech goes wrong and we all get to turn round and stare at the tech guy who stands there starting at the machine like it's just pulled its pants down...

Pity the poor techs... And the preacher whose carefully prepared map powerpoints won't load.

This is the first church which has ever felt like home and family for me. I've been here about 15yrs now. Before that I felt like a visitor.

And we have IKEA mugs, by the way!

I don't think Greenbelt is for me, but it is in my part of the world I think, so if people want to make use of the 'facilities' (like bed and breafast) they would be very welcome. I have two spare beds, so don't shout all at once.

Shambolic is good. Or just clear instructions. Bobbing uncercertainly not so good.
We had PowerPoint once - for an occasional preachers photos. obviously there were tech issues. Reinforced my hatred of it!

We did TWO GK songs on Sunday - most unusual. And yes, one was Shine Jesus Shine of course!

If When we have this Greenbelt MN gathering, you'd all be very welcome at my caravan for coffee! Although we might prefer the Tiny Tea Tent (if we can find a space!). We could not announce our MN names and see if we can guess who is who .

Pklme I've been at my church 17 years and I'm still not a local...

Hi folks, can I join? Have had a church break for a bit due to issues bringing my toddler and an ensuing faith wobble but hoping to go over Christmas and to start back again properly in the new year.

I love both tea and Greenbelt, although have only ever been there with my toddler... She was 3 months old at her first GB! Would highly recommend it to anyone ☺️

Welcome DoubleGloucester. You will have to answer the questions at the beginning of course. Not right* at the beginning, a little way in. The ones with Graham Kendrick at the end.

happy clappy or traditional?
choir or singing group?
organ or keyboards/bands?
hymn books or screens?
and the important one: do you like Graham Kendrick?

Sorry, I didn't ask to join so asking meekly for retrospective admission :)

1. Traditional
2. Choir
3. Organ
4. Hymn books
5. Undecided about GK. Like 'Shine, Jesus, Shine' though. Would need to hear more.

Mugs are white, coffee is lovely and eclectic choice of cakes and biscuits. Congregation very partial to sugary treats.

I'm going to be controversial....

You ask "choir or singing group"... But how are your defining those? Surely a choir IS a singing group...

I've yet to meet a congregation not partial to sugary treats!

Mind you, at least the one I'm in has some healthy options at a bring and share lunch. At one church I was at you could guarantee that no vegetable had died in the preparation of a meal. Although my current church expresses fellowship mostly by eating. I'm about to go to my fourth bring and share meal in three days.

amammabear

Welcome WorkLife i'm glad to hear that you're okay :)

Edd - please do not google him or your life will change forever....

ooh, edd you're just naughty

pklme - i have a big thing about the assumption that everyone is going to know what's happening, and i hve made sure that orders of service are printed with instructions on when to do what. There's nothing worse than the choir standing and no one else doing so (or choir standing and everyone standing when they should be sitting and llistening)
It's one thing that the BCP was good for - it always told you exactly when to sit, kneel, stand.

mamma - no, a singing group is usually nrobed, sing against a more modern type of music. A Choir is robed, sings unaccompanied usually traditional 4-part harmony music, when it's modern, it's usually still 4-part, or at least harder. or with an organ. Singing groups very rarely sing with organs.
You'd know the difference if you saw/heard it.
(and if you don't know the difference, you're either lucky enough to have only had a choir, or unlucky enough to have only had a singing group )

Lissette - you can come and sit with me

Ooh good thread

1. singing
2. guitars
3. projector
4. love him

And deco happy clappy- does that mean I can join??

singing group
choir

nope, there are too many Happy Clappies on the thread, I need more Traditionals to sit in my Quire

'course you can join in