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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Eccles: What would have to be different...
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
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Posted
Thanks SCK - I was trying to think of a way of saying exactly what you've said very succinctly.
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Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
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Ektenia
Apprentice
# 17453
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Rosa Winkel:
I guess the thing that I find good, beyond all theological and ritualistic needs of mine, is silence. I've shared silence with URCs and Methodists (who are more unlike me than RCs and Orthodox) and I found that more positive.
Because of this valuing of silence I was about to ask if you'd ever attended a Quaker meeting, but then I reread your post and saw that you mentioned tensions you'd experienced at these. Can I ask what about Quaker worship rubbed you the wrong way?
My liturgical preferences are usually of the reverent high-church variety, but every time I've sat in prolonged and simple silence with the Quakers I've found it thoroughly worthwhile. I suppose it depends on the sort of people you're sharing the room with and the kind of spoken contributions they might make towards the end of the meeting.
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Rosa Winkel
Saint Anger round my neck
# 11424
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Posted
I'm actually a High Church Quaker who used to go to Meeting in the mornings and Evensong in the evenings.
I think I meant by tension was that caused by my own thoughts, or my inability to be still, or other ministries. Looking back, tension is not a bad thing when one works out the issue.
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The Disability and Jesus "Locked out for Lent" project
Posts: 3271 | From: Wrocław | Registered: May 2006
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Graven Image
Shipmate
# 8755
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Posted
I have always wished we had "coffee hour," before the service or even brunch for that matter. A time to catch up on the week, hear the stories and form community before going into worship together, rather then sharing following the service.
Posts: 2641 | From: Third planet from the sun. USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
I have always wished we had "coffee hour," before the service or even brunch for that matter. A time to catch up on the week, hear the stories and form community before going into worship together, rather then sharing following the service.
Our FE setup has lunch after the Eucharist as an intrinsic part of the gathering. It helps.
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Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
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leftfieldlover
Shipmate
# 13467
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Posted
No worship songs or hand-waving or incredibly long sermons or the Peace lasting for several minutes (leave chatting with old friends until coffee time after the service)or an overhead projector which keeps breaking down. What I would like (and I would have to drive to another town for this) is a selection of beautiful hymns with an excellent choir; a short, pithy sermon which you are thinking about days later, and hymn books... and finally, a Churchwarden who doesn't read through all the notices at the end of the service, when we all have copies of the sheet! He's a lovely man really.
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I can gauge your mood from your approach to food.
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Graven Image
Shipmate
# 8755
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
I have always wished we had "coffee hour," before the service or even brunch for that matter. A time to catch up on the week, hear the stories and form community before going into worship together, rather then sharing following the service.
Karl replied
Our FE setup has lunch after the Eucharist as an intrinsic part of the gathering. It helps.
We have gathering after service as well Karl, I just wish we could prepare for the service before by gathering hearing people expressing joys and concerns of their past week and then carry these into the worship. I think it would make the Peace more meaningful, save the shock of hearing that Susan died in the prayers of the people, get to know new people before worshiping with them for the first time and so on.
Posts: 2641 | From: Third planet from the sun. USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
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Posted
Theoretically our Eucharist starts at 12, but what actually happens is people arrive and we sort the lunch out ready before starting the service, so we get plenty of chance to share news beforehand.
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Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
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Pomona
Shipmate
# 17175
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Posted
My church already is the highlight of my week - I really miss it when I have to not attend for whatever reason. We're a liberal Anglo-Catholic shack with full sung Eucharist every week (with a said Eucharist in the lady chapel every Saturday, Our Lady of Walsingham devotions on the third Saturday of the month). I do miss the gutsier singing and Wesleyan hymns of previous evangelical churches I've attended, but for me music isn't hugely important since I get worship songs from Christian Union/my own music library anyway. My priest in particular is wonderful and so friendly and welcoming ![[Axe murder]](graemlins/lovedrops.gif)
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Consider the work of God: Who is able to straighten what he has bent? [Ecclesiastes 7:13]
Posts: 5319 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2012
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Jade Constable:
My church already is the highlight of my week - I really miss it when I have to not attend for whatever reason. We're a liberal Anglo-Catholic shack with full sung Eucharist every week (with a said Eucharist in the lady chapel every Saturday, Our Lady of Walsingham devotions on the third Saturday of the month). I do miss the gutsier singing and Wesleyan hymns of previous evangelical churches I've attended, but for me music isn't hugely important since I get worship songs from Christian Union/my own music library anyway. My priest in particular is wonderful and so friendly and welcoming
Gosh. When I was in a CU I think you'd have risked attempts at exorcism if you'd been found to be going to a liberal AC church.
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Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
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The Great Gumby
Ship's Brain Surgeon
# 10989
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
quote:
Originally posted by Jade Constable:
My church already is the highlight of my week - I really miss it when I have to not attend for whatever reason. We're a liberal Anglo-Catholic shack with full sung Eucharist every week (with a said Eucharist in the lady chapel every Saturday, Our Lady of Walsingham devotions on the third Saturday of the month). I do miss the gutsier singing and Wesleyan hymns of previous evangelical churches I've attended, but for me music isn't hugely important since I get worship songs from Christian Union/my own music library anyway. My priest in particular is wonderful and so friendly and welcoming
Gosh. When I was in a CU I think you'd have risked attempts at exorcism if you'd been found to be going to a liberal AC church.
Ah, but what would be worse - the liberal bit, or the Catholic bit?
I'd be interested to know whether any of the people who've commented so far have a preference on the size of their perfect church. Plenty of people I know would prefer a church to be small enough to more or less know everyone and have a genuine sense of community, but a church of that size is naturally going to be seriously limited in terms of what it can offer, especially in musical terms.
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The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. - Richard Feynman
A letter to my son about death
Posts: 5382 | From: Home for shot clergy spouses | Registered: Feb 2006
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churchgeek
Have candles, will pray
# 5557
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Posted
The wording of the OP is unfortunate; it assumes things would have to be different than they are.
I find that some weeks, I'm not moved much, but other weeks, I am. And for me, it has much less to do with the style of worship, the exact liturgy, or even the particular tradition, and more to do with my openness to engaging with God and other people. Connections between persons (and Persons) are what moves me.
I was trying to keep this brief, but must edit to add: Sometimes I don't start out open, but something mysterious happens during the course of the service. I'm not sure that can be easily identified or categorized, and sometimes it's surprising. IOW, it's not necessarily anything that was planned by anyone who put the liturgy together. I think it's grace.
[ 07. December 2012, 09:38: Message edited by: churchgeek ]
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I reserve the right to change my mind.
My article on the Virgin of Vladimir
Posts: 7773 | From: Detroit | Registered: Feb 2004
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
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Posted
The wording of the OP was deliberate. I'm aware that for some people the answer is "nothing", but I was particularly interested in those for whom it's not, like me.
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Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
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Pomona
Shipmate
# 17175
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
quote:
Originally posted by Jade Constable:
My church already is the highlight of my week - I really miss it when I have to not attend for whatever reason. We're a liberal Anglo-Catholic shack with full sung Eucharist every week (with a said Eucharist in the lady chapel every Saturday, Our Lady of Walsingham devotions on the third Saturday of the month). I do miss the gutsier singing and Wesleyan hymns of previous evangelical churches I've attended, but for me music isn't hugely important since I get worship songs from Christian Union/my own music library anyway. My priest in particular is wonderful and so friendly and welcoming
Gosh. When I was in a CU I think you'd have risked attempts at exorcism if you'd been found to be going to a liberal AC church.
The vice-president and her boyfriend both attend said liberal AC church with me! But it is viewed with some suspicion (never said outright though). Because we're a small university, there's no other Christian group on campus so we've set up our own and the vice-president is stepping down as soon as possible - we have far more problems with the CU than they do with us.
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Consider the work of God: Who is able to straighten what he has bent? [Ecclesiastes 7:13]
Posts: 5319 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2012
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Pomona
Shipmate
# 17175
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by The Great Gumby:
quote:
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
quote:
Originally posted by Jade Constable:
My church already is the highlight of my week - I really miss it when I have to not attend for whatever reason. We're a liberal Anglo-Catholic shack with full sung Eucharist every week (with a said Eucharist in the lady chapel every Saturday, Our Lady of Walsingham devotions on the third Saturday of the month). I do miss the gutsier singing and Wesleyan hymns of previous evangelical churches I've attended, but for me music isn't hugely important since I get worship songs from Christian Union/my own music library anyway. My priest in particular is wonderful and so friendly and welcoming
Gosh. When I was in a CU I think you'd have risked attempts at exorcism if you'd been found to be going to a liberal AC church.
Ah, but what would be worse - the liberal bit, or the Catholic bit?
I'd be interested to know whether any of the people who've commented so far have a preference on the size of their perfect church. Plenty of people I know would prefer a church to be small enough to more or less know everyone and have a genuine sense of community, but a church of that size is naturally going to be seriously limited in terms of what it can offer, especially in musical terms.
I prefer a smaller church. When I'm at my parents' I attend a weekday lunchtime said Eucharist as my parents live in a semi-rural area and the buses are a nightmare on a Sunday. There's about 8-10 of us at the service each week including the vicar and curate, and it is a lovely snapshot of people from across all stages of life - me the student, professionals on their lunch break, retired people, grandparent with visiting grandchild. I find that the very small group makes the Peace much less awkward.
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Consider the work of God: Who is able to straighten what he has bent? [Ecclesiastes 7:13]
Posts: 5319 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2012
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