I have spent this last week at my Mum's - the longest I have stayed with her in 22 years!
Last Sunday I was privileged to lead two acts of worship at High Street Methodist Church in Harpenden, one of the largest Methodist churches in the Connexion. I wanted to see how a large church is a community. High Street when I was on the Circuit staff as a lay worker from 1991 to 1994 was very high, largely down to the minister then who used to make us stand for the Gospel! In recent times there was a parallel service held at the same time - a contemporary service with a worship band in a fully refurbished hall and a traditional service with a robed choir and an anthem in the church.The current minister, as the contemporary service has outgrown the hall has altered things so they now have a contrmporary service at 9.15 then coffee then a traditional service at 12 in the same space with coffee in the middle. It is not a model I am familiar with, so I was glad to play with it and see how it felt.
The 9.15 service was led by a very competent worship leader and an excellent band. I preached and presided, with no written liturgy over a very informal communion with stations, which worked well. I knew none of the songs and wondered whether they were really congregational but got swept away with then as the band led them though. The band had an excellent soloist and violinist. I enjoyed the worship - it was much less noisy and less out of my comfort zone than I expected. I knew very few of the congregation - it was younger.
With the communion we finished at 10.30 and after greeting people I grabbed a coffee in the great Wesley's coffee shop. I think I had one conversation then found the steward for the morning tell me it was 10.55 and five minutes to the next service! I went to the vestry and put my robes on as this was a more formal service and prayed with a choir - a very large robed choir - in the choir vestry before processing in. I used to get very nervous preaching at High Street - a rare treat for those of us who came from the villages!! The procession in was the worst bit! The second service went well - an older - in the main - congregation: my nursery school teacher was there for goodness sake!! I did a sheet with written responses which was appreciated and preached from the pulpit which was appreciated and took the opportunity to try some big hymns. The choir had learnt the set tune to Best of all is God is with us and I taught them the lovely Iona hymn the love of God comes close. We ended with the seven verse wonder of Wesleyan theology : let earth and heaven agree. I had a good time but admitted mid way though the second service I was shattered! I am not sure whether the model got its best out of me. I was apparently seven and a half minutes longer sermon wise in service number 2!
I wanted to discover whether with diverse needs you keep a large church together. There seemed to me two very distinct congregations. How do you hold all the needs of people in worship together? Or don't you? And if there are two distinct congregations how do all views and inputs contribute to the life of the church? What's membership of the Church council like? A friend told me she hasn't seen people who go to the second service for ages as for family reasons she goes to the first one. I had a good time and everyone was very gracious - I went into church on Tuesday and people were talking about my services and when could I come again. I went away knowing I'm not called to minister to a large church though !!
High Street though got me thinking this week about having our needs met in worship. I still have the Anglican evensong and evening prayer bug. I've not had the easiest week but in other ways something has happened this week which has changed so much for the better (!!!!) How do we bring our needs and all of life into worship? I've done four evening services this week at 5pm - one at the Parish Church in Harpenden with three of us there and one choral evensong and two evening prayers at St Albans Abbey.
The Psalter this week has invited us to bring our deepest needs even unhealthy thoughts into worship. On Monday a glorious choir from the royal school of church music sang a fabulous setting of Psalm 136 : his glory endures for ever! Og, the king of Basan has born smited! See Numbers 21! Then last night, again after a difficult day I heard Psalm 141: a wish for enemies to fall into their nets as we avoid their dainties and pass by in safety. I sat there thinking how important it is to bring what you need into worship, perhaps different styles of worship are the way forward. Perhaps it doesn't matter if one church has different parts which never meet. As long as all the parts are represented in its governance - huge issues here - my Messy Church families are as much a part of church as those who come to traditional worship on a Sunday morning but do not yet make any major policy decisions as to our future. Perhaps now it doesn't how we approach God to meet our needs as long as we do it.
The other area re community that has hit me this week has been the need to have others with us to share life with. I have found in this journey so far the amazing power of praying honest prayers. Lets pray together the enemy will be got!! When you go to evensong or evening prayer it's done with strangers usually! I've also found revisiting important places that are part of me important. I have felt close to my Dad this week. Dad died at 50 in 1985: I am 50 next birthday. I went to Kimpton on Thursday where my Dads side of the family came from and where, in the chapel, now sadly shut, I led my first solo act of worship in 1987. We had some lovely Circuit times on the Green. It was powerful to return. Those special places remain part of you and make you who you are.
Also this week I have been blessed and surprised that my needs are met and my self worth built up as I trust and open up. We are meant to be in community - whether as a faith group or just with someone who loves us!
Tomorrow I am off to evensong at the cathedral in Peterborough, then I need to get my head round five weeks and a few days in Shetland. Next Sunday at the Methodist Church in Whiteness. Last there at the end of a holiday club I led 20 years ago!
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