What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • What’s on your church website right now?

    Just a gentle reminder that people are looking for church services and Christmas events to go to right now. (Yes, right this minute. Today. Really.) It is worth asking what they will find if they go to your church website.

    One of the things that astonished me last Christmas was hearing people at St Mary’s saying that they had come to us because their local churches were not having any Christmas events or services.

    “Oh yes they are!” I replied in true panto style.

    “Oh no they’re not!” they replied, “we’ve looked, there’s nothing on their websites”.

    The time in the year when people are most eager to try out a new church and most welcome invitations to church seems to be around Christmas. Can I suggest that everyone reading this take a look at their own local church website and if they don’t find the details of the Christmas services prominently displayed, get hold of whoever does their website and very gently and lovingly and with every ounce of Christian compassion you can muster, bend their ear.

    That includes those responsible for diocesan websites which give a page to each of their churches. Remember, if those pages are there, google may well find them first. If people find webpages which list churches where the latest news is any older than last month (never mind last year) and where the words “No events at present” are shown in the week before Christmas, it might be said that you can’t really blame them for not turning up.

    Times of Christmas services at St Mary’s can be found here. Note that they don’t follow the same pattern as last year. We’re living on the edge, we are. 

    Right on the edge.

    ,

3 responses to “St Andrew's Day”

  1. Avatar
    Kelvin

    Re: St Andrew’s Day
    Loved the service tonight Kelvin. Thankyou.  Would be good to have more folky things like you used to!  Enjoyed Highland Cathedral.

    When will you take your congregation to Perth Cathedral?
    Some haven't been for a very long time and some have never been!

    Reply
  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Re: St Andrew’s Day
    Thank you for the comments. I enjoyed last night’s service a lot too.

    There is not a huge amount going on at the cathedral to invite people to at the moment. The last thing that members of St Saviour’s joined in with was the farewell to Bishop Michael Henley in the summer. The choir sang at that service and one or two other people came to it too.

    I’ve always been aware that I was once one of the cathedral clergy. I would not want people to think that I was trying to emulate a cathedral in St Saviour’s. (There is no chance anyway, it is very different indeed – the choir and the music are so much better in Bridge of Allan). I’m also wary that going back a lot to a place that you have been in before can be unhelpful to the former congregation.

    The next big thing at St Ninian’s, Perth will be the consecration of the new bishop on 2 March 2005. I’ve no idea how they will allocate tickets for that – perhaps some of them will come our way.

    Reply
  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Re: St Andrew’s Day
    Oddly, I was thinking about the cathedral earlier this week. When I was little there was quite a lot happening for churches in the diocese to attend and I had the opportunity to go a few times to be part of joint fun days etc. We even had the opportunity to sleep over once or twice which was great fun.

    Admittedly this was a long time ago and things have generally changed but it is very good for congregations to mix and join up. It has always made me feel as much a part/member of St.Ninians as St. Saviours although I haven’t been there now for a long time

    I wouldn’t imagine people would asscoiate you overly with the cathedral either, you’ve been in BofA long enough for that not to be an issue. This isn’t really leading anywhere in particaulr but it would be good to see more happening at the cathedral that ‘normal’ people could be a part of in one way or another

    (and I enjoyed the folky thing too, definitely more please!)

    Reply

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