What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Happy Frikkiday

    On Sunday we had the happy coincidence of Dedication Sunday and Frikki Sunday – it was the Director of Music’s 50th birthday. This meant much joyful music throughout the day and a megasong service at night when some of those who have sung with him before or who sing with him elsewhere came along to enjoy the fun and wish him well. The choir numbered about 60 voices and thoroughly enjoyed belting its way through Kelly in C and And When the Builders by Richard Shepherd.

    Here’s a picture of me, caught by Stewart Macfarlane, giving the notices at the end whilst similtaneously getting the congregation to get ready for singing a surprise final accapela anthem.

    FWBirth

    And here’s the Forum I did with Frikki earlier this year when we talked a bit about what inspires him and some of the elements that go into making the worshp here so exciting. Worth a second look if you’ve seen it before and worth looking at for the first time if you havn’t.

    , , ,

20 responses to “Becoming a Welcoming Cathedral”

  1. Meg Rosenfeld Avatar
    Meg Rosenfeld

    My husband and I became members of All Saints Parish, San Francisco not long after our first experience attending Sunday Mass in that charming little church in the notorious Haight-Ashbury district. At that time we’d been members for over 20 years of a parish in another diocese, but were beginning to stay in San Francisco on weekends. What inspired us to join All Saints as members was the receipt of a simple hand-written letter from the rector some two or three days later, saying it had been a pleasure to have us there and hoping we would come again. Neither of us had ever had such an experience in any church we’d attended. We were absolutely amazed (in a positive way!) and made up our minds then and there that we would, indeed, go back. Mind you, we were also welcomed by the official greeters, urged to come to coffee hour, and approached at coffee hour with friendly overtures from the regulars–which is not always the case in Episcopal churches, at least in California. I guess it was just the right balance between friendliness and respect for one’s privacy. In any event, we are still at All Saints, almost 20 years later, up to our ears in choir, committees, and activities. To me, it was the letter from the rector which did the trick. He (an introvert like myself) wasn’t too busy to acknowledge new people, and in a way which was totally unthreatening.

    Reply
    1. Kelvin Avatar
      Kelvin

      Thanks Meg – that’s a great story.

      Reply
  2. Andrew Connor Avatar
    Andrew Connor

    I go to a church which gets the coffee just right. But I don’t feel welcome.
    I go to a church which gets the welcome team just right. But I don’t feel welcome.
    I go to a church which denies that I was born gay and have chosen to love my same see partner whom I am not allowed to celebrate with. You see? I don’t feel welcome.
    The homilies never include such exclusion. Never did they mention my being part of the Us of the parish though.
    We have regular celebrations of love but not mine.
    Many speak of going home to love one another and others exhort us to reach out and love the stranger. But I am in the midst of you and m only loves if I deny my own self.
    There is indeed much still to do.
    Welcome in our Church? Discuss.

    Reply
    1. Kelvin Avatar
      Kelvin

      I know Andrew. I know it all too well. And I know that the ease with which these loves can be spoken of here in St Mary’s in pulpit and pew is tragically remarkable in its rarity.

      Reply
  3. Father Ron Smith Avatar
    Father Ron Smith

    Bravo, Kelvin. I always feel that we in the Church are standing in the place of Christ – who welcomes all. Agape, Fr. Ron, ACANZP

    Reply
  4. Dharma Nicodemus Cuthbert Avatar
    Dharma Nicodemus Cuthbert

    Strangely enough about 1 hour before you posted this, I had been in a meeting in which one of the subjects discussed was getting more people to come to the church. The comments were full of “what can we do” I know that unless someone is willing to do outreach work nothing changes. I feel that as the church, St James the great, in Dingwall, will be having an open day when the refurbishment is complete, an ideal opportunity to raise the profile of the church.
    I have taken on board the difficulties of being welcoming and at the same time not being separate, as you put it us and them. I have had experience of being both, part of a group and the new face

    Reply
  5. Janet Koch Avatar
    Janet Koch

    conscientize?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Election Shambles

    The election shambles that is currently going on in Scotland was all too predictable. Indeed, I commented yesterday to someone that I thought it would be difficult. I don’t trust the electronic counting system. In a close vote, which this appears to be, you need the smallest margin for error possible. Ways to solve the…

  • Congratulations

    My congratuations to Stirling Liberal Democrats for capturing 3 seats and thus being in a very strong position on a hung council. There will be much rejoicing in certain households I know very well indeed. Politics just got a lot more interesting in Stirling.

  • Polling Day

    I’ve been to vote. It isn’t too hard for me to know how to make my mind up – I’m a member of a political party and stood as a candidate at the last General Election. Indeed, if anything, it feels rather odd not to be standing this time around. The papers here are being…

  • Angels in America

    Back to the Gorbals last night for the concluding part of Angels in America. It is an exhausting play, and not only because it is 7 hours long. You come out, wrung out. It is Tales of the City for grown ups and inhabits the same cosmology that Jerry Springer – the Opera satarises. It…