I hope when I die I am mourned more by the poor than by the rich.
I hope my coffin is carried by friends and not by soldiers.
I hope the clocks keep chiming for the world only spins forwards.
I hope that money is not wasted on my obsequies which could be better spent on doing good.
I hope that an Easter mass is celebrated not state-sanctioned pomp and pride.
I wonder if the church has thought sufficiently about making it possible for someone who is in a 9-5 job and perhaps is out of town on weekends to attend church? Should early evening weekday services, or early morning ones not be more in evidence?
There are churches which have early morning services – if I’m honest I know of none that is terribly well patronised by people who are heading out of town for the weekend.
The question has certainly come up before as to whether it would be possible to establish a regular congregation in a city like Glasgow which met for a main weekly service at a time different to Sunday morning. (There are one or two services like this in the City of London, I think).
St Mary’s tried for a time to use the 5-7 pm weeknight slot for events and services. This had been dropping off before I came here and it was hard to see a way forward for those slots. Good things came out of the experiment but it is interesting that the ones which continued and took on on a life of their own were not liturgical. The poetry group, for example, came from this time.
I’m aware of a city centre church in Edinburgh which has just started to have a Saturday vigil mass like many Roman Catholic churches have. That doesn’t answer the question about people going out of town for the weekend but it is interesting that they are experimenting with that at the current time.
I do recall a church adjacent to a large factory that managed to hold a lunchtime communion service on a weekday. Only really works if everyone takes their lunch break, and has it at the same time, of course.
On the wider point there are those of us who would be regular attenders at Episcopalian services were it logistically feasible. I would certainly consider myself an Episcopalian even though it would take a 28 hour round trip to enable me to attend on a Sunday. I can’t imagine there are more than a few dozen folk in that situation nationwide, of course.
Thanks Jo – I’m aware of a number of people who regard themselves as members of St Mary’s who can’t physically get here for reasons of geography. I’ve been trying to think through what might be done to make such links stronger for a while.
From the Brechin diocesan website: “Saturday, August 20. 11 am – 4 pm. Grand “Everything Must Go” Jumble Sale at St Salvador’s, Dundee.” Everything must go? At St Salvador’s? Really?
Here are the intimations: 1 I am going to Linlithgow on Sunday evening to lead an evening of Taiz? worship. (Though only 1 hour, not all night). Starts 6 pm at St Peter’s (formerly St Mildred’s) Episcopal Church. 2 There will be a chance to practise the Taiz? chants at 2030 on Thursday evening at…
As we read the story of the Jewish passover this morning, we face the immediate recognition that this is a story of a people about to be evacuated from one place to another. The Jewish people stopped on their last night in slavery before making their run for it, through the red sea, as we…
Here are some websites I've been enjoying this week…www.magnatune.com (Excellent downloadable free music – esp the orthodox singing)www.csszengarden.com (Because I've been working on a big new website for someone and needed distracting from it. This – http://www.csszengarden.com/?cssfile=/176/176.css&page=0 just took my breath away. The new website I'm doing is not nearly so complex, though it is a…
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