• We’re going on a journey

  23/12/2013

  

  
  A couple of years ago, there was a new initiative in St Mary’s – someone suggested that we should have a crib service for children at 4 pm on Christmas Eve. We kind of expected a few children from the young church to show up. In the event there were about 50 people in the place and it was judged a great success. A year later, the turnout was just about double. I spoke to some of the people afterwards who told me that they were so pleased to find it because none of the other churches in Glasgow were doing anything for children at Christmas. I disputed this but they told me that no, they had checked online and that no-one was doing anything. More than that, someone said, some of the churches are not having Christmas services at all – you can tell, there’s nothing on their websites about Christmas at all.

  Now, there’s two things to learn from this. Firstly that churches which want younger people and children to come to them need to get on with providing services which are suitable. Secondly churches which want anyone at all to come to them need to face the reality that if they are not online then they will be perceived not to exist and if they don’t put their service details online then no matter how good the services are, people will presume that nothing at all is being done.

  There are still Episcopal churches in Glasgow who are putting out a strong message online this Christmas that they are not doing anything to celebrate it. People from those parts of town will come to the cathedral instead of going to their local church. It isn’t particularly that they like what we do – though when they get here they love it and will tend to come again. It is simply that they can’t find out about what is happening locally and draw their own conclusions.

  St Mary’s is a place where we are quite clear that Christmas is not just for children. We are not a congregation that thinks that Christmas is just a family time either – church and Christmas is for everyone. (I thought John Bell’s Thought for the Day today was particularly fine, by the way).

  I’m really pleased though that these crib services have become established here on Christmas Eve now. Tomorrow’s Crib Service starts at 4 pm and participants are asked to bring a torch if they can. We’re going on a journey and we don’t know who we are going to encounter on the way…

  Christmas, crib service, families, internet

Previous Posts

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  29/09/2007

  To St Matthews just up the road last night for a special service to mark the arrival of their priest-in-charge. Fr David has arrived from the bright lights of Hove to a part of Glasgow that is, well, sans beach and sans bright lights. There was a strong sense of the right person being called…

• Attention Scottish Episcopal Bloggers

  28/09/2007

  Now then SEC bloggers, could I have your attention for a moment. The “new” SEC website has a page which links to SEC Bloggers and some guidelines are needed as to who should be included. Below is an initial attempt to formulate something. Could I have responses please either in the comments below or via…

• You almost have to smile

  26/09/2007

  You almost have to smile at the bishops of the Episcopal Church in the states. It would appear that they have managed to get Rowan Williams the headlines that he wanted without changing their policy on anything at all. The BBC is reporting things particularly inaccurately. They say today: Leaders of the Episcopal Church in…

• The Beloved

  23/09/2007

  Every Eucharist is a thanksgiving. It is what the word means. I remember reading a very moving passage from a liturgical theologian (must have been Gregory Dix, I think) about the different events that had been marked by the sharing of bread and wine in thanksgiving. It is celebrated week by week in high places…