1 – Where can I find the most spiritual place in the city.
2 – What is the taste of the city and where can I get some?
3 – What’s the best place in town that visitors never go to?
4 – Where would you go to get the definitive photograph of the city?
5 – What is the best beach/green place round here?
6 – What makes people laugh here?
7- Where is the prettiest place to go for a walk?
8 – Where is the place that most makes you happy?
9 – What makes people come and live here and why?
10 – Why did they build it right here?
9 responses to “Never mind the quality, feel the width”
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Gosh, you’ve hit an apparently tender spot there. As someone who was originally brought into the church – and I mean the whole shebang, not just a particular building or denomination, though that was important too – by beautiful music and dignified liturgy, I have been asking for an aspiration towards excellence for the past 30 years or so. But is it not the case that for many people that smacks of an elitism that sits ill with their idea of ‘being church’ (a vile phrase, therefore I use it not)? The idea that as church is for all, you’re not allowed to look for certain standards in music, in reading, in serving …
I could go on, but I don’t need to. You’ve said it. Go for it! (And please delete the earlier comment, in which I was so carried away by my parenthesis that I forgot to finish the original clause) -
I was thinking about all of this yesterday. It is choir holidays at the moment and yesterday the choir were singing down in Englandshire. It might have been expected to be a bit of a flat day here. However, there was none of that. We had a good turnout and wonderful worship both morning and evening. No sign of a summer slump and it was obvious that people came expecting something good even without the regular musicians.
Summer Sung Evensong last night attracted 37 souls. That’s 35 more than might have been expected to turn up seven years ago.
Now, we’ll all be thrilled when the choir come back and put the icing on the cake in a few week’s time – they are full of fabulousness, but yesterday was good proof that we are not simply a one-trick musical pony.
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Well as you know we don’t have a choir in my church, tho’ many years ago there was a great one with children and adults. But we can still produce a frisson, and the reaction of visitors bears that out; it’s just that not everyone seems to see what produces said frisson.(I know. It’s not just us, but …)
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Excellent points and something of an encouragement to me at the moment.
The new set up is much better on my phone, by the way.
Fp
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[…] it for six, it’s not just cosy log-rolling for me to affirm his point. This morning, Kelvin says what great many people won’t: that excellence and forethought and diligence and attention really do make a tremendous difference […]
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Preaching. I have a wealth of experience of hearing terrible preaching, and a wealth of hearing good. The gulf between the two is immense. I have NO IDEA how one can persuade those who cannot, really really cannot, preach to do something to raise their game. I think you hint the way is probably to persuade those who can, REALLY can to raise their game too. HOW? How when the attempt to hold a music day fails,and people generally find that a much easier thing to approach? Teaching preaching is something at which I am good – if you ever find a way, I will come along and help coach.
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[…] worship Posted by Fr. Sam Keyes on July 23, 2012 | 0 comments Kelvin Holdsworth, Provost of St. Mary’s in Glasgow, wonders why more people don’t consider the obvious […]
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Couldn’t agree more about the music days either, Rosemary – we’ve held several singing workshops here, and unless they are tied in to fundraising and a BBQ the attendance tends to be thin and the usual suspects – who can generally sing quite respectably anyway – turn up.
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but thankfully, you do a really good BBQ so there is hope yet.
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Previous Posts
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Preaching
I was not preaching this week. It was Christian Aid Sunday and the preaching slot was a presentation by the Christian Aid group.I'm not going to post a guest sermon this week, but how about reading the UN Declaration of Human Rights instead.
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Lost coin, lost sheep, …
Have just found my yo-yo.
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Other people's magazines
Why do people from other faith groups think it is appropriate to leave their own literature at the back of open Anglican churches? This morning, I threw away four glossy brochures from the Seventh Day Adventist church. Recently it was a vitriolic publication called the Bulwark, an extremist anti-Catholic magazine. Before that it was Jehovah’s…
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Politics and Religion
From my experience, politics can bring out the best in people, whilst religion often brings out the worst. one of the reasons that I have kept up my involvement in a political party is that in my experience people are much nicer to one another than in the church generally. I know that is shocking…
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