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The Parish of Bishopstoke |
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Dear Friends ‘Nice service,
vicar!’ This is apparently the stereotypical
comment that clergy receive after church services, and, of course, it tells
you very little. In reality, comments
are rather more varied than this. It
can be dangerous to comment, though.
If you said ‘Nice sermon’ to one vicar I know of, he’d reply, ‘What
are you going to do about it, then?’ In
this month’s Link you’ll see that
our Parochial Church Council (PCC) is now discussing and responding to our
Mission Audit report. We’ve started by
thinking about ‘worship’. But what
we’re really thinking of is everything that happens from the moment someone
arrives at church on a Sunday morning to the moment they leave, including the
chat and refreshments at the end. I asked the PCC what they
thought was good about our Sunday mornings.
But I also asked whether there were any special moments or aspects of
our worship recently that had really touched them. To comment on this personally isn’t always
easy to do, but it’s a good question to ask.
You could ask it after every service when you get home – what was
special for me, what have I brought away with me, how will it help me or
change me...? Perhaps you only come to
church occasionally or for special celebrations. These questions could still be relevant for
you. What does it mean to be there, to
sing a hymn, to hear the prayers, to meet other people... ? Does it help you in any way? I then asked the PCC how
we might cater better for newcomers - what might be unhelpful or distracting
the first time someone comes to church? This isn’t just a
conversation for the PCC, though, and it hasn’t ended by any means! It’s always helpful to hear what any of you
think about these things, whether you are at church every Sunday or just for
the occasional baptism, wedding or funeral.
It’s especially encouraging to hear if there have been special moments
or experiences for you in a church service.
It would also be good to know if there are things you think we might
do differently. Do please let me know. But the main question for all
of us is this: What is God doing through this? What is God doing when you are in church,
and what is he doing in the rest of your life? That’s always the place to start. Mmm... I wonder if services are meant to be
‘nice’..... |
