A hive of activity

A lot takes place before a service in the C of E. The list below will probably omit things which even I do not see as they take place in the sacristy.

• Lights turned on
• Coffee ladies prepare cups, milk, hot water
• Hymn boards are prepared (and checked - there was an error this morning, put right in good time)
• Notice sheets made ready for 'greeters'
• Bells rung up
• Candles lit
• Sound system turned on
• Streaming equipment made ready
• Screen lowered (the church I am playing at project what YouTube viewers see)
• Choir members robe and practise
• Eucharistic prayer choice conveyed to organist so the correct 'twiddly bits' are ready
• Readers find their places in the lectern bible (and bookmark)
• Communion wafers located
• Flowers will have been arranged the previous day
• Cantor selected for the psalm (well it isn't quite a psalm, just a verse)
  
• Many other things!

One does not just turn up and hope for the best.

Closed

 The local 'youths' are causing problems at the church hall car park.

Notices #1

Church notices can be interesting. I saw this example recently.

 

Actual Teaching

So, the sermon on Sunday was about prayer as I've mentioned.

It was given at a church where there are several lady priests so, after the service, I approached the one I thought had spoken (I cannot see the pulpit from the organ console). she told me that it was a lay reader who had spoken so I went over to congratulate her.

The thing is that this sermon was thoughfully delivered and actually - I mean actually - contained some advice which would be helpful for those wanting to get closer to God. In short, the advice was to say the Lord's Prayer every day and that it didn't matter how or where one says it. Sitting, walking, slowly, line by line, with music playing, in silence, in bed, loudly, softly, morning or evening. There were more possibilites but you get the idea.

There were some points I felt were scooted over. For example "Why do bad things happen?". "Why does the person I've been praying for for weeks, months or years still die of the illness?" was the example she used. Her answer came from a book she recommended. Sometimes the answer to prayer is God himself. I felt this was not really an answer but she was brave to address the issue.

So many sermons I've heard have simply been about telling the story of a reading over again. Useful to place it in the context of biblical times but of little practical value.

This sermon was pretty good. So, it can be done. Vicars please note.

Martin How

News has reached me via Facebook that Martin How has passed away at a good age. He was described as the best cathedral organist we never had.

I met him a couple of times. He came to Peterborough to take a course for the Organists' Association and to Wellingborough to take an RSCM course on his chorister training scheme.

Here he is in action.

Prayer in Services #2

It seems to me that many people have an image of God as one of the following:

• A celestial aircraft pilot
• A celestial computer operator
  
• A celestial magician
• A celestial surgeon
• A celestial mechanic
• A celestial ______ (fill in the blank)

Taking the first two of these: imagine an airlcraft pilot sitting in a huge cockpit. He is confronted by numerous buttons, levers and dials. Each control does something. Or anyone using a piece of software - Microsoft Word or Excel have far more menus and options than I am ever going to use.

What people do when they pray is to expect God to listen and then push the appropriate button or click on the correct formatting/function command. Very often a prayer will contain the words "Make us X, Y or Z..." which requires a response from God the pilot. "Help us to change course in life" so God moves the joystick or whatever it is called on a large plane.

The sermon on Sunday was about prayer and I will write about it later in the week For now I am leaving this link here about the Lord's Prayer.

Well put

Jeremy Filsell wrote "The exquisite and immortal words of Joseph Poole (Precentor Coventry Cathedral in the 60s/70s). From Facebook."

Bring your dog to church

There I was, early in the service this morning, sitting at the console when I heard this strange sound. I soon worked out that it was a panting dog. I looked around the pillar and expected to see a guide dog but it was, in fact, a small pug-type breed tugging at its lead. At least it was at the back of the church and it was not too hot today; I think it cooled down and eventually stopped panting as I didn't notice it any more.

Prayer in services #1

Church services always include prayers which are led either by the vicar or a member of the congregation. I am not thinking here of formal prayers in the BCP such as the General Confession. Intercessions are often spoken by a lay person and such people have usually looked at the news to see what they should pray for.

Now, one school of thought says that God does not intervene in our lives so prayer could be a bit pointless. Also Jesus said that God knows what we want before we ask for it.

It seemed to me to be a bit odd, in the recent heatwave the UK has had (weather warnings issued), to ask God to make sure that people drank enough water.

Big ones and small ones

What attracted me to the organ was the glorious sound of the Peterborough Cathedral organ. It is still the one I like best although several others have nearly replaced it as 'top dog'.

In the main, parish church organs (to make some sweeping generalisations)

• are small
• are old
• lack brightness
• are dirty (inside)
  
• have untidy (dusty) consoles
• have pedal boards of various kinds
• are not positioned in the best place

It is small wonder that fewer people are taking up the organ. Those who do aspire - as I did - to play the most difficult/impressive repertoire and preside over large instruments. There are also many more ladies taking up the organ (I may have blogged on this; I forget).

There is nothing as good as hearing a huge organ being played well but the reality is that most organists will find themselves in charge of a modest example. Therein is a skill which I feel I have always had. To make the best of limited resources.

Many organs only have a pedal Bourdon 16'. My first organ teacher once said that he used to draw it as little as possible so that, when it came on, it was a real event.

Size isn't everything.

Communion and the Confused Church

I have always had a problem with taking commnuion and sharing one chalice. As an organist I managed to go early to the altar rail when only 2 or 3 people before me had received. I have not received commnion for many years.

After the main Covid panic (once churches had opened again) communion was given in one kind only (the bread) but now priests are able to give the wine by tincture (intincture if you will). This, to me, means that the bread is damp (dipped) with wine and I doubt that it is placed into the hand of the recipient: I don't know, I must ask. Yet for the priest to place it directy into the mouth of the worshipper risks contamination if a finger or thumb should touch the lips of consective people. [This practice was actually common (for Roman Catholics) before Covid, for just the bread as some people are taught not to touch the sacrament]

Looking of the C of E website I had no luck finding advice about tincture but I did find a mistake. Here it is. You would think they can quote correctly from the Bible.

EDIT (Friday)

I emailed the C of E and they said they will change the above. They also sent me the current Covid guidance.

Pointing

Although psalm singng to Anglican Chant with congregations joinging in is not much less common than it was (although choirs still sing it by themselves) the C of E still has the same poor policy towards the faithful. Even when I was a boy I realised that the people in the pews were expetced to sing the psalms with just the text.

Help me, Lord, for there is not one godly man left : for the faithful are minished from among the children of men.

A choir will have the pointing, thus 

It seems ridiculous to handicap the congregation in this way but prayer books do not contain pointing so, unless a church has a supply of psalters, the faithful have to improvise!

Evensong does exist

I have found a church (well, they found me) where they hold a sung Evensong once a month. I played there on Sunday and enjoyed it. There were 3 hymns, a sung psalm, the 2 canticles and a short anthem by the choir. All things considered there was a decent congregation and some ten singers in the choir (not robed).

I do enjoy the language of the BCP and it took me back to my youth when I played every week for two services. I have been at school services where someone has written their own version of the General Confession and it really hasn't worked.

What I liked about this church was that they said the prayers at the correct pace and not a meaningless gabble.

There is hope!

Coats of Arms

Quite a few churches have coats of arms on display. Here is one at Caldecott. Apologies for the dreadful photograph; my phone camera is pants.

Kissing Gate

One doesn't come across a kissing gate very often then, like buses, several are encountered on the trot. here is one of them.

Hymns for children

If I ever have to play "Kumbaya, My Lord" I am not sure what I shall do: I hate it. (I could, however, listen to the great Judith Durham singing anything.)

Yes, children need approachable hymn repertoire but, by the time I was at primary school, we were singing 'proper' hymns and we had hymn practice every week. The only 'new' items we had were when the Twentieth Century tunes were first introduced in the late 1960s, such as "At the Name of Jesus" to Camberwell which is fine.

So, imagine my dismay when I found "We have a King who rides a donkey" in a hymn book.

 I'm sorry, but it does nothing for me. Can you see what I mean?

Bellringers' Outings

Bellringers like to go on outings and I join a group once a month. We visit 2 towers in the morning, have a pub lunch, and then visit 1 in the afternoon.

On Wednesday we started with a lovely ring of 6 where I have been once before. Next was an OK ring of 6 but I didn't like them as much, although they were not particularly hard work. I did not go to the 3rd tower because they are such hard work. (It turns out that it was as well I didn't go or have lunch because DHL had left me a parcel in direct sunlight and in full view of the street)

It is a sad fact that, when we visit some towers, we find evidence of past bands of ringers and a set of lovely bells: the church has no longer has a ringing band.

At other places the bells are so heavy and badly maintained that no learners would ever cope, so a band cannot be taught. It all comes down to money again.

I have noticed one thing in common with organs. IF money is sent on an organ overhaul, then it is just an overhaul and the instrument does not always become easier to play, although it will go on for longer. I have also known bells and fittings to be overhauled but then they are not actually any easier to ring and they do not sound any better.

Luckily, many organ and bell projects do yield good results and are worth the money spent. It is up to the church to ensure that they obtain value for money. Simply cleaning an organ does little real good if the action is shot.

Parish Magazines

In the 1970s the vicar at the church where I was first organist produced the Parish Magazine (or 'rag') on his Gestetner machine. Back then it seemed fine and would even pass muster today: photocopiers only came into use later.

As I visit churches I find all sorts of parish 'rags'. Yesterday I was ringing at somewhere near Corby and this church had a really professional publication with glossy paper and plenty of adverts but - I felt - little actual content.

One expects stories/reports from church organisations, a letter from the vicar, a list of services, Banns, Funerals, appeals and the odd photo. This example had some of those things but I felt there was too much 'white space'. It looked to have cost quite a bit to produce each copy too.

Each to his own.

Do not worry about tomorrow - really?

Matthew 6:34 is “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” [part of the Sermon on the Mount]

There are far too many people who take this as their modus operandi  - even people who do not read the Bible. I like to plan ahead and be ready although it took me many years to realise that I cannot plan for every single eventuality.

I am thinking of those people who do not do their work in advance; who fly by the seat of their pants. This is particularly people who are in charge and who delegate. I worked with a collegaue at school who set deadline for reports to be handed in to form teachers: he seldom stuck to his own deadlines.

I know of someone who does not work out music lesson timetables more than a week in advance - if that - whereas I always did them for a term, even if I had to tweak them later.

I have been asked to play "The Radezky March" as the exit music for a wedding with only a month to go. I still have not heard about the entrance music.

OK so don't worry about tomorrow but DO think what is coming up so other people can plan their lives and manage their time.

Streaming

I have played at a couple of churches where the service is streamed live. It then stays on YouTube for as long as the church leaves it there. I have been lucky in that I have not made any mistakes or bloopers which I would wish were not recorded: it may only be a matter of time!

I do find that knowing that the service is being broadcast gives the occasion a different feel. I suppose one does concentrate a little harder if you know the music is being recorded for posterity.

Unfortunately, the last 2 services at one church (one of which I played for) had no sound on YouTube (due to a technical issue) so you can see people singing but not hear them. The hymn words were displayed so those watching live could participate to an extent.

All this has come about because of Covid. Many Family History Societies are having Zoom meetings these days which means that people who live far away can attend and the speaker can also live further away than might be the case if they were engaged to do a live meeting. There are also no hall fees to pay so it's a win-win.

Will we even need church buildings in the future?

Please can we have

I was approached by an old couple yesterday, before the service, who knew that I will be playing at the church in a few weeks time. They asked if I would play one of their wedding pieces - from 40 years ago - as a voluntary the next time I am there.

This is a church where they actually sit and listen to the voluntary; they clap afterwards. The music requested is in my repertoire so I was happy to oblige. I just have to make sure I don't forget.

Shut the F*@# up!

I played three pre-service voluntaries today because there was a problem with the sound on the technology which allows the service to be streamed on YouTube. The start of the service was delayed.

The choir does not process in but they take their places before the service starts. The organ console is right next to the choir facing East and the Altos sit with their backs to the console, facing North.

One lady was having an extended conversation with the other alto which was rather loud. She did shut up by the 3rd voluntary but I felt this was extremely rude of her. I am a guest deputy so I did not feel it was my place to say anything as I'd quite like to be asked back. In fact I am filling in there several times before the and of August.

If she does it again I may mention it.

The Organists' Charitable trust

The OCT is a Trust set up to help organists (of all ages) in need. I have had no cause to apply for help as yet. When I was young I did receive a small grant from a Trust in my home town so I know these things exist. However, I suspect not many people know about the OCT and even fewer support it.

It strikes me as significant that the church - by which I mean people - does not always rally round those in need. I know some are very good at this but it isn't so in my experience.

Once one leaves the flock - as it were - one becomes invisible. I have plenty of experience of being invisible.

Twelve per year

It does not seem economically viable for the CoE to have so many churches which are used for one main service per month. Obviously there are other services which go on in benefice churches but the policy of having one vicar spread over several places is not - IMHO - easily defended. It causes a great deal of work and stress for the incumbent. Each parish/church needs to have a PCC and its own churchwardens. In the old days a priest would have just one PCC to deal with.

If one just considers the organ (as I am an organist), when there was a weekly service (as in my youth) then the instrument was used 52+ times a year (plus wedding, funerals and Easter/Christmas). An annual tuning visit was worth having: in fact there used to be two.

These days I play at my church one a month and the organ has not been tuned since I started there coming up to a year ago.

If income is based entirely upon collections and covenants and congregations are getting both smaller and older, it does not take a genius to work out that some churches will go under.

Gospel

In an upcoming wedding I shall only be required to play three hymns. Even those include 2 of my least liked examples.

1. One more step along the world I go
2. All things bright and Beautiful

I need not worry about the entrance and exit music (nor the registers) as the Gospel choir will provide the music.

To Mushel or not to Mushel

The 'Toccata in C' by Georgi Mushel used to be one of my regular voluntaries. I dug it out of the cupboard the other day and started to brush it up. I then wondered if playing music by a Russian composer is quite the thing to do in the current climate and crisis in Ukraine. Mushel was the former Professor of Composition at the Conservatory of Tashkent.

Pretend organ stops

The image below comes from Facebook and is of the stops on an imaginary organ with the labels of actions the organist might be tempted to take. Readers of my blog will know that I would add "Skip Show & Tell".

Toning down my criticism

I have just spent several minutes looking back at old posts and removing what I feel are harsh criticisms. I have always tried not to identify individuals and churches but it seems to me that there is probably enough information on this blog for someone clever to work out which places are being referred to.

How would I like it if someone started a blog commenting on me? Not at all.

The intention of this blog is to mention aspects of (my) church life which make me raise an eyebrow, have upset me, annoyed me or which I would eradicate if - as Harry Secombe sang - "I ruled the world".

We live in a changing world and the style of church-going I experienced in my youth is, perhaps, on the wane as is church-going in general. I am not saying that I found church wildly invigorating in the past but I do feel people 'play' at churches a bit these days.

Do write a comment if I overstep the mark on any occasion.

Go forth and tell

We had "Go forth and tell" this morning which we sang to 'Woodlands'. However, there is another very fine tune called 'Yanworth' by John Barnard which I think I prefer although I have just met it (it is in Hymns Old & New)

It is unfortunate that one has to stick to the more common tune in such situations, but there you are.

Just the Middle Class?

I have realised for a long time that the churches where I play the organ are attended by middle class people. I have not seen anybody who is unsure where their next meal is coming from, who might be in need of a bath or whose clothes have seen better days. This trend has been observed and written about on the web HERE and HERE

Looking back over my church attendance during the last 60 years I cannot recall having seen the less well-to-do filling the pews. (Some people may be good at hiding their financial status I suppose.)

It seems to me that - with the current cost of living crisis - those who attend church are going to start feeling the pinch. I don't have any answers but it just feels wrong that church is a place where people can congratulate each other and feel comfortable that they belong to a 'club' which is attended by folk in their own social class.

Matthew 26:11 "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me." (NIV). I think the poor feel shunned. This brings me back to my post about not having been contacted by anyone from my nearest church. Once you leave (or if you never appear) it is a case of "out of sight, out of mind."

Typos

These days it is common for people for produce their own services sheets for weddings and funerals given that computers are so common. Some do still get these done professionally. In both cases (as on this blog) unintentional typing errors - typos - can slip through.

It is when a service sheet has clearly not been checked by anybody, or has been checked by somebody who has simply not got a clue, that disaster can strike. if not disaster, then enough of an error is included to make somebody post the mistake on the Facebook group devoted to such examples.

Can you spot the error in the hymn verse below?

When Christ shall come and shout of acclamation,
and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart;
then I shall bow in humble adoration
and there proclaim: my God, how great Thou art.