Church smells

Smell can evoke a sense of place. There used to be a particularly calming 'smell' about Peterborough Cathedral (in the South transcept) which was there when I was a boy and continued to be present for 30-35 years aferwards. I think the fire in 2001 must have done something to whatever caused this smell as I didn't notice it after that.

I notice smells in church. Often they are from ladies of a certain age who wear too much perfume. Recently I have been sitting at a console close to a choir and somebody must have used Olbus Oil or something similar.

I'd rather that than the smell of smoke from so-called incense, which I detest!

Let's move them

Many churches decide to shift gravestones and put them in neat rows 'out of the way'. In some places I have seen the whole churchyard cleared and the headstones placed around the perimeter of the churchyard. In some situations this is quite sensible but I do wonder if anybody actually bothers to record the details from the memorials.

What is worse is when memorials are used to make a path.

 

Cool

In the current UK heatwave churches are nice places to be because they are cool: freezing cold (often) in the winter, but cool in the summer.

Bellringing chambers can be somewhat closed and stuffy however, so this is where ground floor rings come into their own.

I had a pleasant day out on Wednesday visiting North Luffenham, Ryhall (upstairs) and Easton-on-the-hill. This last tower is now a 6 having been a 4 which I thought I had never visited. However, looking at my pre-university ringing records (I stopped keeping records when I left uni) I had been to the 4 many years ago.

This is my once a month ringing as I do not ring anywhere else.

Memory playing tricks again!

Behind Organs

Churches contain a lot of junk which nobody wants to discard. Even those materials which might come in handy need to be stored somewhere and round the back of the organ is often qute a 'good' place.

Fed up

I admit to being a bit fed up with the C of E. By that I mean I am fed up with the pretence that people (and the church is the people) actually care. So, I am fed up with church people.

Why?

1. Bellringing. Still nobody has enquired as to my well-being after my departure from the ringing chamber some week ago. Of course, it does not follow that bellringers are Christians and so one cannot reasonably expect them to act in a Christian way: except that I know some of them profess to be practising Christians.
2. Organ playing. I have stuggled to understand what happened this weekend just gone when I found out by accident that there had been a wedding I was not asked to play for. One hopes that the reason is a good one but, had the book not gone missing I should never have known. Thus I feel there has been a lack of openness. How can a church claim it has no organist and yet one magically appears out of the blue?
3. Vicars and 'modern worship'. The current crop of incumbents are relatively young (compared to me) and have - probably - not been 'brought up' around organists and 'proper' church music. They do not know how to engage with professional musicians. I have been the 'victim' (for want of a better word) of a misunderstanding regarding a previous wedding and I fear the same thought processes have resulted in the current situation.
4. Silly season in church. The new idea in church is to have 'activity resources' or 'inclusivity packs'. Thus, on each pew, one church has a container of paper, crayons and pipe-cleaners for people (of all ages) to fiddle with - if they want to - during a service.
   

Why do I bother?

A club?

Nothing really new today as I suppose this is one of the bees in my bonnet.

Church services these days - in some places - seem to be little more than House Groups taking place in a church building. There are places where the services are led entirely by the priest or priests in charge (with members of the congregation reading or doing the intercessions) but I have attended services where there is a great deal of chatter during the service which is actually encouraged by the priest. I leave feeling that I have not participated in an act of worship.

I have recently found a church which does have all the elements and style which I like and which is also in dire need of an organist. They said they felt I could help them but they have not got back to me!

Disappointing.

The missing hymn book

I played for two services yesterday: the last time I shall do so in the benefice.

When I arrived at church #2, I found that the organ copy of the hymn book was not there. A cupboard was located with spares and so this was not a disaster.

Later, I emailed a contact in the choir (the choir had not been at the cafe service) to say that the actual organ copy was missing. I was stunned by the reply which was:

"I think they all got swept up together and put back into the case after the wedding last week"

Hold on!

Who played the organ for the wedding? Not me: I had not even been offered it. As yet I have not had a reply to my query to this effect. I suppose the couple could have supplied their own organist. As I am not the officially appointed organist I suppose I was not due the 'bench fee' in lieu. If, however, the vicar had engaged someone else I do feel this is unfair.

I have been playing at that church for several months, for both the monthly services and they pay a fee which I have accepted but which is small in the grand scheme of things: £20 each service, on which I pay tax. Many organists would not get out of bed for that sum.

The cafe service yesterday was particulaly tedious and dragged on for a whole hour because it was taken by somebody different: the norm has been 45 minutes.

So, to have me turn up - reliably - and play for the run of the mill services and then not to offer me the perk of a wedding fee is rather unfair I feel.