Fifty Years

I have been a church organist for 50 years this year. I have seen a lot of changes. I do not think the church will need organists in 50 years time, at least not in England.

Long service

I have had a dreadful morning: you couldn't make it up. I have material for a few posts, one may be quite long unless I cool down first.

The sermon today was given by a (senior) member of the congregation; a churchwarden I believe. It was about bread given that today was Harvest Festival.

She wanted to sum up, using children to hold up the ingredients of bread - flour, salt, water, fat, sugar, yeast. I guess it was all about different things make bread just as different people make up the world; you know, the 'talents' sermon I keep hearing.

Just as she was listing yeast and sugar a member of the congregation interrupted - at length - and sternly made the point that sugar is not strictly needed to make bread: it simply speeds up the yeast fermentation and is thus an idea from mass manufacture. She was 'keen' that the children did not leave the service with the wrong idea. She had missed the point, I feel.

The acted-out sermon (using children again) was long enough already without this delay and, in total, lasted 21 minutes.

It reminded me of the old story:

Hit Me Again

“I heard about a man who was supposed to preach for 20 minutes and he spoke for 30 and 40 and 50. An hour and 20 minutes later he was still speaking. The man who introduced him couldn’t stand it any longer and he picked up a gavel and threw it at the speaker. It missed the speaker and hit a man in the front row, and as the man in the front row was going into subconsciousness, he said, ‘Hit me again, I can still hear him.’”

It can be done

On Sunday (I've missed a couple of days as I've been busy) I played for a service which lasted 50 minutes. It started on time, had a sermon (not too long) and 4 hymns. So, if it can be done at one church why not at others?

I can manage an hour but I do get restless when clergy bang on for no reason and drag things out to 90 minutes. They do insist on trying to cover the whole of theology in their sermons rather than making one or two good points.

This church was part of another benefice and the vicar did have to get a few miles down the road to another service but it was refreshing to be at a service which covered all the necessary elements and flowed well.

It is a shame that it is 20 miles away!