Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Sunday, 24 February 2008
St Michael and All Angels, Bassett.
St Michael & All Angels
Bassett Avenue
Southampton
Hampshire
SO16 7FB
10am Extended Communion
From the Church Website:
The Review
After waking up rather late and rushing to the church, we arrived at St Michael and All Angels, Basset at exactly the same time as the choir. Or rather, we entered the building through the side door at the same time as they processed in. The choir was rather sizable, at least 20 people, with some young teenagers, all the way to pensioners.
The Church - according the reader speaking to us after the service - is "a bit of a Victorian barn". It has white painted plaster walls, stone ribs on the ceiling meeting in gold roses, and coloured plaques with gold symbols clearly relating to ecclesiastical matters. There Were magnificent stain glass windows at the front and back of the church, but plain windows down the side alowing in a lot of light. We sat at the back as is best when you're sneaking in late, and counted about 40 people in the congregation including a few small children. There was a wide age range who scattered themselves about the church in a sparse fashion on the rather creaky pews.
The service was an 'Extended Communion ' service based on Order One of the the Church of England's Book of Common Worship. Apparently, according to the younger one who read the House of Bishop's guidlines on the Rite of extended communion, the bread and wine are consecrated in one church and taken to another where a cut down service is used, because there is no Priest present. The cut down service does not have the words of consecration. The service was lead by one of the parish's five readers, Malcom Harper, who also gave the sermon.
The basic structure was as follows greeting, notices, confession, the collect, the sermon, intercessions, sharing the peace, the Eucharistic prayer, communion and the closing blessing. These were interspersed with hymns from the BBC Songs of Prayer hymn books. The younger one also spotted another set of hymn books, little red ones which must the the AMR's mentioned on the notice sheet for another service. Google tells us this is Ancient and Modern (Revised.) The aforementioned choir were fantastic. We're not sure which piece they sang during the communion but it was rather beautiful. The only problem with such a great choir is that the congregation becomes a bit of an audience. Especially in this case when the choirstall are behind a wooden screen, albeit a very beautiful one. We sang 210 Jesus Where'er Thy People Meet,
146 How Sweet The Name of Jesus Sounds, 93 Take Up Thy Cross the Saviour Said, and 142 Guide Me O Great Redeemer. It was only during this last hymn that the congregation seemed to really join in, but that's probably because it is quite a famous one, where as the others were a bit more obscure. The readings were Exodus 17:1-7, based on the Israelites quarreling over lack of water, Romans 5:1-11 on hope not disappointing, and John 4:5-42 where Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well. The sermon brought together the different bible readings focusing on the idea of God transcending the everyday and providing us with the spiritual water we need in everyday life. It lasted approximately 10 minutes.
The children who had been in the Sunday School for the majority of the service came in around half way through, and ranged in age from tinies to younger teens and slipped quietly into their seats and joined in with the rest of the service. There was a Children's corner with toys and book adjacent to the Lady chapel if they had felt they needed entertainment.
After the service, we returned our hymnbooks and service sheets and spoke for a while to the reader about the Church before retiring to the church hall for tea and coffee. The tea and coffee were rather good with the coffee being real coffee prepared in a cafetiere. The biscuits were also rather yummy, both of us going for shortbread rounds with chocolate chips. One lady introduced herself, asked about us, and filled us in on a bit more about the church. When she moved on, we stood around looking lost a bit longer to no avail before heading home.
Upon the reader's recommendation, we also attended Evensong at 6:30pm. Again this was a wonderful showcase for the talents of the excellent choir and organist. The musical aspect of the church really is the main feature of this church.
The Short Version
Traditional/Modern: As traditional as you can get before moving into smells and bells territory.
Formal/Informal: Fairly formal liturgy, though most of the congregation were dressed down and the atmosphere was fairly relaxed.
Solemn/Lively: Solemn and dignified.
Great: The Music and the decor of the building.
Not so great: The lack of audience participation for want of a better word. The Choral evensong did feel rather like a concert, albeit a very very good concert. A few issues with the PA system.
**NEW** Access: Side door is wheelchair friendly.
Overall a standard (from our experience) fairly high Anglican service, with very professional and talented choir and organist.
This review was written by the older one, with edits from the younger one.
Bassett Avenue
Southampton
Hampshire
SO16 7FB
10am Extended Communion
From the Church Website:
St. Michael’s has the largest congregation of the three churches in the parish. It has a broadening age-profile, with several families. It has an active Sunday School, and a Youth group. It also has a strong choral tradition and a large choir. It is a fairly large, traditional Anglican church, with a middle-to-high style of worship (including pointed psalms and all the trimmings), this worship being strongly Eucharistic.
Whilst the services may be seen as quite traditional, the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed, especially at the 10am service which families generally come to.
The Review
After waking up rather late and rushing to the church, we arrived at St Michael and All Angels, Basset at exactly the same time as the choir. Or rather, we entered the building through the side door at the same time as they processed in. The choir was rather sizable, at least 20 people, with some young teenagers, all the way to pensioners.
The Church - according the reader speaking to us after the service - is "a bit of a Victorian barn". It has white painted plaster walls, stone ribs on the ceiling meeting in gold roses, and coloured plaques with gold symbols clearly relating to ecclesiastical matters. There Were magnificent stain glass windows at the front and back of the church, but plain windows down the side alowing in a lot of light. We sat at the back as is best when you're sneaking in late, and counted about 40 people in the congregation including a few small children. There was a wide age range who scattered themselves about the church in a sparse fashion on the rather creaky pews.
The service was an 'Extended Communion ' service based on Order One of the the Church of England's Book of Common Worship. Apparently, according to the younger one who read the House of Bishop's guidlines on the Rite of extended communion, the bread and wine are consecrated in one church and taken to another where a cut down service is used, because there is no Priest present. The cut down service does not have the words of consecration. The service was lead by one of the parish's five readers, Malcom Harper, who also gave the sermon.
The basic structure was as follows greeting, notices, confession, the collect, the sermon, intercessions, sharing the peace, the Eucharistic prayer, communion and the closing blessing. These were interspersed with hymns from the BBC Songs of Prayer hymn books. The younger one also spotted another set of hymn books, little red ones which must the the AMR's mentioned on the notice sheet for another service. Google tells us this is Ancient and Modern (Revised.) The aforementioned choir were fantastic. We're not sure which piece they sang during the communion but it was rather beautiful. The only problem with such a great choir is that the congregation becomes a bit of an audience. Especially in this case when the choirstall are behind a wooden screen, albeit a very beautiful one. We sang 210 Jesus Where'er Thy People Meet,
146 How Sweet The Name of Jesus Sounds, 93 Take Up Thy Cross the Saviour Said, and 142 Guide Me O Great Redeemer. It was only during this last hymn that the congregation seemed to really join in, but that's probably because it is quite a famous one, where as the others were a bit more obscure. The readings were Exodus 17:1-7, based on the Israelites quarreling over lack of water, Romans 5:1-11 on hope not disappointing, and John 4:5-42 where Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well. The sermon brought together the different bible readings focusing on the idea of God transcending the everyday and providing us with the spiritual water we need in everyday life. It lasted approximately 10 minutes.
The children who had been in the Sunday School for the majority of the service came in around half way through, and ranged in age from tinies to younger teens and slipped quietly into their seats and joined in with the rest of the service. There was a Children's corner with toys and book adjacent to the Lady chapel if they had felt they needed entertainment.
After the service, we returned our hymnbooks and service sheets and spoke for a while to the reader about the Church before retiring to the church hall for tea and coffee. The tea and coffee were rather good with the coffee being real coffee prepared in a cafetiere. The biscuits were also rather yummy, both of us going for shortbread rounds with chocolate chips. One lady introduced herself, asked about us, and filled us in on a bit more about the church. When she moved on, we stood around looking lost a bit longer to no avail before heading home.
Upon the reader's recommendation, we also attended Evensong at 6:30pm. Again this was a wonderful showcase for the talents of the excellent choir and organist. The musical aspect of the church really is the main feature of this church.
The Short Version
Traditional/Modern: As traditional as you can get before moving into smells and bells territory.
Formal/Informal: Fairly formal liturgy, though most of the congregation were dressed down and the atmosphere was fairly relaxed.
Solemn/Lively: Solemn and dignified.
Great: The Music and the decor of the building.
Not so great: The lack of audience participation for want of a better word. The Choral evensong did feel rather like a concert, albeit a very very good concert. A few issues with the PA system.
**NEW** Access: Side door is wheelchair friendly.
Overall a standard (from our experience) fairly high Anglican service, with very professional and talented choir and organist.
This review was written by the older one, with edits from the younger one.
Monday, 18 February 2008
This Week
The older one was ill. No church was visited, not a good start really.
Well, this weeks church will be up next week then.
This would be easier if Sundays happened more often.
Well, this weeks church will be up next week then.
This would be easier if Sundays happened more often.
Sunday, 10 February 2008
St. Denys' - St. Denys
St Denys Church
Dundee Road
Southampton
SO17 2ND
11.00 am SALT service.
From the church's website:
The 11 am service aims to be a family friendly service spanning the whole age range, and a significant contribution to it comes from those who work with our young people and children. The other name for this service is SALT which stands for Sharing And Learning Together, and is based on our belief that children, young people and adults are all lifelong learners in the Christian faith.
Dundee Road
Southampton
SO17 2ND
11.00 am SALT service.
From the church's website:
The 11 am service aims to be a family friendly service spanning the whole age range, and a significant contribution to it comes from those who work with our young people and children. The other name for this service is SALT which stands for Sharing And Learning Together, and is based on our belief that children, young people and adults are all lifelong learners in the Christian faith.
The Review
Righto then, off we trundled of a beautiful Sunday morning to St. Denys' Church and wandered in to the main entrance of the church centre and looked a bit lost, basically 'cause we were. We asked someone also wandering in for directions to the service, which we were informed was in the main hall at the end of the long corridor.
At this point it's worth mentioning why we were in the hall. It turns out the (incredibly beautiful) church building is not used as its too expensive to heat and needs some repair work. If I were a rich man...*The Older one dances about in a musical theatre fashion*
The Hall contained a wooden altar, with large painted wall hangings, flowing down from the ceiling behind it. Next to the altar was a simple wood lectern and a keyboard. We wandered in and the lady who'd directed us before pointed out the hymn books ("the source" - the older one had a flick through and reports it encompasses old hymns, modern worship songs and all points between) and the notice sheet for the week. We took a seat on the second row fairly comfortable plastic chairs, ones seen in schools throughout the land. The place had about 60 seats, but the whole first row was empty, so about 50 people.
Righto then, off we trundled of a beautiful Sunday morning to St. Denys' Church and wandered in to the main entrance of the church centre and looked a bit lost, basically 'cause we were. We asked someone also wandering in for directions to the service, which we were informed was in the main hall at the end of the long corridor.
At this point it's worth mentioning why we were in the hall. It turns out the (incredibly beautiful) church building is not used as its too expensive to heat and needs some repair work. If I were a rich man...*The Older one dances about in a musical theatre fashion*
The Hall contained a wooden altar, with large painted wall hangings, flowing down from the ceiling behind it. Next to the altar was a simple wood lectern and a keyboard. We wandered in and the lady who'd directed us before pointed out the hymn books ("the source" - the older one had a flick through and reports it encompasses old hymns, modern worship songs and all points between) and the notice sheet for the week. We took a seat on the second row fairly comfortable plastic chairs, ones seen in schools throughout the land. The place had about 60 seats, but the whole first row was empty, so about 50 people.
After a minute or two of kerfuffle and such the Vicar (Rev. Kelvin Randall) said " Hello everybody, it must be time to start now." Notices were given, and there were quite a few, including that none the music group were available this week, so we had recordings to accompany our singing. We proceeded to sing "Great is Thy faithfulness" a 1920's hymn of a traditional style. Next we were given a task, the children were to build a wall of boxes using a chain of people to pass the boxes to the wall. Meanwhile the rest of the congregation were split in two groups and had a brief outline of the events of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem to put in order. After this was complete, the Vicar put on the music for the lively and modern "Be bold, be strong", which was sung with gusto and followed by a short prayer. Then the children left, and the Vicar read Matthew 21 v33-46.
A member of the congregation stood up and delivered an excellent 24 minute sermon on God being "the Boss", like the vineyard owner of the parable and in charge of your life, we are tenants of his earth and we must produce good fruit. She was called Sarah we think, and made amusing use of business jargon! After the sermon we sang "My Jesus, I love Thee." a more traditional style hymn and another more modern song, that neither of us can remember. There was a time of prayer then a time for any of the congregation to share something they were thankful for they with everyone, then we sang the final hymn the stirring "And Can It Be that I Should Gain". The older one reckons this was one of the best bits of the service, especially when the recorded music ran out, and we had to sing the last verse acapella. The collection was taken during this hymn, a short collect said together followed and we were dismissed with the offer of refreshments at the back.
After returning the hymn book we collected some very acceptable tea and coffee and stood about looking lost. Almost immediately members of the congregation (and, later, the Vicar) came and spoke to us, and very friendly and interesting, the older one having a fascinating conversation about the Vicar's shoes. We spoke at length and were shown around the Church. Though we were not invited to lunch we were told that the first Sunday of the month they have both their services combined, after which they have a meal together.
After returning the hymn book we collected some very acceptable tea and coffee and stood about looking lost. Almost immediately members of the congregation (and, later, the Vicar) came and spoke to us, and very friendly and interesting, the older one having a fascinating conversation about the Vicar's shoes. We spoke at length and were shown around the Church. Though we were not invited to lunch we were told that the first Sunday of the month they have both their services combined, after which they have a meal together.
One of things that really stood out for the younger one was how calm and peaceful the service felt, especially for a family service. It was occasionally interrupted by a squawk of a baby, but that only added to the feeling of togetherness, especially the giggling baby during the prayers.
Even though it was a small church, there seems to be a thriving community. The notice sheet has information on a number of cell group meetings, prayer meetings and so on. They maintain a link with a church in Busoga, Uganda as well.
Even though it was a small church, there seems to be a thriving community. The notice sheet has information on a number of cell group meetings, prayer meetings and so on. They maintain a link with a church in Busoga, Uganda as well.
The Short Version
Traditional/Modern: A real mix of both, traditional and modern songs and worship styles all in one service.
Formal/Informal: Very informal, vicar in dog collar and jumper (and funky shoes!), and interactive tasks.
Solemn/Lively: Fairly lively, though quite laid back about it.
Great: Very friendly & welcoming, with a mixture of worship styles. A fairly small church were everyone noticed we were new and spoke to us.
Not so great: It was a shame there was no-one to lead the music and both of us were mildly disappointed about the main church building not being used,(not that they can really help that).
All in all, a lovely welcoming church. Highly recommended. We'll be coming back to try the 9:30am!
This review was mainly written by the younger one, with edits by the older.
Traditional/Modern: A real mix of both, traditional and modern songs and worship styles all in one service.
Formal/Informal: Very informal, vicar in dog collar and jumper (and funky shoes!), and interactive tasks.
Solemn/Lively: Fairly lively, though quite laid back about it.
Great: Very friendly & welcoming, with a mixture of worship styles. A fairly small church were everyone noticed we were new and spoke to us.
Not so great: It was a shame there was no-one to lead the music and both of us were mildly disappointed about the main church building not being used,(not that they can really help that).
All in all, a lovely welcoming church. Highly recommended. We'll be coming back to try the 9:30am!
This review was mainly written by the younger one, with edits by the older.
Saturday, 9 February 2008
The First Post
Salutations.
The nature of this blog, I suspect, is somewhat self explanatory in principle yet rather lacking in detail. So allow me to enlighten you, somewhat, on the inner workings. We, the Intrepid Duo, travel to a different church in Southampton and wander in, looking lost, just before service time. We are both looking for a new church, as our old one has ceased to fulfill, so we are genuine and would be doing this anyhow. However in a moment of genius/insanity the older one decided that we could record our exploits in the form of a weblog, to share with others and also remind ourselves.
As the first visit is tomorrow we are busy thinking up marking criteria, clearly the reviews will be strongly subjective, especially on matters such as the sermon's content, the choice of music, or quality of communion wine. The number of invites to lunch after and length of the sermon are easily quantified, while the warmth of welcome and comfort of pew are to a lesser extent.
The Intrepid Duo between us have been about a bit church-wise, but not so much in Southampton. The older one has a middle of the road anglican starting point tempered with a large dollop of highly charismatic evangelical house church. I myself have a young childhood of middle-high traditional anglican a large gap and then a sprinkling of this and that. Our last church was a low, fairly evangelical Anglican jobby. We have no idea what our ideal church is, hence trying them all.
Oh, and yes we are totallyripping off inspired by the Mystery Worshipper of Ship of Fools.
The nature of this blog, I suspect, is somewhat self explanatory in principle yet rather lacking in detail. So allow me to enlighten you, somewhat, on the inner workings. We, the Intrepid Duo, travel to a different church in Southampton and wander in, looking lost, just before service time. We are both looking for a new church, as our old one has ceased to fulfill, so we are genuine and would be doing this anyhow. However in a moment of genius/insanity the older one decided that we could record our exploits in the form of a weblog, to share with others and also remind ourselves.
As the first visit is tomorrow we are busy thinking up marking criteria, clearly the reviews will be strongly subjective, especially on matters such as the sermon's content, the choice of music, or quality of communion wine. The number of invites to lunch after and length of the sermon are easily quantified, while the warmth of welcome and comfort of pew are to a lesser extent.
The Intrepid Duo between us have been about a bit church-wise, but not so much in Southampton. The older one has a middle of the road anglican starting point tempered with a large dollop of highly charismatic evangelical house church. I myself have a young childhood of middle-high traditional anglican a large gap and then a sprinkling of this and that. Our last church was a low, fairly evangelical Anglican jobby. We have no idea what our ideal church is, hence trying them all.
Oh, and yes we are totally
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