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.
1 comment:
Glad you enjoyed your visit.
Just to say - the lack of musicians was very unusual - happens about once a year!
The church building is used once a month from March-September for family communion services. That's when we don't need to heat it and there's enough of us not to completely rattle around.
And the preacher was Sarah!
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