Vicar's letter
| Consideration for other Worshippers |
Vicar's letter |
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Persons are very different one from another. Some are more extrovert, some more introvert; some more visual, some more verbal, some more musical, some more attentive. There are times when there are conflicts between different desires of different persons. If those who wish for quiet are in the same building as those who wish to talk, there is a conflict.
When we come to church we rightly expect to encounter in some form or other our great, awesome and mysterious, ever loving God. We encounter God in many ways. Often it is through silence, through attentiveness, through our quiet watching and waiting. It is completely appropriate to greet warmly our fellow worshippers when we come to church; it is best to do this as quietly and graciously as possible; always remembering that there are those wishing to collect themselves in quietness before the service begins. Again during the service let us attend to God and create an atmosphere so other persons can also attend to God. It really helps if this marks the whole service including during the administration of the most holy sacrament. Immediately after the service, again quiet helps but after a few moments it is good to greet each other and to talk with each other; especially after the 9.30am service at All Saints; before the 11.00am service at St Philip’s and after the 11.00am service at St Stephen’s over coffee or tea.
I believe that it would help our lives and our worship if many more persons came to the refreshments provided before or after services and there was less bustle and noise in church before services. I would greatly appreciate help with this.
Christopher Morgan-Jones
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