Whirlwind Wednesday
Wednesdays are long days in Field Ed, but they're also among my favorites. I begin early, out of the house shortly after 6:00 am. First, Morning Prayer and Eucharist at Trinity. Then a bit of office time there, checking email and such, before I head over to St. A's. We began a Bible study there a few weeks ago which is proving to be very popular. It's based on this book, and the group is loving it. We've added people every week-- up to 9, yesterday-- and the questions and conversation just come pouring out when we're together. They all have taken to staying for the noon Eucharist, too, which has doubled the size of that service.
Carol and I had lunch with a colleague from across the line in Michigan (hey, Paula!), and then spent the afternoon doing prep work. Picked hymns for next Sunday, did some future planning for other events as well.
We are doing soup suppers and evening prayer on Wednesdays, and Carol asked if I'd be willing to lead Evensong last night, so I also spent some time laying that out. This is a congregation who likes to sing, but most of them do not have any experience with sung liturgy. And we have neither organ nor piano to support the congregation at this service. So I made some modifications-- used a simpler Phos hilaron than the normal service music, for example (Hymnal 1982, #25, if you're interested). We also read the psalm, as no one had a Plainsong book to follow (mine is still on the bookshelf at school). Carol accompanied us for the office hymn, which was a nice addition at that point (Note to self: the church owns two big binders containing most of the songs and a fair amount of serivce music from our hymnal, chorded for guitar. They were purchased somewhere; look into this).
I don't know that this would ever be a regular practice in this place; the nature of the community's spirituality is expressed in other ways. But it seemed to work out okay, as a trial. No one got lost, anyway.
Then blessedly home, out of work clothes, into jammies and bed by 9:30. Thanks be to God.
Carol and I had lunch with a colleague from across the line in Michigan (hey, Paula!), and then spent the afternoon doing prep work. Picked hymns for next Sunday, did some future planning for other events as well.
We are doing soup suppers and evening prayer on Wednesdays, and Carol asked if I'd be willing to lead Evensong last night, so I also spent some time laying that out. This is a congregation who likes to sing, but most of them do not have any experience with sung liturgy. And we have neither organ nor piano to support the congregation at this service. So I made some modifications-- used a simpler Phos hilaron than the normal service music, for example (Hymnal 1982, #25, if you're interested). We also read the psalm, as no one had a Plainsong book to follow (mine is still on the bookshelf at school). Carol accompanied us for the office hymn, which was a nice addition at that point (Note to self: the church owns two big binders containing most of the songs and a fair amount of serivce music from our hymnal, chorded for guitar. They were purchased somewhere; look into this).
I don't know that this would ever be a regular practice in this place; the nature of the community's spirituality is expressed in other ways. But it seemed to work out okay, as a trial. No one got lost, anyway.
Then blessedly home, out of work clothes, into jammies and bed by 9:30. Thanks be to God.
posted by Jane Ellen+ at
7:12 AM
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