My Sunday began at the really cool Bed-and-Breakfast place where I have been staying for the Arnold Classic bodybuilding Expo, with (what else?) ... BREAKFAST! Here is the dining room:
Had I known how easy the church was to find, I would have walked; it is only about 3/4 of a mile from the Bed-and-Breakfast, and it was a bright, sunny day in Columbus.
I arrived early, hoping to take some photographs of the church building. I was greeted by this sign, which included those favourite words of mine: "Traditional 1928 BCP" ... I knew that I was in the right spot!
The building was large and lovely:
The interior was simple, but lovely as well.
Inside, I was greeted warmly by three ladies who were discussing painting ... does it get any better than that?? I then met one of the three priests on staff, Rev. Wale Fafiade. I made my way to my "assigned pew" (i.e., the one exactly corresponding to where Cindy and I sit at St. Bartholomew's), and soon I heard a very excellent choir rehearsing in some distant room. This was going to be really good!
And, from the first notes of the opening Organ Prelude, to the last echo of the Postlude, the entire service left nothing to be desired. We said The Litany, something I don't get to do so often, which I loved. And we sung some gems, a few of them previously unknown to me, from The Hymnal 1940. At first, I feared attendance would be low, but many parishioners arrived just in the nick of time, before the Processional began, so the nave was well-populated by the start of The Litany.
The sermon was given by The Reverend Michael H Cochran, and he used for his text the Epistle for the Third Sunday in Lent (Ephesians 5:1-14). But Fr. Cochran also read us the first verse from the Revised Standard Version, which urges us to be imitators of God, and that was the great theme of his sermon.
The Offertory Anthem was wonderfully done by the small choir. I had a strong temptation to try to sing along, which I resisted!
Communion was in silent reverence, and afterward I remembered (on the 2nd verse) the bass part for "O Saving Victim", Hymn #209, which also pleased me.
The Recessional hymn was a favourite of Cindy's and mine: #61 (The Glory of These Forty Days), a most appropriate Hymn in Lent!
On the way out, I was pleased to meet the third priest on staff, the Reverend John Battison.
In all, a most wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning. My great hope is to visit again, but with my wife and children joining me.
5 comments:
The sign makes me wonder what their contemporary 1928 BCP service is like. (Guess I'll have to visit Columbus and find out! ;)
Nice photos, Paul! Thanks for sharing about your Sunday morning experience.
Thanks, Jill.
I, too, wondered about the Contemporary 1928 BCP service, and nearly decided to go, but I had a "social emergency" (had to smoke a cigar with a good buddy of mine).
While at the 10:00am Sunday service, however, I saw the printed liturgy for the Saturday evening "Contemporary" service, and it looked great! It was straight 1928 BPC, no funny stuff. As far as I could see, the main "contemporary" thing about it was the music. I will likely attend it next time I'm in Columbus.
I was wondering the same thing. This from their website: "This service has a relaxed and joyful atmosphere with more music which [...] enlivens the service. The congregation actively participates in the reading the lessons and singing a wide variety of current worship songs as well as new arrangements of old hymn favorites. A celebration of the Holy Communion is integrated into the service and liturgies are chosen from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer."
Misguided but probably not as bad as it could be. I find it interesting that they consider Communion to be an addendum to the contemporary service rather than the other way around. Sounds a bit like putting lipstick on a pig to me, ... but maybe it's a nice pig.
I don't want to end on a sour note. I am glad you got a chance to worship there. They seem to know what they are about.
Jack -
Could it be that you are reading too much into the word "integrated"? I will find out what this service is like, God willing, when I visit again in July.
--Paul
I'm not reading anything into it, just seemed like an odd way to put it. I would have said that we integrate contemporary music into the existing '28 communion service rather than the other way around.
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