 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
The church: Truro Cathedral, Cornwall, England.
Denomination: Church of England.
The building: Lofty Victorian Gothic revival, built at the end of the 19th century.
The neighbourhood: Truro is the capital of Cornwall.
The cast: The service was sung by the visiting choir, The Bristol Graduate Singers. The officiant was unnamed but was presumably the canon in residence that week, Canon Peter Goodridge.
Evensong.
How full was the building?
The chancel was fairly full and there were a few in the nave – about 55 in all, which is good for a Friday evening.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
A verger was trying to stop people entering, saying, "There's a service on. Are you here for the service?"
Was your pew comfortable?
Yes.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
Mostly quiet except for five young people chatting.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
"O Lord open thou our lips."
What books did the congregation use during the service?
Book of Common Prayer.
What musical instruments were played?
Two organs – the main organ plus a chamber organ for the anthem by William Mundy.
Did anything distract you?
The young people chatting during a particularly fine organ voluntary.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
Dignified, understated, mainly plainsong by men's voices.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
There was no sermon.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
Decent-lengthed pauses after each of the readings to allow their message to sink in.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
Nothing.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
The person next to me asked me where I was from, and we talked about choirs.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
There was none.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
7. The music and ceremonial are done well without being obtrusive, and would be an excellent aid to contemplation.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Yes. The service was a commemoration of Bishop Jeremy Taylor, and included prayers for Northern Ireland. It enshrined centuries of tradition but the prayers also focused upon the modern world.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
Finding a haven of peace after a lot of holiday travelling.
| The Mystery Worshipper is sponsored by surefish.co.uk, the internet service provider from Christian Aid. By offering email services, special offers with companies such as amazon.co.uk and smile.co.uk, surefish raises more than £300,000 a year for Christian Aid's work around the world. Click here to find out how to become a Mystery Worshipper. And click here if you would like to reproduce this report in your church magazine or website. Top | Other Reports | Become a Mystery Worshipper! © Ship of Fools 2000 |
|
 |