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Singing as Worship
"Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise" (Psalm 66.1-2)
Singing is such an important part of our worship. We praise, we pray and we give thanks to God through our singing. When we come to worship, we come to give glory to God and we should give of our very best.This is why a group of us have met to try to form a singing group with the aim of encouraging and leading the congregational singing. We do not have the knowledge to form a choir as such, but we believe that, as this group develops and grows, it will become a source of inspiration for its members and for our worship as a whole. We all have gifts and a love of music and singing. Here are some of the things that were said at our last meeting in which we tried to discover something about our gifts and what God might have in store for us!
We asked for the Spirit to guide us in all things. We listen to each other and try to work as a united body. We will build each other up, encouraging each other to become confident in all that we do. We always want to sing meaningful words and are open to all styles of music as long as we feel that we can do them well. Katherine can, of course, play the organ, some of us can harmonise, some can read music, some can write hymns, some can play a recorder, some can play the guitar or drums and we can all play hands and feet! We talked about the importance of music in general and of how we can listen to it so as to discover its power in worship. Some questions were: can we sing psalms? can we sing the Gloria better? Can we use some popular songs (Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson)? Can we sing in canon?.Can we sing the Sanctus? We all agreed that congregational singing should be heartfelt, lively, sincere, joyful and helpful for everyone. Of course, not all these things can happen at once and we will see little by little how the group will develop and flourish.
The next practice will be on Sunday 7th February after the service in the upstairs room. If you like singing and want to come, please feel very welcome.You will enjoy it!
This community is also very lucky to have professional singers and musicians and from time to time, when their busy schedules permit, they are able to make a much appreciated contribution.
The The Singing Group
(we have yet to find a name for ourselves, any ideas?)
Looking back to warmer days !
This summer, which now seems so very far away, Lionel and I spent several weeks in the UK. Apart from the weather which was ghastly, we had a very good and interesting time. Having spent a couple of days with my brother and his family near London, we head slowly north meandering our way so as to do a Cathedral crawl. Saint Alban’s was our first stop which seemed appropriate! We saw Kings College Chapel in Cambridge (not a Cathedral of course but steeped in history and centuries of worship) before visiting Peterborough, Lincoln and Coventry, Ripon and Inverness Cathedrals. They are all wonderful historic and holy places and they all have something special to offer. I think my favourite is Coventry. It is a modern Cathedral but it touches the ruins of the old Cathedral which was bombed during the Second World War. In spite of being built in concrete, the new Cathedral is inspiring.. It is a holy place where light, colour and the simplicity of great art are brought together to make a place of worship worthy of God and which is spiritually alive for its worshipers. The Altar of the remaining shell of the old Cathedral still stands in its place. At the foot of the altar is this prayer:
Father forgive
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father forgive
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
Father forgive
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
Father forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
Father forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children.
Father forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father forgive.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.,
The new cathedral, rising from the ruins of the old, speaks clearly of the resurrection; the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation, peace and newness of life. To visit Coventry is to be given a real feeling of repentance, thankfulness and hope for reconciliation in other parts of the world. I think of all the people in our community who have known war and unrest and whose countries are still struggling with forgiveness and reconciliation.
We didn’t only visit Cathedrals. We spent 10 days in Upper Armley, on the western outskirts of Leeds, where I did a placement in the Anglican Evangelical Parish there. We stayed with the vicar, Arani Sen and his wife Alison. Arani was born in England of Indian parents and educated in a Church of England school. He was brought up Hindu but became a Christian and has been a priest for about ten years. Arani and Alison welcomed us as members of the family and we were thoroughly spoilt! The idea wasn’t just to share hospitality but to work in the Parish and get to know the people. Being the summer, it was calmer than usual but I still got to see and understand quite a lot.
Worship was a happy time where people gathered in a very relaxed manner; children, elderly people, families, English, African, Asian and asylum seekers of different nationalities. Sounds a bit like us? The use of overhead projectors which enabled the congregation to lift their faces from a book and microphones that enable the minister or preacher to move around seemed to me a great idea!
It is an active and growing Church in which a large number of people use their gifts in different ways. There is a music group (guitars, wind instruments and drums), a choir and the possibility for everyone to play their part in worship. I found this uplifting and good. Weekly Bible studies and prayer lunches are among the weekly activities for learning and praying together.
Their Youth Project is thriving. It started by them opening their doors to the young people on the streets who didn’t know what to do with themselves. Upper Armley is to the West of Leeds and unemployment, sometimes second generation, is rife. There are social problems, housing problems and poverty which leads to drug use, crime and a sense of helplessness. The Church addressed the immediate needs of the young people just outside their doors, giving them somewhere to go to enjoy company and various activities. This project grew so well that there are now two paid members of staff to help run it. There are summer camps for the young too but I didn’t have time to visit them.
Their other big project is with asylum seekers. The Church offers community meals, advice, English lessons, lessons in computer skills and outings and fun. This support is immeasurably important for those seeking asylum and we had the opportunity to go on one of the outings to a farm and animal centre. It was great to see the children running around having fun, discovering the animals and playing together. For the adults it was a time to forget their problems for a little while and to enjoy the fresh air and a short break in the presence of friends who cared.
Both Lionel and I were greatly moved and encouraged to see that they are responding to the needs of those around them and serving in love, generosity and fellowship.
Saying goodbye to Arani and Alison, we set off again, ever northwards, to visit Alex and Geraldine in Inverness. They are well and working hard (surprise!) and they think of us all often. We then drove south to Portsmouth and then home, feeling richly blessed by our experiences of the summer. It is good to recall them now, in the middle of winter when we long for summer days, even the summer days of the North of England!!
Christine Bloomfield
1st February, 2010
St Alban's Anglican Church, Strasbourg
ANNUAL CHAPLAINCY MEETING
19 April 2009
ANNUAL REPORT BY THE PRIEST-IN-CHARGE
It is now three years since I was instituted as Priest-in-charge of this Chaplaincy. I originally signed up for a three-year term, a period which has been slightly extended as I shall cease to be Priest-in-charge at the end of September. It has been a busy and an extremely happy and fulfilling period for both Diane and me. From October onwards we shall have more time for other activities, and we are looking forward to this, but, having spent most of our adult lives here, we shall be staying on in Alsace, though moving to a village on the edge of the Vosges. That means that I shall still be available to help with the work of the Chaplaincy, though my precise rôle will depend very much on what my successor will feel to be appropriate.
Ministry with the international Christian community which forms this Chaplaincy continues to be as varied, as stimulating and as challenging as ever. Each person brings something different and valuable to our Christian life and each person has their own needs, both spiritual and practical. Pastoral work, the hidden part of the iceberg of church life, brings me into contact with a wide range of needs, problems and opportunities. Occasional baptisms, weddings and funerals often bring us into contact with families who do not otherwise have much contact with the church. It is important to take trouble with these events, because if we can give people a good experience of the church at these crucial moments in their lives, this may bear fruit in terms of a strengthened Christian commitment in the future.
Let me mention at this point that we have had to say farewell on earth during the past year to some former members of the Chaplaincy: Kathleen Jones, Peter Castle, Sylvia Fearn and John Priestman. We remember them with fondness and commend them to God's mercy.
Our pattern of worship remains fairly stable. The basic diet of Common Worship eucharist is varied from time to time by a more flexible liturgy offering something special for the children and young people. The monthly celebrations according to the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 continue to attract a small but faithful congregation, and I appreciate these times of quiet prayer in the beautiful language with which many of us were brought up. The Malagasy Anglicans are now meeting more frequently: there is now a monthly bilingual eucharist in French and Malagasy. The Malgaches arekeen, however, to be part of our community as a whole, and we must continue to think how best to respond to the needs of those who do not know much English.
Now that we have acquired the new hymn books we are able to have a more varied selection of hymns and songs. We continue to be tremendously grateful to Katherine for her organ music (and not least the quirky things she tells us about the composers in the organ notes) and to David for leading the singing from time to time with his guitar. It is a shame that we no longer have Tim as part of our musical team, but we are grateful for all he contributed to us in the past with his singing group, and in many other ways.
It was pleasing to see three people confirmed during the past year, all adults. It is very encouraging when people of mature years decide to make this commitment of faith.
Work with the younger members of the congregation has had its ups and downs. Although we have seen something of a baby boom, and we have several very young children, there is currently a shortage of children of Sunday School age. This is why Sunday School has been suspended for the time being. It is very important, however, that we do not just forget about work with children. We need to start planning to meet the needs of the coming generation of young children. This is a matter for all of us to work at; we cannot leave it all to the small team of Sunday School teachers who have put in so much effort during recent years.
On the brighter side, I am delighted that Christine, who is of course a teacher in her other life, has engaged the enthusiasm of the teenagers, who now meet on many Sunday afternoons and have made several creative contributions to our worship. As a sign that the group is developing its specific identity, it has recently adopted a name: the ACES (Amis du Christ Ensemble).
I remain convinved that a healthy Christian community needs to provide opportunities for people to pray and learn together in informal settings outside the Sunday services. Despite a number of attempts during the past three years, it has not been easy to get activities of this kind off the ground. I am encouraged, however, by the success of our Lent group this year. The « York course » that we followed proved very successful in stimulating thought and discussion, and it does look as if a Sunday afternoon time slot is more convenient for many people than weekday evenings. The talks (and occasional visits) that we organise jointly with the International Church of Strasbourg, have covered several fascinating topics and now seem to be attracting more people. We also jointly organised an English-language service for Women's World Day of Prayer. In addition to that, many may be surprised to know that, more often than not, I am joined at Morning Prayer in the chapel at 2 Quai Mathiss by one, two or ocasionally even more of our members.
We have had a number of special events during the past year. There have been the usual two annual weekends at Liebfrauenberg. The Chaplaincy weekend held recently did not attact so many people from Strasbourg or Heidelberg this year, but the striking new development was that Stuttgart, which has been more or less absent for years, sent the biggest contingent this time. Those who took part enjoyed the talks by Sue Hobley on « Unexpected guests » as well as the worship, the conversations and the time to enjoy the countryside. The more informal sleepover last May was again a great success, and we hope lots of you will want to go to this year's sleepover on 16 and 17 May. For our silent retreat last year, we tried a new venue, the Couvent des Soeurs du Très Saint Sauveur at Oberbronn. Brother Anthony of Burford Priory (England) gave a series of thought-provoking addresses based on his personal experience and we all agreed that Oberbronn, where we were made to feel very welcome, was a place we would enjoy returning to in the future.
As you know, our outward giving is now, for legal reasons, organised through a separate association, the Association Caritative Anglicane de Strasbourg, Although this association has its own annual assembly, it is only right to mention it here as it is an important part of the work of the Chaplaincy. Our commitment to give away 10% of our income to those less fortunate than ourselves remains, and it will be important for everyone to find effective ways of raising funds for our outward giving through fund-raising activities of one kind or another.
A highlight of the past year was of course Christine's ordination to the diaconate on 5 July in the magnificent setting of the Eglise St Thomas. This was a memorable occasion liturgically and we enjoyed having Bishop David with us for the weekend. I should add that the buffet lunch that followed in the Münsterhof was also magnificent!
Already in this initial year, Christine has brought new strengths and energy to the ordained ministry in this Chaplaincy, which I think we all greatly appreciate. For me it is a great joy to have a colleague with whom I can share ideas and discuss problems. The early years of ministry are of course very much a time of continuing training, and we know that Christine has also had to cope this year with new demands at work as well as some health problems. So please redouble your prayers for her as she moves towards her ordination to the priesthood, planned for 11 July – and put the date in your diaries.
The ordination of women continues, of course, to be a controversial matter in many circles. Even in the Anglican Church, there are quite a lot of people who feel it to be unacceptable. We are fortunate, therefore, that the ordination of women does not seem, as far as I am aware, to be a problem for our congregation in Strasbourg. On the other hand, as is well known, the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church are firmly opposed to this development, and this obviously creates a potentially delicate situation for us who worship in a Roman Catholic building.
This matter has the subject of careful discussions with the Prior of the Dominicans and with the Archbishop of Strasbourg and his ecumenical officer. The Prior and the Archbishop made it clear that they have no desire to bring to an end the hospitality which the Dominicans have offered us for nearly forty years, but we, for our part, are aware that, as guests, we must be careful not to offend Catholic sensitivities in this delicate area. The upshot of all this is that it is agreed that we can continue to worship in the Dominican church and that this hospitality will now be formalised in a written agreement which is now ready to be signed. The agreement, which does not introduce any change of substance except that we shall put up a notice to say « Anglican service in progress », is phrased in notably generous and welcoming language. I am delighted that it has been possible to renew, and I would say strengthen, our relationship at a time when some developments in the Anglican Church have been perceived as problematic by Catholics. One point of the agreement is that we and the Dominicans ought to get to know one another better. I was delighted, therefore, that the Prior and another old friend of ours from the Dominican community attended our Easter Sunday eucharist last week.
Our ecumenical relations in general have continued to grow stronger. First of all, I am particularly happy with the continued strengthening of our relationship with the International Church of Strasbourg. Carol Simpson and I are frequently in touch with one another and we relate as genuine colleagues in ministry. Turning to the local French churches, our presence in the Strasbourg Council of Churches is much appreciated; we are now also invited to the joint meetings of the ecumenical commissions of the Alsatian Protestant and Catholic churches. The cooperation with the Lutheran and Reformed Churches through the Reuilly agreement has been strengthened by the appointment of an Anglican priest, the Reverend Jack McDonald, to a post with those churches; also, we are now invited to meetings of the Lutheran consistoire supérieur. There have also been a number of invitations to speak to local Protestant groups and we were featured in an article in the Almanach of the Diocese of Strasbourg. While there are clear limits to the amount of time we can put into such relationships, I believe it is important that we take our place as a small but distinctive part of the overall mission of the church of Christ in Alsace.
I continue to represent the Archdeaconry of France on the Diocesan Synod and the Bishop's Council. Apart from raising the profile of the Strasbourg chaplaincy, this gives me the opportunity to learn more about the wider context of Anglican ministry on the continent and to compare notes with people is a variety of chaplaincy situations.
I continue to devote part of my time to my work as associate staff memebr of the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches. At present my involvement is mainly in the area of human rights and family policy. It is important that our Chaplaincy continues to pay more than lip service to the presence of the European institutions in this city.
Now let me say a little about the future. The post of priest-in-charge is currently being advertised in the Church Times and on the diocesan website. Your Council has decided that our financial position enables us to offer a half stipend in addition to the house and all expenses. We hope this will attract some interesting candidates. After interviews in June it is hoped that an appointment will be made in July and that the new priest-in-charge will be able to start sometime before the end of the year.
When the new priest takes up office, he or she will be called to lead of a team including Christine as Assistant Curate, David as Reader and myself in an assistant capacity, not to mention the occasional availability of Bishop Venuste and Jack McDonald. This should make it possible to strengthen and diversify the ministry we can offer in this Chaplaincy. I am very well aware of many things which could have been done during the past few years, but which I have not got round to doing, and the strengthening of our ministerial team will enable us to respond to more needs and to extend our outreach.
Finally, I should like to thank you all for what you do to make this Chaplaincy such an exciting and rewarding church to be part of. I have already mentioned those who make up our ministerial team, with whom I have greatly enjoyed sharing my ministry. Then I am grateful to all whom you have elected to office among us, starting of course with our two churchwardens, Elisabeth, and also Naveed who stepped into the breach when we had such an unexpected vacancy, but including also all the members of the Chaplaincy Council. Our Secretary, Sarah and out two Co-Treasurers, John and Anny, shoulder a particular burden of responsibility uncomplainingly and with unfailing efficiency. Our sacristans, Kanjo and Pauline, assisted by Elisha and Ebenezer, make sure that the church is ready for worship every Sunday, a task which is particularly important when we are not in our own building. If you ever wondered, who lays out our weekly readings sheets, then be grateful to Rémi for this and other forms of assistance. Thanks also to Anny for organising the rota and to all who undertake essential tasks like administering the chalice, reading lessons, welcoming and serving coffee. There are many other tasks undertaken by members of the congregation and I am only sorry that time does not permit to thank you all individually. We may be a fairly small church, but you see what a lot of work needs to be done by many people in order to ensure that things run smoothly.
My prayer is that, with God's help and guidance, this church community may be more and more blessed in the future; and that it may be used by God to play its full part in the extension of his kingdom in this vibrant and beautiful city and region where He has placed us.
John Murray
Priest-in-charge
