tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241057393602065840.post7025132304977113012..comments2023-04-07T19:33:19.607+10:00Comments on Caliban's Dream: Of cold water, a kayak, and church.Alcibiadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132420102550256958noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241057393602065840.post-62830749646362543442009-06-17T11:52:20.419+10:002009-06-17T11:52:20.419+10:00Judging from the comments, there are plenty of fol...Judging from the comments, there are plenty of folks like me who check back here hoping you are posting again. I am happy to see that you are. It is a beautiful post. <br />As for the ritual of our litergy being off-putting, cold or exclusive, I found it instead to be calm, comforting and very welcoming. I do not believe that it is the "high church-low church" issue that makes a place welcoming or not, rather the spirit of the people inside, or perhaps it is the "Spirit" inside of the people.BooCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01193638351756858614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241057393602065840.post-9698244214100365372009-06-13T04:52:27.304+10:002009-06-13T04:52:27.304+10:00Great story and metaphor but I just have to ask: a...Great story and metaphor but I just have to ask: are you completely mad?<br /><br />Don't stay away so long next time!Doorman-Priesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06407399232593479871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241057393602065840.post-29892082477116710402009-06-12T10:43:57.916+10:002009-06-12T10:43:57.916+10:00Thanks Doxy: I may have been lurking, but don'...Thanks Doxy: I may have been lurking, but don't think you & Dear Friend weren't in our thoughts and prayers over the past few weeks. Special Oz congrats on your recent wonderful big day!<br /><br />The old canard about liturgical standing etc making newcomers feel unwelcome gets trotted out here all the time as well, and to be perfectly frank I don't buy it.<br /><br />At Moore College it was drummed into our heads that doing away with these, along with robes, makes church "friendlier" - except down here Baptists have pretty much <i>never</i> worn robes, or used liturgies which involve regular standing, knelling etc - and that didn't stop their attendance plummeting just as fast as everyone else's during the 70-90s. Nor have many Sydney Anglicans used them for almost 2 decades - and they haven't been inundated with a flood of people eager to convert because of "accessible" liturgy and vestments. <br />Meanwhile two of the Diocese's fastest growing (and among the very few to have achieved - let alone exceeded - the Archbihop's "Vision for Growth" targets) are highly liturgical. One of them, which has a huge outreach into communities with no church background whatsoever, completely disregards the accepted wisdom concern "user-friendliness" - but believe me, people have always been spectacularly warm and welcoming to me (& everyone else I know) when visiting. Which is a thought I'll hopefully revisit soon...Alcibiadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13132420102550256958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241057393602065840.post-22326839604679630692009-06-11T22:35:02.645+10:002009-06-11T22:35:02.645+10:00Welcome back to Blog Land, Alcibiades!
I am going...Welcome back to Blog Land, Alcibiades!<br /><br />I am going to share this with some church folks. I believe the questions you raise are ones we should keep before us at all times.<br /><br />I am often told that newcomers feel unwelcome or awkward in the Episcopal Church because they don't know when to stand or kneel, and because we juggle hymn books, prayer books, and service leaflets. I don't know what to do about this, short of printing every single thing in the service bulletin--we are a liturgical people and we cannot change that to meet the comfort level of everyone who comes through the door.<br /><br />But we ought to be welcoming and helpful. And we need to think about how newcomers experience our worship and our attitudes. Thanks for the nudge.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />Doxy<br /><br />P.S. The word verification is "epent." Is that the new Web version of "repent"?Wormwood's Doxyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10882756844690851674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241057393602065840.post-35176976713238892712009-06-11T02:06:37.470+10:002009-06-11T02:06:37.470+10:00Good to see a new post!
Perhaps it is easier to p...Good to see a new post!<br /><br />Perhaps it is easier to plant a new parish than revitalize an existing one because of the situation you address?PseudoPiskiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12070541512355253553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241057393602065840.post-11340081900230393852009-06-11T01:39:34.952+10:002009-06-11T01:39:34.952+10:00I'm glad you made it back safe my friend. And...I'm glad you made it back safe my friend. And I'm very happy to see you back on your blog as well. You have been missed!Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12404578054102245724noreply@blogger.com