Categories: uncategorized
Date: 20 February 2008 13:30:05
Just to give you a taste of what Sunday was like:
The chapel is a great old 19th century building with the old pews that have little doors on the end. Next door is the old Sunday School rooms which is a building on its own. It would definitely have held a few hundred people when it ws full. It is everything that you imagine a Welsh chapel to be.
The first hymn almost had me in hysterics. It was a case of guess the tune, the tempo and the pitch. Out of the 11 of us there I think we had 3 different going at any one time. I had to look down to hide the smile on my face. All the hymns that followed were played and sung well - it was just that first one.
I think that there were 3 of us who were under 60 - as I've said before this is normal in the majority of today's chapels. The local young people actually travel 3 miles down the valley to a chapel with a more "modern" outlook. They would love to have children there but it would mean that they'd have to change their way of worship - something that the majority don't want to do.
Thisn is not a new problem. Many churches across the UK are facing the same decision. The problem is that some are leaving it so late that the membership dwindles to nothing and the church has to close. Would it not be better to accept the need to change to survive. It doesn't mean compromising your beliefs, just changing the content and introducng a chorus or two. Many of the elderly members of congregations where this has been actually enjoy the new songs.
I'm not saying that we all remove our organs and pianos and have guitar accompaniment of, horror of horrors, a "Worship Group", complete with drums and electric guitars; I wouldn't like to see this in every church at every service. A little give could be all you need to do.
I promise that tomorrow will see the message. As with my sermons, this came from nowhere and intruded.