Grace

Saturday, July 10. Ealing.

There is another Emerging Church community whose emails I have been receiving for some time. Here are three of them:

Greetings

During lent as well as two grace services reflecting on giving and receiving there will be three evenings exploring the theme in different ways – through film, storytelling and discussion.

So here’s the dates:
February 14th – grace  ‘the gift’ 8pm @ St Marys W5
March 5 – Gift 1 – Film night, Heima by Sigur Ros – hosted by Mike, 51 Green Avenue W13, 8pm
March 14th – grace 8pm @ St Marys W5
March 19 – Gift 2 – Storytelling night – hosted by Kathy, New Inn 8pm
April 2 – Gift 3 – Grace giving – hosted by Dean, 3 Roman Close W3 8HE

Please e-mail grace.london@btinternet.com
to let us know if you plan to attend  any of the three evenings so we have an idea of numbers.

As for grace – just come

Contemplative worship
1st Sunday in the month

Grace - unprotected worship
2nd saturday in the month

Gracelet - horizontal dancing
4th Sunday in the month

St marys w5
8pm

licensed to chill

Contact jonny 02085676926 or mike 02085673466 for info or check out
www.freshworship.org

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Grace Easter Vigil, Saturday 11th April
Cafe from 9:15pm, service begins at 10:15pm.
 
the ancient Easter vigil given a contemporary grace twist.
we begin with a refreshments from 9:15pm.
at 10:15, we gather outside around the bonfire (wear something warm and
possibly waterproof)
then into the church to meditate, reflect, keep vigil.
at midnight we celebrate the first communion of Easter.

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Communion and Barbecue
Saturday, 11th July, 7:45 for 8pm.
Join us for our last service of the Grace year, on the grass outside St. Mary’s.
Please bring a drink, and something to put on the barbecue.

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When we got up this morning the skies were overcast, and the forecast called for rain. Not a good day for a barbecue. As I checked email, this popped into my Inbox:

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Grace Barbecue and service tonight
 
It looks like it could be wet this evening. The barbecue and service will go ahead, but mostly indoors. Our intrepid team of barbecue chefs will brave the elements while you sit in the comfort of our indoor cafe. See you later!

 

We left Tunbridge Wells for the nearly two hour journey to Ealing: the Southeastern train to Charing Cross Station, the Underground Bakerloo Line to Picadilly Circus, transfer to the Picadilly Line to the South Ealing Station, and then a ten-minute walk to St. Mary's Church, Ealing.

 

 

The roofed entrance to the grounds, which you can see on the left, bears an inscription which offers a rather daunting greeting:

 

 

 

"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord."

 

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If I remember correctly, the inscription as you leave is: "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

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Ingrid and I walked, undaunted, through the archway. Off to the right several people were gathered around three small braziers, heaped with glowing coals. Once again we were enthusiastically welcomed-- evidently Emerging Church communities take hospitality to heart. We handed over our lamb patties, and then accepted the invitation to go into the church hall and help ourselves to the drinks (wine and sodas) and a variety of cheeses and raw vegetables and dips.

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I helped with the barbecuing and enjoyed a series of casual conversations as people checked on the progress of their chicken and meat kabobs, hot dogs, and veggie burgers. Meanwhile Ingrid found herself offering pastoral care in more substantive conversations with some of the women.

Before the worship began I entered the church to look around. What a contrast between the stunning beauty of the nave and sanctuary and the rather brooding exterior of the church.

 

 

 

 

Above, notice the speaker on the closest horizontal beam (the sound system was excellent); below, notice the two drum sets, traditional pulpit, and contemporary altar.

 

 

 

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For more views of this extraordinary church, you can check out this page on their website.

 

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By the time we were called in to worship, the congregation numbered about forty. Perhaps the highest proportion were 20- or 30-somethings, and one or two younger families, but there was an impressive mix of ages, of men and women, and of working- or middle-class backgrounds.

 

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An outline of the service was passed out, along with pencils and paper for those who needed one or both for the reflection:

 

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. . . all the pieces matter [which you will remember as the theme from the email invitation]

 

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greeting [the priest was dressed in shirt and trousers]

Grace, mercy and peace

from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

and also with you.

 

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reading [by a laywoman]

matthew 18:23-35

 

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reflection [guided by a layman]

1. What do you find difficult about this person? [we had been asked to choose someone with whom we had a broken or tense relationship] What rankles? What consistently annoys? Why do you find them a regular burden?

2. Why do they have that effect on you? Does it remind you of a shortcoming you have yourself? Have you ever been guilty of something similar? Is there another reason? Do they remind you of someone else?

3. Think of how God views that person. Can you let go of those little silver coins in your hand [we had been given chocolate "coins" to represent people who are "messy" when we hold on to them for too long], and by grace, feel a tiny sliver of the gracious adoration that God feels for them?

 

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[When the reflection was over, we were invited to bring our papers to a shredder which had been placed in the center of the nave.]

 

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confession

Lord, forgive us.

Forgive us and help us.

 

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peace

the peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

 

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communion [the tunes for the sursum corda and sanctus were post-modern]

 

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lift up your hearts

we lift them up to god

lift up your heads

we lift them up to god

lift up your voices

we lift them up to god

lift up your hearts

we lift them up to god

. . .

so we join with the angels singing

holy holy holy

holy holy holy

lord god almighty

lord god almighty

heaven and earth are full of your glory

heaven and earth are full of your glory

hosanna in the highest

hosanna in the highest

 

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christ's body is broken

we are christ's body, we are broken

christ's body is broken

we are christ's body, we are broken

we share the bread and wine

 

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blessing

 

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When the service was over, we all went outside into the forecourt and gathered around another fire. The basket with the shredded papers was placed next to the fire, and we all had the chance to grab some of the shreds and throw them on the fire as yet another symbol of our "letting go."

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By this time Ingrid and I needed to leave; we made it back to Charing Cross just in time to make, again, one of the last trains to Tunbridge Wells.

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Another wonderful experience of Emerging Church.

Comments

[steve collins]

thanks for the kind words and for coming so far to see us. i hadn't noticed the inscription on the gate before - it seems that the gate was designed solely for funerals! not a good spot to take your wedding photos... ;)