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That was the Sunday that was

And indeed it was. A very positive reaction to the communion and prize giving serve today. People who haven't said anything before said they got good stuff out of it. Some who were just slightly sceptical about children being present were encouraged by them being there. A couple of people were quite emotional. And we were busy because of prize giving. There were also a lot more people who opted for the common cup than I imagined and I think there were probably more who didn't move to the common cup pews on the day but would again. It was good to see people move, chose and share.

So I feel really positive about it. Tom was uptight about it. I was uptight about it but I think we journeyed quite a bit together and I think all the children there, some who opted not to take part and it was was really encouraging to see them choose, on the whole, enjoyed the whole event. My daughter said it was the best yet but then she is six and the minister is her dad and she's my greatest fan. When everything else is going pear-shaped, I go to her for encouragement.

So a time of reflection will take place later in the month when I'm back and we can see if the format was encouraging for us as a congregation and how we can smooth it out a wee bit.

Questions that were asked came from the elders who didn't get common cup and that can be sorted. But that was really the only thing I heard.

Any other comments, positive and negative so we can hone it?

Big Saturday

CAOS is going to be all over the place on Saturday 14th June. We're having a big event all round the town centre taking over a number of shop units and doing stuff: everything from singing and performing to baking and painting, covering shop windows in images and stories and photos and text messages. It's going to be fantastic.

The idea is that folk get to dream a little about Clydebank and what can happen. And it will happen all day and lots of people will be involved.

10 empty shop units
10 different creative events
some to participate in, some to watch or look at
some low tech, some high tech
arts and crafts, drama, dance, music, creative writing, photography and film making
involving local groups and people
working in partnership with local organisations and businesses

However we're needing a few volunteers and so we look to you all, wondering if you could give some time to staff the shops. It would be a whole day or half a day, just sitting in a shop unit making sure it ticks over. The more volunteers we have the more shop units we can look after. We'd need perhaps two in each unit on average. If you have friends who would like to help out too then that would be fabulous. It's going to make the papers probably and we're trying to get TV to do a report as well.

So help would be really good. Let me know... (please)

Chocolate Teapots for Sunday 1st June

Father forgive me... it has been almost four days since my last blog...

Genesis 6,7 and 8

It's communion on Sunday and I'm very nervous because I'm not sure who is going to be content with it. It's Sunday School prize giving and so the Sunday School will all be there and that's going to be fantastic. It is always the best kind of communion when the whole family comes to dinner.

There are going to be two minor changes (that may actually be major) so that we live our traditions more. One is the common cup will be available and the other the great entrance is making a comeback, but not necessarily because it is right but to illustrate where a very small practical act of getting the bread and wine onto the tables folk used to sit round, has evolved into a great procession that was never meant to be and would probably turn the heads of the reformers.

The service will be about many of our traditions and where they came from and perhaps where they are going. But I still have this feeling it will be cumbersome and not quite the full big familiar service that we often equate with traditional, nor the getting back to basics it perhaps should be. So it's gong to be a bit of a week getting it all in place.

There ought to be a bit of reflective feedback afterwards. There will be space over the coming weeks to do just that.

Anyhow, the passage is Noah. So that works well. Well, it does mainly because it has been told and retold as a children's story (the bits you can repeat that is. No naked Noah's drunk in the vineyards which is how the story ends). It links with the sacrament, the church has the biggest rainbow Craft daft have ever made, and it has an environmental feel. But I'm not preaching as such so can't say what I might have about the story and what we've done to it.

So it's all a very confused service in my head at the moment.

So I am really, really interested in your thoughts, ideas, comments about the Noah passage and communion, the service of communion itself, how it may be constructed and hymns, always hymns. Especially as we are a whole family together on Sunday for one of those all too few times when we share bread and wine together. How come it is so rare that we do that?