Everyone I met before the service welcomed me. Afterward, several introduced themselves and actually conversed. These people are serious about visitors. I was even invited to join the choir on a Sunday I visit. Hmmm. It is about an hour from home.
The service was Lessons and Carols with the traditional lessons separated by hymns all before the eucharist. The organist zipped the hymns right along. For the curious: Once in royal David's city, Creator of the stars of night, Lo, how a Rose, Prepare the way, O Zion, Tell out my soul, What child is this?, O come, all ye faithful then Love came down and Go tell it. This is the first parish I've attended that stands thru the entire eucharist like Christ Church does.
St. Stephens resembles a protestant building. There are no stained glass windows, just glass ones. It is simple and quite beautiful.
These photos were taken with my 3GS iPhone.
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4 comments:
I prefer their choice of hymns over ours (we also did Lessons and Carols), but i hate, loathe and despise Go Tell It on the Mountain! Donna P.
It isn't one of my favorites either, especially when the organist plays something that is neither what we all know nor what is in the hymnal. What did you sing?
We had an Advent Lessons and Carols. on the Sunday we greened the church. Choir sang Adam Lay Ybounden and Orlando Gibbons's This is the Record of John. Hymns included Comfort, Comfort Ye My People, Lo He Comes with Clouds Descending, and The Angel Gabriel. Christmas Eve was a nightmare of disorganization: green book, orange book, black book, wads of xeroxed anthems. The younger folks seem to be able to go with the flow, but it's stressful for me.
I love the Gibbons. Our organist created his own arrangement of Adam which is kinda weird. I love Comfort, Comfort and almost all the Advent carols more than the Christmas ones.
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