Today was my first operational service as churchwarden, and it was a big one: the Freemen's Sunday Service. I woke up with a tune running through my head which is becoming something of a signature for my wardenly activities: "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling". (I'm not entirely sure what this may signify.)
The Freemen's service start-time was 1100; however a hectic set-up commenced at 1030, just as the previous service was finishing. Pews had to be reserved, in some instances working around friends and relations of a family whose baby had just been baptized (fortunately they were understanding). The Guild Bible had to be received and conveyed to the Vestry. People had to be recruited to collect the offertory, to carry the elements (bread and wine) and to help conduct the congregation up to communion. Churchwarden staffs had to be set in the appropriate slots. The Great Doors of the West end of church had to be opened - which meant careful yet strenuous application of muscle to shift some very stiff bolts. And all this had to be completed before 1050, so that I and my colleague Lynn could then stand at the door looking relaxed and ready to receive the procession of Freemen's Guild and City dignitaries. The preparation period being somewhat extended as a result of my decision to wear a suit in honour of the occasion, which surprised and alarmed many of my Holy Trinity friends, who had not been aware that I possessed such a thing and needed reassurance.
If you read my previous post, you'll be expecting some reflections on the art of walking backwards in front of a Mace and Sword. Well I have to say I didn't get that bit quite right. We did walk in front, but not backwards. Probably just as well, since I was very nervous and might have swerved backwards into one of the pews. Fortunately I was able to manage walking forwards without incident, and we successfully installed the procession in their reserved pews.
Churchwarden operations continued throughout the service; counting the congregation, welcoming latecomers, changing lighting arrangements during the sermon, marshalling the mini-procession bringing the offertory and elements up to the front (at which point the normally imperturbable Lynn was forced to comment that I was leaving the start a little late!), assisting the congregation to move up to receive communion in a way which did not result in major grid-lock across the entire church, all of this needing continuous alertness and situational awareness. I imagine I will get used to it eventually. Three comic incidents stick in my mind; signalling frantically to the Vicar at the end of communion that he had to bring communion to a temporarily disabled parishioner (only to be told that this had already been done by others while I myself had been taking communion - need to upgrade to eyes in the back of my head); bemusedly watching Lynn gesture expressively to me across the width of the church at the start of the recessional hymn, till the penny dropped and I realized I needed to dash to the West end to open the great doors for the outgoing procession; and committing a great social and ecclesiastical gaffe by returning the Eastwards bow of an exiting dignitary, realizing too late that he was bowing to Someone infinitely more important than me.
But we got through to the end just fine, and it seemed to me to be a happy and comfortable occasion. And that counts. As with conference organization, so with church services; at the end you know things have gone OK if you can review what went wrong and say "if that is the worst thing that happens then it's all been great!".
And here are my summary reflections: that my service was made so much more enjoyable by the kind and warm participation of the Freemen; and that I am very grateful to a number of Holy Trinity people who immediately responded positively to my requests for help, even when they had not previously had a go at whatever I was asking for. And finally that the two morning services together comprised around 360 people; which I think is a very strong figure compared with a total Coventry population of 300 000. Numbers aren't everything, but they aren't nothing either, and they correlate to a morning in which I believe we made a good impact for the Gospel, thank God.
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