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The church: Westminster Abbey, England.
Denomination: Church of England.
The building: Rather large Anglican Abbey steeped in history.
The neighbourhood: Just over the road from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
The cast: Rev Dominic Fenton.
'Sung Eucharist 1115' (meaning 11.15am), during Lent.
How full was the building?
The building was not at all full as it is rather large, but the area which was sectioned off for the service was pretty full. I estimated about 300 people, including the choir.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
As we approached the gates to the forecourt, two uniformed gentlemen said, 'No visitors. 11.15 service only.' When we got inside we were handed an order of service and were then greeted with the words, 'Good morning,' by a gentleman in morning dress but without a top hat. He took us to our seats. Some people were allowed to sit in the choir pews. We tried to but were ushered away from them!
Was your pew comfortable?
Yes, we were on cushioned chairs.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
Fairly subdued and reverential.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
'Grace,mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.'
What books did the congregation use during the service?
None. We were given a printed order of service sheet with everything we needed on it.
What musical instruments were played?
The organ.
Did anything distract you?
Yes, the guy in front of me was cupping his right ear with his hand as if he was having difficulty hearing the choir. Also, there was some green netting suspended high up near the ceiling and I kept wondering why it was there.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
Stiff upper lip.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
10 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
3. But I did like one of the quotations in his sermon: 'I am dust that dreams of a different destiny.'
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
Lent and life in general is a journey which involves light and darkness. Lent gives us the opportunity to confront our inner darkness and move towards the light within us. We were told that the cure of the man born blind (in John chapter 9) is a parable of our journey from darkness to light.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
A beautiful stained glass window in front of us, glittering candelabra, gold embossments, awesome spaciousness, decorated ceiling, organ music and heavenly choir – the usual sort of things you get in a Abbey.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
It was a bit draughty.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
There wasn't time to do that as it seems to be the Abbey's practice to usher people out as quickly as possible.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
There wasn't any.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
I would give it 5. It's a bit too far to travel every Sunday, but I'd give it 10 if they'd let me sit in the choir pews.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Not really. Going to the Abbey with a fellow Christian, listening to the choir and organ, enjoying the spring sunshine when we came out and being in such an awesome building made me glad to be a Christian, but not the service itself.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
A quotation carved on the front of the lectern. It was by William Carey (the 18th-century Baptist missionary) and read: 'Attempt great things for God.'
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