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The church: The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Bristol, England.
Denomination: Church of England.
The building: A beautiful building with parts ranging from the 13th century to 19th century. It is spacious and made even more so by the new octagonal nave altar, which had been consecrated at the morning eucharist. In the south transept is an ancient carving of the harrowing of hell. The stained glass is extremely beautiful, and there is a lovely chapter house leading off from the enclosed cloisters.
The church: It is situated in the centre of the city, next door to the library, and shares a large open space – College Green – with the Council House. It serves the surrounding community and has a good outreach to the homeless. It is very much the mother church of the diocese and is open to all.
The neighbourhood: Between the great west door and the library is a Norman arch with rooms above, which I believe was part of the old Augustinian abbey. Also it is near the waterfront. The area overall is humming with activity.
The cast: The President was the Dean of Bristol, the very Revd. Robert Grimley. The preacher was the Revd. Canon Peter Cobb, vicar of All Saints, Clifton. Also present were the Precentor, the Revd. Brendon Clover, and two residentiary canons, Canon Douglas Holt and Canon Peter Johnson.
Choral evensong on the feast of the title with the commemoration of benefactors.
How full was the building?
The nave was comfortably full – I am not sure of how many that would be.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Yes, a sidesman welcomed us, gave us a leaflet with the service printed in it, and told us we could sit anywhere in the nave.
Was your pew comfortable?
It was a chair and it was reasonably comfortable, as church chairs go.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
There was a subdued air of quiet, reverent anticipation, which was not spoilt by the choir practising the Herbert Howell's setting of the Magnificat. The atmosphere was somewhat lightened for me just before the service began, as the organist played what seemed to be some random chords. Some of these were melodious, however some were very deep and sounded like a flatulent giant!
What were the exact opening words of the service?
We sang a processional hymn, "The God of Abraham praise". Then the dean opened the service with "Welcome to Bristol cathedral."
What books did the congregation use during the service?
Specially printed leaflets.
What musical instruments were played?
Just an organ.
Did anything distract you?
Yes, but in a wonderful way. The canons were wearing beautiful modern copes in rich cream, shot with gold stripes – they were very tasteful, looked so right in the setting and added to the beauty of the worship.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
Gloriously CofE at its very, very best. The music was wonderful, with a rather interesting modern setting to the Te Deum.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
15 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
9 – He was relaxed and smiling and seemed very much at home in this place.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
Remembering the benefactors through the ages, and how their gifts were both for the glory of God and also to enable the cathedral to continue its work of worship, prayer and outreach to the community. Their giving was an example of holy neighbourliness. I felt he was preaching an excellent stewardship sermon for that congregation.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
All of it – it is so good to escape from the parish occasionally and find something which is almost perfect , like this.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The pre-service twiddlings on the organ.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
We didn't get a chance. As I know both the dean and the preacher, we were able to exchange pleasantries on the way out.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
There were refreshments in the cathedral garden. Unfortunately we had to get back home, as we hadn't had lunch by then, so didn't join the rest of the congregation there.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
9 – I would if I wasn't already involved in another parish in Bristol. The music at the cathedral was so wonderful, I was sorely tempted to leave my own church and join them. I will go down for choral evensong from time to time and wallow.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Oh yes, very much so – it also reminded me of my place as an Anglican Catholic.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
I'll remember three things: the glorious music, the sermon and the copes.
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