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| 1696: St Mary's,
Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire, England |
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Mystery Worshipper:
Fluffy Bunny.
The church:
St
Mary's, Sprotbrough, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.
Denomination:
Church of England, Diocese
of Sheffield.
The building:
Built in the 12th century, this is a lovely old village church.
In the tower are a ring of eight bells as well as an ancient
sundial in working condition. The core of the nave dates from
1170 but the old chancel was replaced 100 years later by the
more elaborate one that is still there. It is fairly small inside,
but is light and has a beautiful mother-of-pearl inlaid ceiling
as well as a number of monuments to the Copley family. There
are some interesting stained glass windows, especially one depicting
Faith, Hope and Charity.
The church:
Their website describes them as a church of "lively and
active mainstream Anglicans." They have established an
ecumenical covenant relationship with Sprotbrough Park Methodist
Church. The church hall is one of several venues that host the
Village Quiz, an ongoing event in which residents compete for
prizes by answering trivia questions on a wide variety of topics.
The neighbourhood:
Sprotbrough stands on the limestone ridge above the valley of
the river Don. Like a number of other places in the vicinity,
it was for much of its history an "estate" village
in the ownership of the local gentry, the Copley family, who
from the 16th until the early 20th century lived in Sprotbrough
Hall. Little evidence remains today of the Hall, which was demolished
after World War I. Nearby attractions include the St Leger Horse
Park, where the public can walk, cycle or ride horses into acres
of open countryside; and Conisbrough Castle, the inspiration
for the Ivanhoe story.
The cast:
The Revd John Richards, rector; the Revd Katherine Jane Francis,
assistant curate.
The date & time:
Easter Sunday, 12 April 2009, 10.45am.
What was the name of the service?
Family Eucharist.
How full was the building?
Full.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
The sidespeople welcomed us and, at our request, located full
music copies of the hymn book for us.
Was your pew comfortable?
OK for the duration of the service, but not armchair comfortable.
Old pews, but I have sat in worse.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Mingled with organ music was the quiet hum of people chatting
to each other.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Good morning and a very happy Easter to you all."
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New and Common
Worship.
What musical instruments were played?
Organ.
Did anything distract you?
In amongst the old stained glass are a couple of new windows,
modern and attractive and quite different from the rest. The
doors are also new oak, very pale in comparison to the rest
of the wood.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
Quite middle of the road. No fancy vestments or incense, good
mix of hymns, old favourites and a few newbies. At the peace,
lots of people left their pews to shake hands, and the rector
seemed to greet every single person in the church.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
13 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how
good was the preacher?
9 – Father Richards was a very clear speaker and engaged
the congregation. He had a quiet tone and I did not feel I was
being harangued from the pulpit. In fact, he didn't use the
pulpit (which did look quite fire and brimstone) but rather
stood in front of the screen. I found his sermon very interesting.
In a nutshell, what was
the sermon about?
A discussion of the events of Easter and how each disciple needed
to believe in slightly different ways, and how we will all encounter
Jesus Christ in slightly different ways. We were challenged
to take the Easter story out of church and share it, and to
take a gift of chocolate to someone not in church.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
The wonderful feeling of peace during the service, even when
everyone was singing with gusto. There was time for quiet prayer
and also time to celebrate our belief.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
Feeling a bit like a fish out of water when the organ struck
up a hymn not on the list. Also, the choir sang a piece which
needed a little more rehearsal.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I didn't feel lost, out of place or ignored. There was an invitation to coffee after the service.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
Because the service was later than I am used to, I had to fly
to get lunch organised so was unable to sample the refreshments.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
9 – Were I to live in the area, I could feel very much
at home in this church.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Definitely.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The wonderful sermon. |
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| The Mystery Pilgrim |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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| London churches |
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