Comment on this report, or find other reports. Our Mystery Worshippers are volunteers who warm church pews for us around the world. If you'd like to become a Mystery Worshipper, start here. Find out how to reproduce this report in your church magazine or website.   1760: St Alphege, Whitstable, Kent, England Photo: Whitstable Choral Society Mystery Worshipper: Intentional Discipleship. The church: St Alphege, Whitstable, England. Denomination: Church Of England, Diocese of Canterbury. The building: The outside is very good to look at but rather plain: symmetrical with a wide but low tower holding a ring of eight bells. The west façade is of squared ragstone blocks, but the rest of the building is of stock brick. The inside is just as handsome – wide and bright, with fantastic stained glass windows and intricate ceiling beams. The pews are numbered although pew rents were never charged. The church: I could really sense a very loving and friendly atmosphere! The Friends of St Alphege sponsor a number of social events to raise money for the church. Several youth groups meet regularly. There are two celebrations of holy communion each Sunday, plus evensong on the first Sunday of each month. Holy communion is also celebrated on Wednesdays. The neighbourhood: Whitstable is a popular seaside town in northeast Kent, about five miles north of Canterbury. Since Roman times the area has been known for its oysters. Each July the town's oyster festival, an eclectic and entertaining mix of outdoor and indoor events, draws visitors from all over. The cast: The Revd Rachael Webbly, team vicar, led the service. The Revd Guy Lawrence, a visiting priest, gave the sermon. The date & time: Sunday, 26 July 2009, 9.30am. What was the name of the service? Morning Family Communion Service. How full was the building? About half to three-quarters full. Did anyone welcome you personally? Two very nice ladies welcomed me whilst handing me the service sheets and books. A very friendly welcome indeed. Was your pew comfortable? They seemed to be the original pews, fairly uncomfortable. The backs seemed tall enough only for little old ladies. I was leaning forward for most of the service. How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere? People chatting, enjoyable to sit in. I did see a person I recognised and said hello. What were the exact opening words of the service? "Hello and welcome to our worship here this morning at St Alphege Whitstable." What books did the congregation use during the service? Holy Communion Order One – Common Worship; Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New. What musical instruments were played? Organ and choir. Then, throughout communion, a rather pleasant guitar. The choir sang beautifully; I enjoyed it very much. Did anything distract you? A few kids running about the pews, the slamming of a few doors every now and again (but what you expect at a family service). Also, a microphone screeched at one point but was dealt with immediately. The vicar dropped something during communion, completely accidental but a little funny. Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what? Typical traditional Anglican worship. I like to call it "fluid stiff-upper-lip." Not too traditional, but not "free with the spirit." Exactly how long was the sermon? 19 minutes. On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher? 6 – The preacher was very easy to listen to; well spoken. There were a few jokes every now and again, but I couldn't always understand his link with what he was saying and the readings. He is the vice-chairman of the Guild of Healing and came to preach with an agenda regarding healing, I believe. In a nutshell, what was the sermon about? Christ gives us peace of mind during this "pressure cooker" climate of the world. How long, high, wide and deep is God’s love. It heals the mind, body and spirit. God ignores man-made differences (such as tradition) and uses us all, Baptist, Anglican, Catholic, etc., to do his will. Which part of the service was like being in heaven? I have to say that the best parts of the service were the beautiful harmonies made by the choir. Both the singers and the musical director should be congratulated and encouraged. And which part was like being in... er... the other place? A rather long silence in between the first hymn and the welcome, as if they didn’t really know what to do next. Also, no one guided me to communion; I just joined the queue in confusion. And I accidentally sat in the wrong pew after communion – quite embarrassing! Oh, and we didn’t have wine at communion due to the risk of swine flu! I understand that it is still communion with just the bread, but why couldn't we have wine in small individual glasses whilst praying for deliverance and protection from illness? What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost? I did get talking to some friendly people. I also spoke to someone I knew. People were very welcoming! How would you describe the after-service coffee? I asked for a glass of water, and was served some cold water in a proper glass. How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)? 7 – A good service for the traditional Anglican. Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian? The whole communion wine issue made me think that we were maybe under the impression God will not protect us. However, on the whole I enjoyed being there! What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time? The random sound of a guitar playing, when I expected an organ – very pleasant change! And the choir! Amazing! Oh, and the swine flu issue!   We rely on voluntary donations to stay online. If you're a regular visitor to Ship of Fools, please consider supporting us. The Mystery Pilgrim One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. London churches Read reports from 70 London churches, visited by a small army of Mystery Worshippers on one single Sunday. Read here.             More Mystery Worshipper reports