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| 1849: St Hilda's,
Egton, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, England |
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Mystery Worshipper:
St Hilda.
The church:
St Hilda's, Egton, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, England.
Denomination:
Church of England, Diocese
of York.
The building:
The building dates from 1879 and replaced an earlier church
on another site where the graveyard remains. A lot of the stone
from the old building was used in the construction of the new
one, which is quite modest in size, in the Norman/Early English
style. The interior has white walls, with a few monuments. There
is some attractive stained glass, including a west window depicting
St Hilda.
The church: The church is part of the parish of Middle Esk Moor, which consists of five small village churches, and appears to be a tightly knit community.
The neighbourhood:
Egton is a small moorland village with an attractive, broad
main street containing some traditional pantiled cottages. Like
many small villages it is lacking many of the basic amenities
of life, but has two excellent pubs, a forge, a bike shop and
a doctors' surgery. Egton, and the nearby village of Egton Bridge,
have two claims to fame: one of the last remaining gooseberry
shows is held locally every year, and the area was a Roman Catholic
stronghold in the 17th century.
The cast:
The Revd Christine Haddon-Rees, vicar.
The date & time:
Sunday, 22 November 2009, 10.30am.
What was the name of the service?
Parish Communion.
How full was the building?
Mostly empty – there were 13 of us in the congregation, plus
the vicar and the organist.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
As I arrived at the church I was a little confused as to whether
I had found the appropriate means of ingress, as the door was
closed. At this point a couple of the congregation arrived,
so I asked them if this was the way in. One of them asked me
if I was struggling to open the latch, so I tried it and found
that it was indeed the right way in. Inside several people were
standing round and said hello to me and I was handed a hymnbook
and service sheet. Later on several people exchanged the peace
with me.
Was your pew comfortable?
It was not uncomfortable, but was rather cold and would have benefited from a cushion.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
When I arrived, everyone was standing around at the back of
the church chatting. At almost the exact moment I arrived, the
congregation all took their seats (which unnerved me slightly)
and things quietened down. There was a recording of organ music
playing in the background, which I found uplifting.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"The Lord be with you."
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New and the Parish
Communion Booklet for the Parishes of Middle Esk Moor, Ordinary
Time.
What musical instruments were played?
Organ.
Did anything distract you?
As I sat down in my pew and bowed my head for a few moments
of prayer, two people held a loud conversation at the end of
my pew, which effectively banished all prayerful thoughts.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
The worship was definitely stiff-upper-lip! It was a traditional
Anglican service, with the hymns sung quietly and the responses
to the liturgy uttered firmly but unenthusiastically. The congregation
were all of rather mature years, so the proceedings were very
orderly. The vicar ran the whole show with the exception of
one reading by a member of the congregation.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
7 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
9 – The vicar spoke in measured and clear tones, announced
the theme of her sermon, and elucidated it well with a helpful
illustration from her personal life.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
The subject of the sermon was Christ the King. The vicar reminded
the congregation that Christ attained his kingship through the
cross. The thieves who were crucified with Jesus are our representatives
in that they had to choose how to react to Christ – whether
to accept or reject him. Advent is approaching, which is not
just about the coming of Christmas, but about Christ's second
coming as king.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
I felt a real sense of Christ's presence. Maybe this was because
of the theme of the service or maybe because I was aware of
the many Christians who had worshipped in that building before.
Despite the slim congregation, I knew Christ was present in
that place.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
As the service advanced I felt a growing sense of discomfort
as the cold seeped into my legs and feet. I don't know if there
was any heating. I certainly couldn't see any evidence of it,
but if there was I doubt it was on.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
After the service finished, an announcement was made that instead
of coffee, wine and cake would be served to mark the vicar's
first anniversary in the parish. The congregation moved fairly
rapidly to the back of the church, and it became obvious that
I had inadvertently gate-crashed a private party which happened
to have a church service at the beginning. I hung around hopefully
for a while, thinking maybe I would be offered a slice of cake
but as this didn't happen and I didn't have the cheek to go
and help myself, I made a speedy departure.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
See above.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
2 – I don't think they'd want me. They seemed a very self-sufficient group.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
It did, because I felt close to God there.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
Sadly, the feeling of not being welcome, and an awareness of how easily churches can turn into private clubs. It breaks my heart really. |
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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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