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| 2452: Free
Church, Sansad Marg, New Delhi, India |
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Mystery
Worshipper: Haywood.
The church:
Free Church, Sansad Marg, New Delhi, India.
Denomination:
Church of
North India.
The building:
An impressive neoclassical colonial style building in the centre
of New Delhi. Inside there is wide seating on one floor with
an open worship area in the front. Many ceiling fans were in
operation – very welcome in Delhi's hot weather.
The church:
They say that they encourage the spirit of togetherness, both
in worship and in social activities. They hold a garden fete
and a choral festival every year. They take great pride in their
Sunday school for children; their ministry to the hearing and
speech impaired; and their mission work, which includes translating
the Bible into the indigenous languages of India and aid for
exploited and abandoned children.
The neighbourhood:
New Delhi, India's capital and largest city, is one of the world's
most important centres of commerce and is also known for its
wide, tree-lined boulevards, numerous national institutions,
museums and landmarks. The Sansad Marg is close to the centre
of New Delhi and is where Parliament House is located. Within
a short walk is the Rajpath, or King's Way, one of the two central
promenades around which the city is constructed. Also close
by is the Jantar Mantar observatory with its unique architectural
astronomical instruments.
The cast:
The Revd Suresh Kumar, pastor, and the Revd Vasant K. Reuben.
Another unnamed minister assisted with communion. Several members
of the congregation read and sang.
The date & time:
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 30 September 2012, 9.00am.
What was the name of the service?
English Speaking Service.
How full was the building?
I arrived about ten minutes before the service started and followed
three people in – we were the first there. People kept arriving
as the service went through its first half hour, so it was probably
half full by the end.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
No one welcomed me. If I hadn’t followed a few others in, I
wouldn’t have known to pick up a hymn book or a notice sheet.
Was your pew comfortable?
It was adequate. Nice to have the fans moving the air around
on a hot morning.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
A few people at the front were chattering and setting up the
music group. The group started singing to lead us into worship.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Greetings on this Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost when
the theme is the family."
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
The Methodist Hymnal, The Book of Worship or the
Church of North India, Readings for Sunday Worship
(Year B) – Church of North India.
What musical instruments were played?
Keyboard and guitars.
Did anything distract you?
The fans were welcome but rather noisy and sometimes made it
difficult to hear what was being said. Also during the Lord’s
Prayer (sung to Auld Lang Syne!) someone poked me and
told me where the words were. Although kindly meant, I knew
the words and was in the middle of my prayers.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
Formal worship throughout apart from the informal music before
the worship started. But there didn’t seem to be much joy in
the worship.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
29 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
6 – The pastor spoke informally and I quite warmed to his
style, if not to the content. He seemed to be emphasising God's
judgment rather than God's grace and mercy (in fact, grace was
not mentioned).
In a nutshell, what was
the sermon about?
He followed the theme of the "the family – husband and
wife" and the reading from Malachi 2 ("The man who
hates and divorces his wife ... does violence to the one he
should protect"). Many people don’t value their husband
or wife and God sees this as a sin. If our covenant with God
is broken by divorce, God’s blessing will not be upon us.
Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
The singing by the young people at the beginning of the service.
It was delightful. Pity there were so few there to hear it.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The peace, which we were asked to share with each other. Nobody
would let me into their personal space! Nobody offered me their
hand. All rather embarrassing. Also, at another point, the pastor
asked husbands to hold their wives’ hands and say to them, "Darling,
I love you." I didn’t see anyone do this. But at any rate
I thought it was culturally insensitive to unmarried members
of the congregation who might like to be married, or to some
who may be divorced and were made to feel even more guilty,
or to gay members who didn’t want this style of relationship
at all. I believe God loves them all equally, but this wasn’t
being expressed in this church.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
Nothing! No one spoke or approached me. I tried smiling and
looking inviting but no one responded. I shook hands with the
three ministers as I left the main door (I could have left by
one of the two other doors and not had a handshake.) All I got
out of anyone was a good morning but nothing more.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
I could not find anything on offer.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
2 – I know that people in Delhi are warm and friendly,
and not at all like the congregation of this church. If this
is how they show a welcome to a visitor, I wouldn’t want to
return.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
The music at the start did, but quite a lot of the rest made
me sad that they saw only a restricted view of what God is like.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The music at the start of the service, together with the heat
and fans whizzing round. |
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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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