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| 2653: St Barnabas,
Dulwich, London |
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Mystery
Worshipper: Sipech.
The church:
St
Barnabas, Dulwich, London.
Denomination:
Church
of England, Diocese
of Southwark.
The building:
Their Victorian building burned down in 1992, and the present
modern structure was dedicated in 1996. It has a tall glass
spire that stands out amongst the houses and schools nearby.
Inside, the combination of brick and wood is tastefully done.
The rows of wooden beams in the ceiling make the main auditorium
look like the inside of an upside down boat.
The church:
At present they are without a vicar, after their previous incumbent
moved to Guildford Cathedral. The pride of the church is its
choir, who were all dressed in very stunning bright blue robes
(with the exception of one chap who forgot his at the start
and was wearing a rugby shirt until he nipped out to get changed).
Last summer they went on a tour of Germany.
The neighbourhood:
Dulwich village is a fairly well-to-do part of south London.
The church is located within a stone's throw of a couple of
schools, in amongst a lot of houses. Just down the road we have
the heart of the village, with a few small independent shops
and the site of where the old stocks used to be. Nearby is Dulwich
Picture Gallery, one of the oldest art galleries in England,
which houses a number of Old Masters and is well worth a visit
if you're in the area.
The cast:
The service was led by the curate, the Revd Dr Catriona Laing.
The sermon was given by the honorary curate and chaplain of
the neighbouring Alleyn's School, the Revd Anthony Buckley.
The date & time:
Third Sunday of Epiphany, 26 January 2014, 10.00am.
What was the name of the service?
Parish Communion.
How full was the building?
Almost full. The preacher estimated 300 people, though at my
count, I thought it was closer to about 230.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Not really. Someone was at the front of the church giving out
books, but they were deep in conversation as I came in. So I
simply picked up the books and leaflets and walked in. The chap
who was seated behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked
if I was new.
Was your pew comfortable?
No. The seats were slightly curved but highly polished, so one
either slipped off the front or to the back, where the back
rest rather dug into one's spine. The pews were also very close
together, giving little leg room, even for a shorter than average
person like me.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
It was fairly quiet to begin with. Ten minutes before the service
began, there were only about 30 or so people present. The choir
came in, outnumbering the congregation, and sang for a bit,
only to walk out of the back door and come in through the front
door a few minutes later.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Good morning. Sorry about that." (The apology was because the
microphone wasn't working to begin with.)
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
We had a blue hymn book called Common Worship and a
little booklet that contained a script for the whole service,
including the readings.
What musical instruments
were played?
There was just a very large pipe organ, an opus of Kenneth Tickell
and Company of Northampton. But it wasn't played for everything
– sometimes the choir sang a cappella.
Did anything distract
you?
The heating wasn't working, so quite a few people mentioned
the cold, though the number in the auditorium helped to counter
that a little.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
It was very conservative. There was lots of processing around, with the curate randomly bobbing her head from time to time around the paraphernalia on the table. The whole service was scripted liturgy and the songs were quite staid, sung eloquently by the choir, but with little enthusiasm from the congregation.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
13 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7 – It was very competent sermon, spoken clearly, with
serious points peppered with a little light humour, though it
wasn't particularly deep or theologically sophisticated.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
Based largely on Matthew 4:12-23 (Jesus calls his first disciples),
it was about being "fisher people" and the attributes we need
in our witness, largely those of patience and of not letting
our own shadow fall across the water.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
The a cappella singing from the choir was excellent.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The PA system wasn't working well to start off, with one awful piece of feedback near the start of the service, which caused most of the congregation, myself included, to wince in pain.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
A couple of people came up to chat to me briefly. I think one
person mistook me for someone they knew. A few others asked
me how long I had been coming to St Barnabas.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
It was very nice, served in a decent mug, not too strong or
too weak. Though I must admit I was a little disappointed by
the lack of biscuits.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
3 – High church Anglicanism isn't really my thing. I was
willing to give it a try, but I neither saw nor felt anything
to change my mind here.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
It made me glad that there was a service for people who like
that kind of thing. But for me, there was nothing joyful about
it; instead, we had all the formalism of religiosity, which
is not how I choose to express my faith.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The dazzling blue uniforms of the choir. |
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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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