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Moseley Chimes
July—August 2008
“History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.”
Abba Eban Israeli diplomat
Speech in London, 16 December 1970
When people use the word ‘alternative’ do they mean simply giving another viewpoint or opinion, or are they implying that to be alternative is to be different or strange? As a result there is often suspicion surrounding the use of this word and most people, young and old alike, are reluctant about change because it’s unknown and this creates anxiety and fear. However most people learn by experience and if we never experience anything new then we remain static in our worldview.
During the summer months there are going to be several ‘alternatives’ for the people of St Mary’s and St Anne’s to explore. Firstly the newly created Children’s Zones at St Mary’s with two alternatives (see Debbie Barwell’s article page 5). Secondly the opportunity to share fellowship across the Benefice with joint celebrations for our Patronal festivals and thirdly our Sunday evening worship during August is going to be totally alternative with the opportunity to explore completely different styles of worship.
There will be no BCP Evensong during this period instead a variety of other traditional and contemporary liturgies (see page 9)
I hope that everyone can view this as an exciting initiative to help us discern further what kind of worship we can offer as a Benefice. There is no suggestion of a permanent change and therefore people should not view this as `the thin end of the wedge’ for evensong, which is greatly loved and appreciated by many. This is simply a way of using our resources well during the summer time, as well as giving us an opportunity to be more experimental, for if the church is to remain faithful and relevant in the third millennium, it must revitalise its worship, its spirituality and its theology.
I would encourage as many people as possible to support this series and hope that through our worship we can demonstrate both our love for God and for one another, as well as being open to God’s Holy Spirit for inspiration and challenge. If you are visiting another church during this summer time and experience good worship, please feel free to share your experiences with the Ministry Team for future planning and ideas.