I had completely forgotten about St. Bartholomews (I lived in Brighton for a while).  A completely amazing place, I do urge anyone within easy reach to visit it.



BBM.  Don B is correct of course about the huge variation in Anglican services.  We have two Anglican Churches here, the 'Mother' Church is very High.  Sanctus bells, altar boys, Servant of the Sanctuary swinging the censer etc.  Sunday has said Eucharist at 8am, sung Eucharist at 10am and Evensong at 6.30pm (Choral once a month).  Monday to Friday Morning Prayer at 7.30am and Eucharist daily at various times.  Children are encouraged to go to the Sunday School during the service rather than be in the Church!  There is a Director of Music and as most of the Choir members are also in the local Choral  Society so the standard of music is high.

The other Church is 'Low', much more informal, more family/children orientated with a short family/all age service.  The local Brownies and Cubs are affiliated to the Church.  Sunday Eucharist at 9.30, Evensong only 3 Sundays a month.  Weekday Eucharist only on Thursdays.

Most Churches have websites now so if you were inclined to try an Anglican service I think you should be able to judge which one you might prefer to attend.

This might be interesting.  Today's Choral Evensong is live from the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music at St Pancras Church, London.  There are two commissions by Sebastian Forbes and Anthony Powers.

And I am pleased for you too Don B! 

I was listening to CE and in particular enjoying the Gabriel Jackson Hymn to the Trinity. Might investigate him a bit further.   Not too sure about the St. Pancras Canticles by Sebastian Forbes. 

Suddenly R3 Listen Live died as has the BBC website most of the weekend.

The website died because they don't put the money into maintaining it.  They'd rather give it to Jonathan Ross.

St Pancras Canticles presumably involve a buffet car processing down the aisle nd an invocation to rail replacement camel services?

Indeed they did marbs and the following Anthem invoked the spirit of John Betjeman in a setting of his British Transport film, Trains and Buttered Toast because of course he saved St. Pancras Station from being torn down, hence his statue there.

The sad thing to me is that when I started going to this church ten years ago, more than half those children would have been black.  All the boys who read for me were white.  All these liberal young professionals are very nice, but it is a shame that the old West Indian brigade no longer live round here.  (They may have moved back to their islands, and their children now live in better housing, but miles out, eg Tottenham.)

Still we are pretty rainbow, however.  I chatted to a young gay Nigerian Anglican, who is over in the UK at present, because of fear of physical attack for his sexuality in Nigeria.  I offered to take him round the British Museum.

Or were you referring to my photos?

My church experience today was rich and varied.

To begin, my Rohan trousers were wet through at the knees on my walk to church.

As I was serving today, I put on my cassock and removed my trousers.  A strange, free feeling, perhaps similar to skinny dipping (I've never tried.)

I believe that when John Paul II was newly appointed, some old Vatican hands were scandalised to learn that they now had a Holy Father who wore trousers underneath his cassock.  It gets cold in Poland.

I also read the Biblical reading (Leviticus) at no notice, as the appointed reader did not turn up.  I enjoyed that.