Goth Eucharist

[yrieithydd]

As my previous post indicated, I went to the Goth Eucharist last night.

The TV cameras and journalists taking photos were mildly distracting (especially when they appeared to be attempting to film candles and when the cameraman sat on the altar step just was we were about to go up to receive communion) but on the whole I managed to ignore them. I was as much distracted from worship by wanting to watch and judge this event.

I admit that I went along out of curiosity. I am not a Goth. TBH, I'd never come across Goths until I came to Cambridge and do not know that much about the sub-culture. But, given the conversation we had over dinner after Mass on All Saints' Day, I wanted to see for myself what it was like and I do have a number of friends who define as Goth. This was really my first opportunity to go as for the last three terms I've had something on on the same alternate Tuesdays but that's on the other set this term!

I wasn't that sure what to expect. I got there at 8:30 and we hung around and chatted and I nearly didn't recognise meirion in the half dark. After a bit, we sat down and started looking through the liturgy. I observed that the Eucharistic Prayer, though not an authorised CofE one had the words of institution and an epiclesis of sorts which reassured me on the point of validity.

Although the theme of the service was given as Miracles, the sermon did not discuss the idea of miracles and whether they were possible but took us through the raising of Lazarus and related it to our lives: being called out by Jesus from darkness and imprisonment; the role of the bystanders in freeing his bonds; the fact that Jesus made clear that Resurrection was not just some nice abstract idea that they'd learnt about in Sunday School (Sabbath school surely!) but was embodied in him and could happen how.

The text used at the invitation to Communion which was described as `after Teresa of Avila' was powerful. It had resonances with the Methodist Covenant prayer. It certainly was not a happy-clappy service and acknowledged the darkness many of us experience. The use of the beginning of the Prologue to St John's Gospel at the lighting of the Paschal candle worked, with its statement that the darkness has not overcome death and psalm 139 is my favourite psalm (although my inner pedant was amused by having several verse of it as the `opening sentence'!). I did wonder why there were 5 candles around* the paschal candle when only four were lit in the course of the service (and there were 6 spaces in the candlestand).

I'm still not sure though how to answer Fr Andrew's concern about it creating a ghetto. Where is the balance between reaching out to people in terms that they will understand and drawing them into the wider body of Christ in which there is no Jew, no Greek, no Barbarian, no Goth etc?

*That's what it said in the opening blurb but they were in front of it really)

Comments

[mr-ricarno.livejournal.com]

I admit to being slightly concerned by the 'ghetto' problem. I remember stories from the Nine o' Clock Service where people were driven out for being 'not of the culture'. Then again, Chris Brain (founder of that service) had a personality disorder and it's probably an unfair comparison.

You could go to the other extreme and say 'Well, we don't want to create a ghetto - let's abolish churches and denominations and just have a huge gathering in a field on Sundays where all Christians can worship together'. That wouldn't work for a number of reasons.

Most churches with more than one service a week develop different congregations, and draw the congregations together occasionally for joint services. That seems a fair compromise.

Perhaps something to answer Fr Andrew's concern, would be to suggest that the strongly Catholic flavour of LSM's liturgy creates a kind of ghetto where those of a lower-Church persuasion feel somewhat left out? Crikey, I knkow it happens - look at the way my Mum reacted to LSM.

I mean, yes LSM is in a city where there are plenty of other churches to choose from, but what about very high suburban or rural parishes? The congregation can't simply head to the Evangelical place five minutes down the road, can they?

I suppose any church with a strong identity and commitment to a particular tradition is likely to become a 'ghetto' for the people to whom it appeals...

[angelofthenorth.livejournal.com]

I would go with LSM as a liturgical ghetto. Same as HS is a liturgical ghetto in London Methodism.

But the likes of Goth Eucharist and LSM could only really exist somewhere that there were enough people for them to emerge, surely.

[caliston.livejournal.com]

I wonder whether commitment to a particular tradition might also recognise that that tradition doesn't necessarily work for everyone and, in a parish where church-hopping isn't feasible, having different services for particular groups.

My home Anglican parish has two churches, one 1970s building in the village and the 11th century church in the mother hamlet. Sunday morning services happen concurrently in each church. That means we have one happy-clappy Family Service in the 1970s building and Matins or Eucharist in the 11th century. The rector does a reasonable job of flitting between fully-robed pulpit-sermons in the more traditional service and Powerpoint thingies in the other (with lay readers taking the alternate service). And the congregations move around too, and some make a point of alternating.

This seems to work for worship styles. When it can't work is if there are huge theological differences. You can't value Tradition in one and hold to Sola Scriptura in the other.

I suspect the key is making sure that the Goth Eucharist is treated exactly as any other service. That means that people get given notice sheets, are invited to join homegroups, get notice of church lunches or the parish weekend away. It's also must be about building connections between people in the body of the church and those who come on a Tuesday night. It's much more likely that they'll come to a Sunday morning service if they know at least some of the people there. This begs the question whether getting people to come on Sunday morning is the be-all and end-all. I suppose it's (hopefully) a more balanced view of what the Church is about.

If we think of the concept of church as family, how does the church family interact? It's not just by people attending services because they might tend to be relatively homogeneous (people tend to go to the same service(s) each week) but I think it's by other non-worship activities that tend to break people out of their cliques.

[yrieithydd.livejournal.com]

It's much more likely that they'll come to a Sunday morning service if they know at least some of the people there.

Actually, with St Edward's, it's more likely to be the 5pm Meditative Eucharist that they'd move onto, the morning service being BCP Mattins! Alternatively, given the number of LSMers present on Tuesday, they could get drawn that way.

[angelofthenorth.livejournal.com]

Watching "Look East" it looked stunning, and I really would love to have some way of showing to some of the people on my course just how good it was.

Mostly cos I want to educate them that they can do it to!