I'm beginning to understand how the grumpers and complainers in my church must feel when all is not going as they want it. God hardly got a look in from me yesterday - I was far too exercised by what was going on around me.
Allow me to explain.
First - it was a DIY Sunday. I usually quite enjoy these; there seems to be a unity among the congregation, as if we're all pulling together to get things right for God, and if we make mistakes - well, we did our best. But yesterday, wrong decisions seemed to be rife. Despite the fact we've been singing the Schubert setting of the 1982 liturgy for nigh on two years, a decision was taken to use Merbecke, which is a setting of the 1970, so the words were all wrong in the liturgy books, and we had several visitors who must have been floundering! I wanted to argue the decision when it was taken, but went along with it for the sake of peace - I should have stuck to my guns. Grr!
Second - the new ghetto-blaster and CDs provided the music. Not bad in itself, but of course the recordings don't take account of the bellowers in the congregation who drag every tune back to a plod. To overcome this, presumably, the person in charge of the ghetto-blaster *conducted*! Most of the tunes happened to be in 3/4 time which, taken as one to a bar, lilt along nicely, but alas - the conducting reduced us to a heavy plod once again. I can't even bring myself to describe what the bawling plodders did to 'Shine, Jesus Shine' - not one of my favs, but okay if it's done with a swing - argh!
We're spoiled with the music in Holy T. I just wish that as soon as the organist is away we didn't revert to mediocrity with such alacrity. Surely the Mass would be better just said and we could simply sing the hymns - I don't suppose God has any objection to being bawled at but it might help the rest of us keep our minds on what we're there for.
Third - a certain flamboyant member of the congregation kept us sitting for ten minutes at the end while he said the same thing twenty different ways (how wonderful am I) and nothing was mentioned about the rather successful Links lunch that was provided by a couple of hard-working but unassuming folk on Saturday for the benefit of a project in very poor region of Africa. It would have been an opportunity to collect a little more money. Why didn't I stand up and say something? I hate myself when I'm so wet!
Trouble is, all this makes me realise that I'm no better than the folk who object to any tiny thing being changed from what it's always been. I want it done MY way, dammit! I can feel a tartan skirt and a blue rinse coming on . . .
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A view up the Clyde
3 comments:
Aw hen, you're needing yer grumpy pal back home! I'll give you some lessons on assertiveness, shall I? Remember how effective you are when you do say what's in your mind.
I don't think you're being fair to yourself when you equate resistance to change with resistance to (or indeed awareness of) mediocrity. after all, these people weren't really changing anything much - just muddling about to suit what they wanted. Actually, I'd bet it was a one-person decision, acquiesced to rather than have a confrontation.
And what on earth brought on the "wonderful me" moment?? (Better not tell me here!)
It must be hard without John and his talents. This will probably give those loud, opinionated people the chance to sit back and actually realise how lucky they are to have such fantastic people within the congregation.
Go for it, Di! Say what your thinking and allow yourself to be heard. Afterall, it's your church too.
ps - didn't know you were of the teaching veriety! What did you teach?
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