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The church: The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, England.
Denomination: Church of England.
The building: According to the cathedral literature, this is "the only cathedral to be built on a new site in the southern province of England since the Reformation, Guildford Cathedral stands high above the town on Stag Hill, close to the University of Surrey. Compared with most of our (ancient) cathedrals, Guildford's modern outline can seem stark and the light airy and uncluttered interior is not to everyone's taste, though others appreciate the simplicity of its vast space."
The church: Like all cathedrals there is a regular congregation, but there are one-off and time-to-time visitors at most services. The choir, of course, is a feature, and there is a flourishing Friends organisation. I get the impression that the regular congregation may be drawn largely from Surrey's county set, but I would be delighted to be proved wrong.
The neighbourhood: Set on the outskirts of Guildford amidst green rolling hills, it lacks an immediate neighbourhood in the sense that applies to most town churches.
The cast: The Very Rev. Victor Stock, Dean; The Rt. Rev. John Gladwin, Bishop, plus numerous other glittering (and in one case bewigged) dignitaries who processed around, read lessons etc. I am afraid I despair of ever understanding the complexities of Anglican hierarchy and theatricals.
Evensong with Collation and Installation of Canons (I always thought collation had something to do with food).
How full was the building?
The cathedral is huge and was perhaps one-third full; many people had come from the parishes of the three collated individuals.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Someone handed me a service and notice sheets and said good evening. After that it was up to me.
Was your pew comfortable?
Smart wooden chairs, impractically heavy and designed so that the hassock hangs so as to conceal the shelf where service and hymn books belong. But comfortable enough for an average length service.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
A low murmur but generally quiet and reverent.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
:"Welcome to the cathedral on this lovely sunny autumn evening."
What books did the congregation use during the service?
There was a special service sheet for the occasion, supplemented by a laminated card used for normal evensongs, and a hymn book the name of which escapes me.
What musical instruments were played?
Organ.
Did anything distract you?
It was a bit distracting being at the back of the congregation because it was a struggle to see what was going on. Probably the biggest distraction was noticing someone in what I would call a legal-style wig taking part in the service; this is a new one to me. I was also distracted by all the processing, bowing and scraping to one another and all the other theatricals which are part of such an event.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
The service was set and formal but the dean and bishop both have an informal approach which softened what would otherwise feel very stiff-upper-lip. Also the dean (who is only a few months into post and making his mark in no uncertain terms) made a mistake near the beginning which loosened things up from the start. But definitely in no way happy clappy (thank God).
Exactly how long was the sermon?
12 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7 – The bishop comes across as a warm, friendly person and is easy to listen to – for that length of time, anyway.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
That our business and the business of the new canons is to make it easier for people in our culture to encounter the love of God – a difficult task. He used what he had seen of the three canons at work in their individual parishes, and also his recent experiences during a visit to China, to illustrate his point quite effectively although I couldn't quite follow how some of the China stuff fitted in.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
Cathedral choirs and acoustics are very special and I hope we can all join in this kind of thing when we do get there, but I can't say I felt as though I was in heaven at any point.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
I was going to say that nothing impinged on me to the extent that I could say it was hellish, but maybe that was it!
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I hung around for a bit looking at some water colours which were on display, then I hovered in the narthex, which was very crowded, and was caught up in the queue shaking hands with the clergy. No one spoke to me until I bumped into people I knew.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
When I got to shake hands with the dean he dragged me back to a table where drinks were being served – wine and fruit juice; he then started encouraging everyone to have a drink, which, after some reluctance, a number of people did.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
5 – Although the fancy dress and theatricals are fun occasionally, I would not like all that on a regular basis. Also I suspect – though I hope I am wrong – that the regular cathedral congregation would be a bit too proper for me and that it would be quite hard work becoming part of the community (if there is one).
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
No.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The dean's enthusiastic encouragement to people to have a drink!
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