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| 1732: St Mary's,
Funtington, West Sussex, England |
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Mystery Worshipper:
Fluffy Bunny.
The church:
St
Mary's, Funtington, West Sussex, England.
Denomination:
Church of England, Diocese
of Chichester.
The building:
A lovely old building with amazing stained glass and a huge
graveyard. The tower contains three bells. There is a vaulted
ceiling with lovely ornamental stone supports for the wooden
roof. A light and airy interior. A more detailed description
of the building can be found on the main page of their website.
The church:
Funtington Parish includes two other churches: St Andrew's
West Stoke and St Mary's Sennicotts. St Mary's Funtington
sponsors a Mother & Toddler group and a Sunday school.
Thanks to generous funding by local benefactors, they have
recently opened a new parish hall which, it is hoped, will
be a springboard for a new round of extra activities. Holy
communion is celebrated on three Sundays of the month, with
matins read on the fourth Sunday. In months where there is
a fifth Sunday, a joint service of holy communion is held
in connection with the other churches in the parish.
The neighbourhood:
The village of Funtington lies about five miles west of Chichester.
Nearby is Kingley Vale, home to one of Europe's most impressive
yew forests, whose trees are thought to number among the oldest
living organisms in Great Britain. The church is hidden down
a long lane.
The cast:
There was nothing on the service sheet to indicate who was
taking the service, but I assume the officiant was the Venerable
John J. Holliman, the incumbent. A guest choir, the St
Richard Singers, provided the music, accompanied by James
Roriston at the organ.
The date & time:
31 May 2009, 6.00pm.
What was the name of
the service?
Festival Evensong for Pentecost.
How full was the building?
Full.
Did anyone welcome you
personally?
There was only one sidesperson when I arrived and he seemed
a little flustered. "They've left me all alone,"
he grumbled as he handed me my prayer book and service sheet.
There was a large gathering in a side room where refreshments
appeared to have been set out. I was left to find my own way
around and into a pew.
Was your pew comfortable?
No. The pews are old and so not very accommodating of modern
bottoms. There were no pew cushions.
How would you describe
the pre-service atmosphere?
There was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, but everyone seemed
quite friendly. The service started on time.
What were the exact
opening words of the service?
"The best laid plans of mice and men..." The officiant explained
that the bell ringers could not leave as a car had blocked
them in.
What books did the congregation
use during the service?
The Book of Common Prayer and a service sheet with
the hymns.
What musical instruments
were played?
Organ.
Did anything distract
you?
(1) There was a loud crackling from one of the loudspeakers
behind me which was quite distracting. (2) One of the sopranos
had an odd way of shaping her mouth – it didn't seem that
the shapes she was making fit the words she was singing. At
times she opened her mouth so wide I thought she would envelop
the row in front of her. (3) My bottom started to get quite
uncomfortable after about 30 minutes in those old pews.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
Standard BCP evening prayer with some really fantastic music:
Tallis' Loquebantur Variis Linguis; Stanford's Magnificat
and Nunc Dimittis; Haydn's The Heavens
are Telling. There was also a presentation of a record
of church artifacts that had been undertaken over the previous
three years – an interesting interlude in the evening
prayer.
Exactly how long was
the sermon?
No sermon.
Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
All of the music (despite the soprano's strange mouthings).
And which part was like
being in... er... the other place?
The crackling speaker – they should get it fixed.
What happened when you
hung around after the service looking lost?
The St Richard Singers were to give a concert after the service
had concluded, so there was no hanging around. No one spoke
to me.
How would you describe
the after-service coffee?
Refreshments were offered in the interval between the service
and the concert, but as I wasn't staying for the concert,
I didn't feel it was polite to have refreshments.
How would you feel about
making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 =
terminal)?
8 – A lovely church with a warm feeling inside. I'll
give it another go.
Did the service make
you feel glad to be a Christian?
I left church feeling uplifted and certainly glad to be a
Christian. It's been a long time since I've heard evensong
sung, and it was like meeting an old friend.
What one thing will
you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The most unusual opening line to a service and the lovely
feeling I had at the end. |
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| The Mystery Pilgrim |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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