My Sunday
This past Sunday, I went into London to the morning service at a church in Norbury.
First, a bit of background. For several years, I have been a fan of a particular church choir from England. They regularly appear on the BBC and they have recorded several CDs. Most of the time, however, they are the sanctuary choir at this particular church. Last summer, when I was in England chaperoning a youth choir from Virginia, we stayed with host families one night. I happened to stay the night with the family of a producer from the BBC – the same producer who works very closely with the choir. So, for some time I have wanted to make it in to London so hear the choir sing at the morning service.
Getting to the Norbury part of London, however, requires more than just a hop on the train. From Stevenage, it requires you to take the train to Kings Cross or Finsbury Park. There, you take the Victoria tube line to Victoria Station. Then, you take the Southern line to Norbury. Lastly, you exit the Norbury station, try to orient yourself on the map you printed from the internet, keeping in mind that signs with street names are not too common in England.
Luckily, all of the train connections worked out. I managed to figure out which way to turn upon leaving the train station. I soon ended up in front of the church. Early. (Nearly an hour early, actually. But with the unfamiliar trains and a dodgy map, I didn’t want to risk it.) While checking the schedule of services on the board outside (not that I had much else to do at that time of the morning), a parent dropping off her child asked if there was anything she could do to help me. She made sure I knew what time the service started and urged me to go inside soon rather than waiting in the cold.
When I went in, a very nice older couple greeted me. They made sure that I had a hymnal and an order of service, and that I found a seat. I sat down and was able to listen as the choir rehearsed for the service. Soon, the parent I spoke with earlier greeted me again and told me she was glad I had come in where it was warmer. She also invited me to hear the choir at Evensong that night.
After the service, I met the priest and then the older couple I met before the service invited me to coffee in the hall. On the way, they made sure that I was introduced to the choir director, a rather well-known figure in British church music. Over coffee, the older couple invited me to lunch with them.
I spent a very delightful afternoon getting to know new people, eating wonderful food, and watching the rugby game. Later, we returned to church for Evensong.
So, on Sunday, I attended my first Church of England service, I was able to hear the choir I have listened to for several years, and I met some new friends. All in all, it was a very well-spent day.
A note about this post: I am being deliberately vague on the names involved here. The choir has had some problems in the past with unwanted attention from some areas. I have been very fortunate to be welcomed so warmly, to be invited to an upcoming concert, and to have been given a copy of their in-house magazine that is not available to the general public. I would hate to publicize any information that the choir would rather not have the entire world know. I’m not worried about anyone I know reading this blog, but I don’t want any Internet search engines to index the specific information. What I will say is this: if you would like more specific information (and I know you), let me know. I’d be happy to tell you more.
First, a bit of background. For several years, I have been a fan of a particular church choir from England. They regularly appear on the BBC and they have recorded several CDs. Most of the time, however, they are the sanctuary choir at this particular church. Last summer, when I was in England chaperoning a youth choir from Virginia, we stayed with host families one night. I happened to stay the night with the family of a producer from the BBC – the same producer who works very closely with the choir. So, for some time I have wanted to make it in to London so hear the choir sing at the morning service.
Getting to the Norbury part of London, however, requires more than just a hop on the train. From Stevenage, it requires you to take the train to Kings Cross or Finsbury Park. There, you take the Victoria tube line to Victoria Station. Then, you take the Southern line to Norbury. Lastly, you exit the Norbury station, try to orient yourself on the map you printed from the internet, keeping in mind that signs with street names are not too common in England.
Luckily, all of the train connections worked out. I managed to figure out which way to turn upon leaving the train station. I soon ended up in front of the church. Early. (Nearly an hour early, actually. But with the unfamiliar trains and a dodgy map, I didn’t want to risk it.) While checking the schedule of services on the board outside (not that I had much else to do at that time of the morning), a parent dropping off her child asked if there was anything she could do to help me. She made sure I knew what time the service started and urged me to go inside soon rather than waiting in the cold.
When I went in, a very nice older couple greeted me. They made sure that I had a hymnal and an order of service, and that I found a seat. I sat down and was able to listen as the choir rehearsed for the service. Soon, the parent I spoke with earlier greeted me again and told me she was glad I had come in where it was warmer. She also invited me to hear the choir at Evensong that night.
After the service, I met the priest and then the older couple I met before the service invited me to coffee in the hall. On the way, they made sure that I was introduced to the choir director, a rather well-known figure in British church music. Over coffee, the older couple invited me to lunch with them.
I spent a very delightful afternoon getting to know new people, eating wonderful food, and watching the rugby game. Later, we returned to church for Evensong.
So, on Sunday, I attended my first Church of England service, I was able to hear the choir I have listened to for several years, and I met some new friends. All in all, it was a very well-spent day.
A note about this post: I am being deliberately vague on the names involved here. The choir has had some problems in the past with unwanted attention from some areas. I have been very fortunate to be welcomed so warmly, to be invited to an upcoming concert, and to have been given a copy of their in-house magazine that is not available to the general public. I would hate to publicize any information that the choir would rather not have the entire world know. I’m not worried about anyone I know reading this blog, but I don’t want any Internet search engines to index the specific information. What I will say is this: if you would like more specific information (and I know you), let me know. I’d be happy to tell you more.
posted by Matthew Reames at 3/02/2005 07:40:00 AM
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