My churches part 2

My worshipping life changed a lot when I moved to York to go to university.  After trying out one or two places I settles into the 7pm congregation at St Michael le Belfry, and have been there ever since.  What I think I liked about St Mike's was how different it was to my previous experience of church.  There were many people my age, teaching that was relevant to me, the worship was different- not just in style but in how it felt.  Sermons were longer, around 30 minutes, and the worship was much more modern- and the worship band were louder!  Oddly perhaps, there was also slightly more liturgy.  There was something different at work in St Mike's that I hadn't felt- or only very occasionally- at Downham Methodist.  People there were welcoming to the Holy Spirit, something I'd barely heard about before.

I love St Mike's.  I've learnt a lot through being part of it and it has certainly changed the way I worship and helped me in many ways.  But that doesn't mean I can't see flaws, or don't sometimes get frustrated with it.  For a start, the church is so big that nobody can know everyone who is part of it.  Even after I've been there six years, people frequently ask if I'm new.  Not that that in itself is a problem.  But it can be hard to get to know people- since my uni friends have all left I sometimes feel a bit lonely as I don't quite fit in with the students or the 'proper' adults.  It's hard to meet the needs of everyone in such a big group.  Also, with so many people it can be hard to get a chance to develop the skills and gifts I feel I should be- there's little room for beginners to make mistakes when there are so many people.

That's partly why I've recently found myself enjoying something I didn't think I would.  Transcendence is a service that started two years ago as a joint project between York Minster and the Visions community (which is attached to St Mike's).  Transcendence draws on both high church traditions and modern multimedia worship, mixing plainchant and 'ambient beats,' incense and liturgy with creative prayer.  It's a service that engages all the senses in worship, sight, sound, smell, touch and taste.  

I don't normally like High Church ceremony.  It can seem cold and designed to create distance between God or the clergy and the people.  But Transcendence is different, somehow.  The atmosphere created by sound, smell and the beautiful surroundings of the Minster is somehow both awe inspiring and intimate.  Which I think is a good reflection of our relationship with God.  I don't know all that many people at Transcendence yet, and perhaps because it's still part of Visions there isn't as much of a distinct community- or at least, that's my experience as an outsider coming in.  It may just be that I've only been a few times and haven't had the chance to chat to people much.  But  I like Transcendence because it challenges me.  The 7pm service in some ways has become too comfortable in its style and content- I like being encouraged to pray and worship in a way I'm less comfortable with.    

So each church I've been part of has helped me grow in different ways.  There have been good and less good things about all of them, but they are what has helped me develop my understanding of my faith.  The variety of experience has also helped me think about what the church should be like and what is good or bad in a church.  None of them is perfect.  Everyone worships in different ways and a variety is good.  The main thing is to keep sight of what the church- globally and locally- is supposed to be, and for each church to do its' best in its' own way to fulfil that purpose.