Sunday, June 1, 2014
Lights Going Out
While at church today, I made a quick inventory of light bulbs in the church proper that were burned out. I counted at least 11. If we don’t get serious about maintenance soon, we will be worshiping in the dark. My survey was done hurriedly. I probably missed a few bulbs.
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Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Worship Band
Someone posted the graphic below on Facebook. I thought it was very funny. The picture is from the Grumpy Orthodox Cat Facebook page.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Various Updates
This post provides updates on a couple of recent essays.
In my post “Indifference to Details,” I complained about the automatic door to the parking lot’s being turned off more often than not. This was the case last night when I went to church for choir rehearsal. I mentioned my concern to Jeff Dunbar, a Vestry member, who agreed to take up the matter with Dorothy. Stay tuned.
The Worship Commission met this week, and the matter of the summer schedule was raised. I don’t know that all my concerns, as expressed in “Sabbatical,” were brought up, but many certainly were. (Disclaimer: I did not attend the meeting, but I spoke with a couple of people who did.) A combination of deference to the absent rector and concern that a combined principal service would please nobody resulted, unsurprisingly, in no change to the schedule. (When the cat’s away, obsequiousness still holds sway.)
It never occurred to me that a combined principle service would retain elements of the 8:45 service. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity for the two congregations to get to know one another and for the 8:45 people to get a sense of what a traditional Episcopal service (and the prayer book and hymnal) looks like. There is good reason to believe that many 8:45 worshipers attend that service primarily for its time, brevity, and convenience with respect to Sunday School, rather than for the shape of the liturgy. Of course, we never ask people about their preferences as a way of determining how to satisfy them.
Given that we are unlikely to poll parishioners about their likes or dislikes, I would like to propose an experiment. This could be done at any time, but during the program year would be best. My experiment would require a little tweaking of the schedule, though not much. Switch the content of the 8:45 and 10:45 services, that is, have the traditional Episcopal service at 8:45 instead of at 10:45. My hypothesis is that, after a time, attendance at 8:45 would be substantial and attendance at 10:45 would be meager. What do you think?
In my post “Indifference to Details,” I complained about the automatic door to the parking lot’s being turned off more often than not. This was the case last night when I went to church for choir rehearsal. I mentioned my concern to Jeff Dunbar, a Vestry member, who agreed to take up the matter with Dorothy. Stay tuned.
The Worship Commission met this week, and the matter of the summer schedule was raised. I don’t know that all my concerns, as expressed in “Sabbatical,” were brought up, but many certainly were. (Disclaimer: I did not attend the meeting, but I spoke with a couple of people who did.) A combination of deference to the absent rector and concern that a combined principal service would please nobody resulted, unsurprisingly, in no change to the schedule. (When the cat’s away, obsequiousness still holds sway.)
It never occurred to me that a combined principle service would retain elements of the 8:45 service. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity for the two congregations to get to know one another and for the 8:45 people to get a sense of what a traditional Episcopal service (and the prayer book and hymnal) looks like. There is good reason to believe that many 8:45 worshipers attend that service primarily for its time, brevity, and convenience with respect to Sunday School, rather than for the shape of the liturgy. Of course, we never ask people about their preferences as a way of determining how to satisfy them.
Given that we are unlikely to poll parishioners about their likes or dislikes, I would like to propose an experiment. This could be done at any time, but during the program year would be best. My experiment would require a little tweaking of the schedule, though not much. Switch the content of the 8:45 and 10:45 services, that is, have the traditional Episcopal service at 8:45 instead of at 10:45. My hypothesis is that, after a time, attendance at 8:45 would be substantial and attendance at 10:45 would be meager. What do you think?
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Sabbatical
I learned just before the May issue of The Messenger went to press that the rector was going to be going on vacation/sabbatical in mid-May. As Lou explained in his page-one essay in the newsletter, it is conventional to offer rectors a periodical sabbatical. In fact, it is sometimes difficult to get rectors to take sabbaticals due them. That said, one has to wonder why parishioners were given less than two week’s notice that the rector was about to disappear for three months. I can think of no explanation for such short notice, which seems less than courteous.
If I were not shocked at Lou’s going on sabbatical, I was shocked at the summer schedule he has chosen to use over the summer. The Rite I, 8 o’clock said Eucharist is not only a longstanding St. Paul’s tradition, it is a tradition throughout The Episcopal Church. A number of longstanding parishioners attend this service, and it seems insensitive to eliminate this service with no warning or consultation with the affected congregation. (But this is the way the most welcoming congregation in the South Hills for all generations operates, I guess. Well, maybe not for the older generation who make up most of the 8 o’clock congregation.) The suggestion that 8 o’clock parishioners can attend the Wednesday midday service is ludicrous and insulting.
In the past, the two principal services have been combined in the summer, which most people saw as a reasonable strategy. Combining the services has many advantages:
As if being saddled with a dysfunctional schedule were not enough, I have learned that $10,000 received from the movie company that filmed at St. Paul’s was given by the Vestry to Lou for his sabbatical. (Additional money was given to the Nursery School, which had to cancel school for the filming.) I don’t know if this was accounted for in the annual report—I don’t have my copy handy—but it surely was not clearly indicated. Many parishioners thought that money from the movie would help us balance our budget, which always seems to be in need of a few more dollars. Will these same parishioners be pleased to learn that the money has gone to enriching the rector?
Update, 5/13/2014, 7:00 PM. On reflection, the $10,000 given to Lou may not be out-of-line. Churches often pay for education for priests on sabbatical. Responsible churches also create a fund for the purpose to which they add every year. St. Paul’s had not done that, though I understand that they plan to do so in the future. The annual report—I found a copy in my files—indicates a $10,000 contribution to the Sabbatical Fund last year.
What I could not find in the annual report is any entry for the money earned by the church from The Fault in Our Stars. If the revenue is supposed to be the “contribution” to the Sabbatical Fund, it appears that the income is being obscured in order to avoid its being considered an operating expense for purposes of diocesan assessment.
If I were not shocked at Lou’s going on sabbatical, I was shocked at the summer schedule he has chosen to use over the summer. The Rite I, 8 o’clock said Eucharist is not only a longstanding St. Paul’s tradition, it is a tradition throughout The Episcopal Church. A number of longstanding parishioners attend this service, and it seems insensitive to eliminate this service with no warning or consultation with the affected congregation. (But this is the way the most welcoming congregation in the South Hills for all generations operates, I guess. Well, maybe not for the older generation who make up most of the 8 o’clock congregation.) The suggestion that 8 o’clock parishioners can attend the Wednesday midday service is ludicrous and insulting.
In the past, the two principal services have been combined in the summer, which most people saw as a reasonable strategy. Combining the services has many advantages:
- It reduces the clergy workload, even if the 8 o’clock service is retained.
- It reduces the workload of laypeople—acolytes, readers, etc.
- Because attendance falls off in the summer, combining the services yields a single, well-attended service, rather than two poorly attended ones.
- The congregations for the 8:45 and 10:45 services, which have even fewer members in common than formerly, could get acquainted with one another. I have heard more than one complaint from 10:45 attendees that they know no one who attends at 8:45. Since I don’t know anyone who attends the 8:45 service myself, I have no idea what those people think.
- Time and effort could be saved in the production of bulletins.
- Members of the 8:45 service could be exposed to a more conventional Episcopal service. They might even learn to use the prayer book and hymnal. (There is no need for a program containing the entire service.)
- A single principal service could be scheduled to let everyone finish church long before noon.
As if being saddled with a dysfunctional schedule were not enough, I have learned that $10,000 received from the movie company that filmed at St. Paul’s was given by the Vestry to Lou for his sabbatical. (Additional money was given to the Nursery School, which had to cancel school for the filming.) I don’t know if this was accounted for in the annual report—I don’t have my copy handy—but it surely was not clearly indicated. Many parishioners thought that money from the movie would help us balance our budget, which always seems to be in need of a few more dollars. Will these same parishioners be pleased to learn that the money has gone to enriching the rector?
Update, 5/13/2014, 7:00 PM. On reflection, the $10,000 given to Lou may not be out-of-line. Churches often pay for education for priests on sabbatical. Responsible churches also create a fund for the purpose to which they add every year. St. Paul’s had not done that, though I understand that they plan to do so in the future. The annual report—I found a copy in my files—indicates a $10,000 contribution to the Sabbatical Fund last year.
What I could not find in the annual report is any entry for the money earned by the church from The Fault in Our Stars. If the revenue is supposed to be the “contribution” to the Sabbatical Fund, it appears that the income is being obscured in order to avoid its being considered an operating expense for purposes of diocesan assessment.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Indifference to Details
As usual, I attended the 10:45 service at St. Paul’s this morning. I noticed several operational/maintenance issues that were upsetting.
When entering the building, I tried using the automatic door opener. As is often the case, it didn’t work. I have complained about this before. (See “Handicapped Access.”) There is a toggle switch on the opener mechanism that sits above the door. The switch was off at 9:15 this morning. I turned it on, and the door worked, sort of. The opener seemed defeated by the striker of the door lock. (I didn’t stay around to investigate this.)
Why can’t the automatic door opener be activated whenever the church is open? Turning it on and assuring that it is working should be a standard part of opening the building for visitors. Apparently, the most welcoming church in the South Hills can’t get this right.
We had a baptism at the 10:45 service today. (I wondered why the baptism had not be performed at the more appropriate Easter Vigil, but I won’t belabor that point.) It struck me that the font seemed darker than it should have been. After the service, I noticed that the two spotlights that are supposed to illuminate the font and the two spotlights that are supposed to illuminate the pulpit were all pointed in the wrong direction. Since bulbs seem to have been replaced recently—see “Easter”—I would guess that their aim was adjusted in ignorance of the purpose of the spotlights. Since we seldom change the lighting in the church anymore, it is not surprising that no one seems to understand how our lighting system is supposed to work. (I am constantly irritated that we illuminate an evening service just as we do a daytime service, thereby virtually disguising the fact that the service is an evening service.)
Two related issues are worth noting. I have remarked elsewhere that having the font cover off the font at the beginning of a baptism service eliminates the drama of revealing the font during the service. (See “Unnecessary Change.”) As we have done with our sophisticated lighting system, have dumbed down the use of our font. Too bad.
Finally, I noticed that the indicator lights for the lighting system—there are four sets of illuminated control buttons in the church—are mostly burned out. No one seems to have thought of replacing them. Of course, since we almost never use the buttons, there is perhaps little reason to care any more. The lamps are very unusual ones, but they can be ordered from the manufacturer of our dimmer equipment, something I did more than once over the telephone when I was Audio-Visual Coördinator at St. Paul’s.
Why does no one at St. Paul’s seem to pay attention to details anymore?
Update, 5/13/2014. When I originally wrote this post, I stated that a wall switch needed to be on for the door opener to work. This was incorrect. The switch in question operates the lamp over the door.
When entering the building, I tried using the automatic door opener. As is often the case, it didn’t work. I have complained about this before. (See “Handicapped Access.”) There is a toggle switch on the opener mechanism that sits above the door. The switch was off at 9:15 this morning. I turned it on, and the door worked, sort of. The opener seemed defeated by the striker of the door lock. (I didn’t stay around to investigate this.)
Why can’t the automatic door opener be activated whenever the church is open? Turning it on and assuring that it is working should be a standard part of opening the building for visitors. Apparently, the most welcoming church in the South Hills can’t get this right.
We had a baptism at the 10:45 service today. (I wondered why the baptism had not be performed at the more appropriate Easter Vigil, but I won’t belabor that point.) It struck me that the font seemed darker than it should have been. After the service, I noticed that the two spotlights that are supposed to illuminate the font and the two spotlights that are supposed to illuminate the pulpit were all pointed in the wrong direction. Since bulbs seem to have been replaced recently—see “Easter”—I would guess that their aim was adjusted in ignorance of the purpose of the spotlights. Since we seldom change the lighting in the church anymore, it is not surprising that no one seems to understand how our lighting system is supposed to work. (I am constantly irritated that we illuminate an evening service just as we do a daytime service, thereby virtually disguising the fact that the service is an evening service.)
Two related issues are worth noting. I have remarked elsewhere that having the font cover off the font at the beginning of a baptism service eliminates the drama of revealing the font during the service. (See “Unnecessary Change.”) As we have done with our sophisticated lighting system, have dumbed down the use of our font. Too bad.
Finally, I noticed that the indicator lights for the lighting system—there are four sets of illuminated control buttons in the church—are mostly burned out. No one seems to have thought of replacing them. Of course, since we almost never use the buttons, there is perhaps little reason to care any more. The lamps are very unusual ones, but they can be ordered from the manufacturer of our dimmer equipment, something I did more than once over the telephone when I was Audio-Visual Coördinator at St. Paul’s.
Why does no one at St. Paul’s seem to pay attention to details anymore?
Update, 5/13/2014. When I originally wrote this post, I stated that a wall switch needed to be on for the door opener to work. This was incorrect. The switch in question operates the lamp over the door.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Charlie Appel Sentenced
Some St. Paul’s know Charlie Appel, a former Episcopal priest who has lately been a DJ. He has just be sentenced to five years in prison for downloading child pornography. Details are available here.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Easter
There was a lot to like in the Easter Sunday services at St. Paul’s yesterday. The flowers were lovely. We had enough acolytes that flags could be carried in procession. We sang a collection of great Easter hymns. The handbell choir played better than the ringers had a right to expect. Brass, choir, and organist acquitted themselves well, and the postlude was a tasty Easter treat.
As former Audio-Visual Coördinator, however, I continue to be disappointed by the current indifference of St. Paul’s to lighting. I’ll save for another day my general rant about our failure to use our lighting controls effectively. What I noted yesterday was that at least three light bulbs in lanterns were burned out, and some of these were at the front of the church where the situation was conspicuous. Equally appalling and even more obvious was the outage of three of the six lights on the high altar. (See the photo below. Two lamps are out on the left and one on the right.) There was a time when, before Easter or Christmas, making sure that all lamps in the church were working was an item on the preparations checklist. No more. Am I the only parishioner who cares?
Update, 4/24/2014. I was in the church this evening and discovered that: (1) Only one lamp was out on the high altar. (There are only four lamps, not six.) All lights on the high altar were working tonight. (2) The burned-out lamps in the lanterns that I noticed on Sunday have been replaced. I did notice one other lamp that is out, which I didn’t see on Sunday.
As former Audio-Visual Coördinator, however, I continue to be disappointed by the current indifference of St. Paul’s to lighting. I’ll save for another day my general rant about our failure to use our lighting controls effectively. What I noted yesterday was that at least three light bulbs in lanterns were burned out, and some of these were at the front of the church where the situation was conspicuous. Equally appalling and even more obvious was the outage of three of the six lights on the high altar. (See the photo below. Two lamps are out on the left and one on the right.) There was a time when, before Easter or Christmas, making sure that all lamps in the church were working was an item on the preparations checklist. No more. Am I the only parishioner who cares?
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| Photo from Doug Starr’s Facebook page |
Update, 4/24/2014. I was in the church this evening and discovered that: (1) Only one lamp was out on the high altar. (There are only four lamps, not six.) All lights on the high altar were working tonight. (2) The burned-out lamps in the lanterns that I noticed on Sunday have been replaced. I did notice one other lamp that is out, which I didn’t see on Sunday.
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