From the Office of Public Affairs A word to the Church regarding the theology of worship during the COVID-19 pandemic from the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church: March 31, 2020 John Donne, Priest, 1631 Dear Friends in Christ Jesus, We find ourselves in the strange position of fasting from physical gathering for worship of almighty God, not out of sloth or … [Read more...] about Curry Discusses Theology of Worship During the Pandemic
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Synod Relaxes Rule on Service Frequency
English church law has required since 1603 that every parish church hold a weekly Sunday service and Holy Communion at some time each week. Now that is set to change. There are rural clusters of parishes (benefices) with a solitary priest serving as many as 20 parish churches, which makes it impossible to fulfill the law. General Synod has now relaxed the requirement. … [Read more...] about Synod Relaxes Rule on Service Frequency
Research on Evensong Numbers
Cathedral services of choral Evensong in England appear to be burgeoning. Now a research project launched in Oxford is set to try to find out why. While church attendance is declining generally, that is not so for cathedral attendance, especially at Christmas. The research project to be led by musicologist Kathryn King of Magdalen College, Oxford, will study what people … [Read more...] about Research on Evensong Numbers
Disappearing Organists
Most Church of England churches own an organ, and most are in working order. Organists, however, are less numerous. The InHarmony Report by Richard Hubbard, music development director for the mainly rural Diocese of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich, found that more than half of active organists in the diocese are older than 70. Less than four percent are 30 or younger. The report … [Read more...] about Disappearing Organists
Uncovering Roots, Raising Questions
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald BOSTON — Episcopalians who self-identify as Anglo-Catholics have reason to believe their niche packs a mysterious magnetism that draws both the well-off and the dirt-poor to seek God in the sacraments. But Anglo-Catholics are also concerned that after nearly two centuries, their movement needs renewal. They are inviting hard questions to make sure … [Read more...] about Uncovering Roots, Raising Questions
Free Settings for the Mass
Morguefile Prince of Peace Church of Woodland Hills, California, offers settings of the Mass for choir, handbells, brass, and organ, written or arranged by its music director, Boude Moore. “Our belief is that the worship music should not only appeal to the senses of the congregation but that the congregation should be able to join the singing,” … [Read more...] about Free Settings for the Mass
Good News Is the Power of God
The Archbishop of Canterbury, in his presidential address to the Church of England’s General Synod:Training, issues of management, the allocation of resources: however good they are — and they must be very good — are not the final aim of the church. We are finally called to be those who worship and adore God in Christ, overflowing with the good news that we’ve received, making … [Read more...] about Good News Is the Power of God
Feeding the Five Thousand
By Jerry F. Davidson When I was a very young man I made a conscious decision to be a church musician. I loved playing the organ, singing, and making music any way I could. I liked the men and women around me who were leaders in church music and found real joy in my studies at New York’s Union Theological Seminary in the late 1960s. After nearly 60 years of active service in … [Read more...] about Feeding the Five Thousand