Women's World Day of Prayer service

[lesley wright]

Before we ever get to Good Friday, our parish is hosting this year's Women's World Day of Prayer service, and it's the first time for a long time that I've been asked to play for it. This year seems to include some very strange music indeed. Does anyone else get this gem in their parish?

I have split this useful question off to a new topic, where it might more easily be seen and answered - Musicus (moderator)

[docmattc]

I had to play at one of these years ago when I was a student, the music was indeed odd- and unknown to almost all the congregation as I recall! The only piece I remember was a gem called "Silver and gold I have none" - midi in the link. Great for kids but really not for adults. More bizarre was the feeling that, as the only bloke in the room, I really shouldn't have been there.

Not experienced this in the parish, and I think I'd delegate the music to our other organist (who's a woman) if it did find its way onto the calendar.

[lesley wright]

Well, since I am a woman . . . but I'm going to have to shell out £40 to buy a copy of a book called 'Rejoice and Sing', since that seems to contain all these weird and wonderful songs that no one is going to know. I sort of question the whole ethos of the thing.

[VML]

Surely the music is distributed to parishes or at least local area Christian groups of churches with the order of service. I am not keen but have been to a few and done the music for a couple.
The daft situation with prescribed hymns reminds me of an SVP area Mass a few years ago where the hymns in the (nationally co-ordinated) order gave the name of the tune if the words were less known. I played exactly what was required, nobody sang and at the end, the chairman, (-I don't think that's what they are in SVP,) - came up and said 'What a pity you played hymns no-one knew!'...

[Claire B]

I'm playing at our local service. Most of the songs are from 'Mission Praise' and I found them in my copy of 'Worship Today' (Spring Harvest). Maybe you caould consult some ecumenical colleagues and borrow one for the day?

The one that stumped me and local music-folkwas 'The right hand of God is writing in our land', so I emailed the WWDP national office and they sent me a photocopy.

I should have written, I'm playing 5 of the 12 hymns/songs selected. I think its too many songs even for an evangelical/ecumenical gathering. I still remember the confirmation service where each of 14 candidates had chosen a hymn.

[lesley wright]

People should be banned from organising liturgies who don't know what they're about (ie people who aren't SSG members, of course)

[docmattc]

I'm playing 5 of the 12 hymns/songs selected. I think its too many songs even for an evangelical/ecumenical gathering.

I agree, but when you think about it, we have that many at Mass too if you count Kyrie, Gloria, 3 Euch Accs etc

[lesley wright]

But at Mass they hang together. The WWDP doesn't seem to do that, it's a fairly eclectic mix. And no one in their right mind would include in Mass so many items that so many of those present won't know. I rather think I am expected to play everything in the service bar one item!
L

[Claire B]

But at Mass they hang together. The WWDP doesn't seem to do that, it's a fairly eclectic mix. And no one in their right mind would include in Mass so many items that so many of those present won't know. I rather think I am expected to play everything in the service bar one item!
L

That would be the dance, I expect. I admit, I've not been to one of these services before. I've now seen the order of service, written by 'Christian women of Guyana', and it includes a circle dance.

Will everyone take part, I wonder? or is it a performance by a few? The comments in Cardinal Ratzinger's 'Spirit of the Liturgy' on the subject of dance are burnt rather into my recollection. Something about dance performers expecting applause and how did that fit with an act of worship.

[lesley wright]

I think everyone will take part - the Protestants seem happier than Catholics are to have a go at singing something they haven't heard every Sunday for the last six weeks. Yes, I don't think we'll be having the dance, not least because there probably won't be anyone under the age of 50 there!

[pirate]

Round here we have a 'Discovery Day' where people have a chance to find out a bit about the 'host country' and do some Bible study on the readings. We also have a go at the music which meant I had to learn it in order to teach it. The national WWDP organisation have a CD of it all - with voices and instrumental only, which was very handy, although I did find that most of the Methodist and Baptist ladies had been singing most of the stuff that was unfamiliar to me ever since God was a lad. We even had a go at the circle dance and if the same volunteers are forthcoming on the day we will be dancing, or rather walking - four to the right, four to the left, four in, look up, four out, look down. (It never entered my head that anyone might be looking for applause...)

Among the women of the local committee, no-one else seems to think the music or even the liturgy is a bizarre collection of items, and although I always think it looks bumpy on paper it seems to hang together on the day. I do enjoy working with the other women from different traditions but the experience makes me glad to be a Catholic...

And, Lesley, don't you lash out £40 for a hymnbook - ask the local committee to buy one so it can be carted round to different churches year after year! (Unless, of course, we all gang up on them and subtly alter the balance...)

[lesley wright]

Getting the local committee to put up for the hymnbook does sound like a good idea, and you're probably right about the local Methodists and Baptists. Sadly in our group of villages the Methodists are down to a congregation of about 30 of whom the youngest is 45, and there are only two Baptist churches in the entire Newcastle area, neither of them anywhere near this parish.