RWCMD - persistence in pandemic

I walked to St John's after breakfast this morning to celebrate the Eucharist with just five others, half the usual congregation which is unusual. It was only when I was getting ready to leave that I realised that I'd not posted the link to my Thursday morning Prayer offering, as I usually do it after 'Thought for the Day', before eight. This morning I woke up well after eight, having gone to be rater late. I listened on catch-up and forgot my regular Thursday morning routine. I hope geriatric forgetfulness isn't going to plague me. Admittedly insufficient sleep may be the cause.

I returned and had lunch cooked well before Clare returned from school. After eating, I slept soundly for another hour and a half. Then we walked over the fields to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama for a special 'Welcome Back' meeting for College supporters and patrons at four in the Dora Stutzker Hall. This was made up of reports on the life of the College over the past eighteen months from the Principal and three senior staff members, interweaved with performances from three remarkable students. One was an award winning harpist, another was a talented singer from the Music Theatre course, and another was a virtuoso saxophonist from the Junior Conservatoire, just about to begin his first undergraduate year.

We were told that RWCMD continued working with students throughout the worst of the pandemic even when the College buildings were closed down, and as soon as it could open to receive students and staff again, it evolved a 'mixed learning' in-house and on-line arrangement. Making and performing shows, concerts and recitals went on throughout, via the internet, and whenever possible live with safely scaled down audiences in a variety of venues - dozens of production, plays, musical theatre and opera as well as recitals and concerts. Friday afternoon Jazz sessions continued throughout in the atrium of the building and were live streamed. 

Most impressive however is the fact that the 2021 academic year, despite all the restrictions, was completed in full, the only conservatoire in Britain, and maybe further afield, to do this. Such creative passion, thanks to inspirational leadership! Plans are afoot raise funds to develop in new ways all College educational programmes in the next three years, including a completely new approach to the BMus course. A great Welsh example of Boris's' build back better philosophy.

I know it's invidious to compare an institution like RWCMD with the Church in Wales, but the temptation is there. The College has not just fulfilled its mission to be a beacon of hope and creativity for the artistic life of Wales, but exceeded it in ways even those involved couldn't have imagined when the pandemic began and promises to continue to do so in the coming years. Can the same be said of our Province of the Anglican Church in the same period? 

At the grass roots level, in many if not most Parishes, the answer is yes - food banks, environmental and health projects, on-line worship, fellowship and discussion activities. But churches were also closed for long periods, and only slowly allowed to resume a semblance of normality. All was done conscientiously but in a totally risk averse way, avoiding the real challenge of encouraging disciplined responsibility in engaging socially to rebuild confidence in meeting face to face. 

Outdoor carol singing events socially distanced for example could have been planned and executed safely with creative forethought, but anything real world social was discouraged. Some have discovered that on-line religion works for them and is more convenient. Will congregations already in decline before the pandemic recover, if people have lost the habit of meeting, after such a long time being discouraged actively from doing so in and around church, apart from the strictly controlled environment of liturgical worship under covid compliant conditions?

Clearly RWCMD has worked hard at communicating in a way that has not only nourished relationships between teachers and students, but also with College supporters throughout, likewise the Welsh National Opera company. Building back better is going to be pursued with zeal not desperation. Our creative people longed for audiences and have made the effort to reach out and stay connected with them. The church as an institution - can we really say that it has done this with conviction? Or confidence? Has the church lost the ability to seize public attention in any meaningful or fruitful way? Where do we go from here?

All these thoughts came to the surface this evening while was was working on recording and editing next week's Morning Prayer audio. I'm finding it easier to do this with the passage of time, but wondering as I do it, who is listening and whether anyone is thinking about what we're saying. I believe a splendid effort was made throughout the worst of the crisis months to translate the traditional status quo of worship and outreach into the digital world, but where do we go from here. Do we have any idea what a re-think looks like or what direction it would take us in? I don;t have any answers. I hope someone does.

Traditional Sunday worship reimagined

Such an amazing change in the weather this morning, sunshine and blue sky with decorative clouds until mid afternoon, and showers only a little later.

We walked to St Illtud's for the ten o'clock service. This was a Liturgy of the Word only, what Greeks would call a 'Liturgical Synaxis'. It had several well chosen different prayers to start with, and led by four different lay members of the congregation, not wearing liturgical robes. It was beautifully done, relaxed and confident. The people were as welcoming this week as last, and we were happy that we could stay and chat over a drink for half an hour afterwards. 

Altogether it was a lovely experience of being part of a worshipping Christian community. A weekly Sunday Eucharist in each church is not possible with parochial re-grouping, but the alternative really shows how lay worship ministry can shine, even in a conventional and traditional conservative setting.

The sermon slot was dedicated to a TEAR Fund presentation by a young women who is their regional representative in Wales. She spoke about a video which was shown, telling the story of a Nigerian woman's struggle to feed her family in an inland regions acutely impoverished by climate change and structural economic injustice. It showed what TEAR Fund was able to offer in developing women's self-help groups which operated a form of credit union style savings club, and mutual support in learning and adopting new agricultural resources. 

Central to this initiative is bible study and a church planting project. It's a matter of indifference what the religious label of the church might be, what counts is the integrated approach to making life worthwhile and full of the Gospel in practice. It was simply presented and thoughtful. It reminded me of the years I spent working as USPG Area Secretary in Wales. Gower was one of the places I got to visit and work during those years.

We treated ourselves to Sunday lunch in the Oxwich Bay Hotel. It was traditional fare, meat and five veg. A veggie option for Clare and a handsome chunk of roast lamb for me. More than enough to fuel another beach walk, plus a visit to the bird-wby atching hide in the marsh later on.

We are debating about returning to Cardiff tomorrow instead of Tuesday morning, as another rainy day may cramp our style yet again, and we're nervous at the prospect of flooded roads recurring. We'll see.