A Concert in Great Britain
1
Corinthians 13:13
Dear reader: Here is an
accounting of what I consider an interesting week in my adopted
country of GREAT Britain. Again, all I ask of you is for your open
mind and heart.
I
had been planning for a two-week stay at the beginning of July, but
as usual, there were many obstacles. Then one night in April,
shortly after Libera had returned from their Japan Tour, somebody had
posted on YouTube a bootleg recording of the choir singing, “Glory
to thee my God this night” followed by “Gloria in Excelsis Deo”
to the music of the Maestoso from the Third Organ Symphony by Camille
Saint-Saens. When I heard this, I was stunned by it. To be honest, I
thought it was fantastic. I knew Libera was supposed to do a concert
in a south coast English city by the name of Arundel. I was not about
to miss a chance to hear this group in concert, so I decided to make
my holiday for early May.
It
didn’t take too long to make all of the arrangements, and on Friday, the 28th
of April, I was in the air, London-bound. The plane had about 100
empty seats; this made for an easy flight since we could put
the armrest up and create makeshift beds out of the seats. In due course, we
were in Gatwick going through Immigration and customs after which, I
was on my way to my roomlet in Forest Hill. I had no difficulties
this time, but after four tries, I think I now know my way around
that end of South London fairly well.
After
I got settled in at my roomlet, I went for some supper and then
returned to my roomlet. It was a nice, sunny and somewhat warm
afternoon, so I went into the backyard and did some sunbathing.
The
next day, I went to church at St. Philips, where I was warmly greeted
and met up with my friend from Westbury. That evening, I also met up
with the friends from Cobham, Kent.
That
afternoon, my friend from Westbury and I went to Wetherspoons for
lunch, and then he went home for the day. I went into London for a
while and did some sightseeing, then decided it was time to go back
to the church, the long way. I really never had a good look at
Streatham, so I took the train to Streatham Hill Station and walked
down the A23 to Norbury. The trains were out of service between
Balham and Streatham Hill so we had to take a bus. Whilst riding this
bus, I started talking to a young lady who had a young boy with her, who turned out to be her son, and an older man I was to find out was
her mate. After we got to know each other’s names, she asked me a
question that stunned me somewhat. The question was "You’re a
Christian, aren’t you?" I responded with yes, and she said she
thought as much because of the way I spoke and acted towards her. She
told me they were Catholics, but did not quite get that we are all
Christians, just different ways of believing. As we neared the end of
our trip, I held her son and prayed a blessing on him and kissed him
on his forehead, as I do many children I pray a blessing for. At the
end of the journey, we departed company. I will most likely never see
them again as long as I live. God Bless and take care, Trish, wherever
you are.
In all, it was a very nice day, and
it was great to see many of my friends again and make a few new ones.
I stopped in the PC planet, the Internet Café I spoke of in my
earlier letters, and I was remembered as that “nice American” who
comes in to have his camera downloaded and the pictures burned to a
CD.
On Monday I was up fairly
early to go to Hoddesdon the meet up with my friend who lived there
at the time. One thing I might point out here, to buy any kind of
discount ticket on British Rail, one must wait till after 9 in the
morning. This can be a real pain in the tush to say the least. I
finally arrived in Hoddesdon where my friend was waiting for me at
the train station. We went to his flat where I proceeded to give him
some lessons on computer use and then we went for a tour of the
Cathedral at St Albans. St Albans is named after a Roman citizen from
the one time town of Verulamium whose ruins and Museum are not too
far from the Cathedral. He was martyred because of his refusal to
renounce his newfound faith in Christianity and is England’s first
martyr. The Monastery that once stood there became a place where
“miracle” healings have taken place and to this day, draws many
pilgrims. My friend and I had an experience there and I will get to
that in a bit. When we first arrived, my friend wanted some photos of
the front entrance with us in it. After which we entered and
proceeded to give ourselves a tour. I noted the different
architecture from the North and South sides of the Nave. I was to
find out that after the Normans [as my friend put it] “sorted King
Harold out”; they proceeded to build the Cathedral using part of
the old Monastery in its construction. As a result, on the North
side, one sees Roman Arch’s and 1400 year old art work and on the
South, one sees Norman design. After we walked around for a while, I
started to get hungry so I suggested lunch in the Café. Sadly a
guided tour was just starting but I couldn’t wait that long to eat
because of a medical condition where it is necessary for me to keep
food in my stomach. So reluctantly my friend joined me in the Café.
I will say this much for the food at St Albans, it’s very good
indeed and when another American from Connecticut served me, it was
an even greater treat. After lunch, we went back inside, toured some
more and eventually came to the shrine of St. Alban. We went inside
to offer our prayers for our respective concerns as well as make
votive offerings. After a period of prayer we were both in tears and
all of a sudden, someone started playing on the organ “I know my
Redeemer Livith” from Handel’s “Messiah”. We both immediately
broke down and started crying. I can only guess it was our respective
anguishes coming to the top. You will never have any idea of just how
emotional this was for the both of us and I’m glad no other tourist
walked in on us for if they had, they would have seen a middle aged
and an old man blubbering. This, as you might expect, was a very
special moment to share with a friend whom I also love as a brother.
After
we regained our composure, we left the shrine just as other tourists were coming in and went to the High Altar. The sun was just starting
to shine on the screen behind the altar, which made the stone artwork
seem to come alive, and we both were able to get some very nice photos
of this.
When
we were finished with our tour of the inside, we went outside and strolled
the grounds. There is a hill that we walked up and took some nice
photos of the Cathedral from a distance. We then drove to Verulamium
and visited the museum there. It was a real education on Roman life
in those times and a very nicely done display. We then drove back to
Hoddesdon, listening to a music CD I had given my friend, and when we
arrived at his home, we played around on the computer some more. Soon
it became time for me to return to Forest Hill for the night. I would
have liked to have stayed the night, but I had another Cathedral tour planned for the next day, which was in the opposite direction. So,
reluctantly, my friend took me to the train station and saw me off. On
the way “home”, I had time to reflect on what had transpired that
day and realised that it’s events like this that make fond memories
and friendships that last a lifetime.
Tuesday
dawned bright and sunny with unusually clear skies for the time of
year. The word “crystalline” comes to mind even though it had
been slowly cooling off since my arrival on Saturday. I went to the
train station and bought a “cheap day return” for Winchester. I
had a slight problem occur, though. It seems that whilst I was waiting for
the train at Clapham Junction, I had lost my outbound ticket, and of
course, I became panic-stricken. I offered a prayer for help in this
situation, and it was given to me in a rather unlikely fashion. I took
a gamble and boarded the train for Winchester. When the ticket agent
came around asking for them, I explained what happened and showed him
my return ticket, explaining I couldn’t have gotten it without
purchasing an outbound one. He told me to keep checking my pockets
and would review the situation when he came back. Well, dear reader,
he never came back, and I arrived at Winchester without further
incident.
I will reiterate, don’t ever try to tell me the power of
prayer doesn’t work.
My
friend from Westbury was waiting for me on the platform. After a warm
greeting, we were on our way to the Cathedral. I am going to quote
the introduction to this magnificent temple to God from the
Cathedral’s website.
"This
Cathedral Church, so named because it houses the throne (or
‘cathedra’) of the Bishop of Winchester, has its origins in the
seventh century, when a Christian Church was first built on the site.
Since then it has played a fundamental part in the life of this
ancient city, and a role in our nations history.
Begun
in 1079 in the Romanesque style, this Cathedral is at the heart of
Alfred's Wessex and a diocese, which once stretched from London's
Thames to the Channel Islands. Its bishops were men of enormous
wealth and power, none more so than William of Wykeham, twice
Chancellor of England, Founder of Winchester College and New College, Oxford. The chantry chapels and memorials of these great prelates are
a feature of the Cathedral. These influential bishops also developed,
re-fashioned and adorned this great Cathedral. There, pilgrims sought
the shrine of local saints, notably a former bishop, Saint Swithun,
whose festival (15 July) was said to set the pattern for the weather
for the next forty days.
The
Cathedral was also the church of the community of Benedictine monks
from its earliest days. Elements of the monastic buildings may still
be traced through the Cathedral Close. Central to the life of the
monks was the Opus Dei (the Work of God), the regular offering of
prayer, which they sang in the quire. The discipline of praying
regularly for the world is continued today, most notably in the said
morning office and the daily singing of Evensong by the Cathedral
choir. Evensong still takes place in the choir of the Cathedral; the
choir stalls with their magnificent gabled canopies, elaborately
carved with flowers and plants, owls and monkeys, dragons, knights
and green men."
We
gave ourselves a tour, looking into every nook and cranny
and just when we thought we had seen the entire interior and its artwork, another small Chapel or piece of artwork would come into
view. After a bit, we went to lunch in the Café located on the
grounds. I was getting anxious to hear their boys’ choir at
Evensong, which was still several hours away. We walked some more of
the grounds, soaking up the history and sunshine as well as having a
lovely heart-to-heart chat .
We also had a chance to visit the famed library that’s a part of
the Cathedral and view many ancient books. One of the books was a
Bible that a monk had worked on for six years. This Bible has some of the
most beautiful illuminations I have ever seen.
Finally, it was time for Evensong. We were lucky to get a seat in the Quire
that was across the aisle from the façade of the organ. The service
started in true Anglican Tradition with a Verger leading the
procession. Sadly, I don’t have a copy of the programme for the
service, so I can’t tell you the order of worship or the music that
was sung by this world-class choir. Rest assured, if you ever have a
chance to visit Winchester and miss it, you will have missed
something truly rewarding.
After
Evensong, we decided it was time to leave, for both of us had a
somewhat long journey to get to our respective “homes”. As per
usual, I had just missed a train that would have taken me straight
away to Clapham Junction. After some wait, I was able to board a train
for London, which required one change and then the change at Clapham
Junction for Forest Hill.
I
feel I was very blessed that day. Not only did I get to visit another
Cathedral and hear the music of a wonderful choir, but I was also able to
spend time with a person who has been a true friend to me and has
stayed with me during a very difficult time in my life. Before
October 2005, events like this were beyond my wildest dreams. I don’t
care what people say, I believe with all of my heart, what has
happened has been by design, not chance, and I thank God often for the
gifts of love and friendships he has given me.
Wednesday
dawned bright and sunny. I had gotten up a bit late and had to rush through breakfast to get to St. Philips for the Wednesday
10.30 a.m. Holy Communion.
Much to my dismay, by the time I arrived at the train station, I had
just missed the train I wanted to take, which was the one to Streatham Hill station. This would have been the easier way to go
since the subsequent bus trip would have dropped me off across the
street from Wetherspoons, which is fairly close to the church.
Instead, I had to wait for the next one, which took me to East
Croydon, then backtracked to the Norbury station, which meant a somewhat
long walk to the church. I was a bit late for the service because of
all of this. The Vicar's wife was very kind in offering me the Book of
Common Prayer, turned to the correct page so I could pick up where
everybody else was. We had communion, and the service ended with
coffee and biscuits for all. It was a meaningful service with a
small, warm gathering of people. I might point out here that one of
the parishioners is a cancer survivour like myself. While everybody
was having coffee and chatting, Canon Washington consented to allow
me to take photos of the inside of the church. I was able to get some
nice shots of the sun coming through the stained glass windows. The
sun coming through the windows made for a very pleasant feeling of
warmth and peace inside the church.
[An intersting note here. My Atheist friend from Kent told me he had visited here one day for a reason I do not remember. He related to me of how he was in the Sanctuary in similar conditions as I described and all of a sudden he had a feeling of Peace and Quiet come over him like he never experienced before. I tried telling him he was feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit, but, sadly, he declined to acknowledge that]
After
the other congregants had departed, I went with the Washingtons to
the Vicarage, where they did some church business, and then we went to
Wetherspoons for lunch. We had a lovely time of it, and after we were
done, I bade them farewell and went back to Forest Hill to get my
medications. I had run out the door so fast earlier, I had forgotten
to bring them with me. I then went to London and just knocked about
for a bit, stopping at the “Starbucks” In London Victoria for tea
and sweet cake. Then I went to Westminster Cathedral to tour and get
some better photos of the inside. Whilst I was there, I was able to
attend an Evensong [Vespers] as presented in Latin by the Adult
Choir.
When
the Evensong was over, I went back to Streatham as I thought I was
supposed to meet another friend there who was going to give me a tour of the London waterfront. I called him on the cell
phone, and much to my chagrin, I found out I was supposed to go to
Charing Cross to meet him. As it was, I met up with him at platform
10 in London Victoria.
After
we had met, we took the tube to the Embankment Station and from there
we walked across the bridge to the South side of the river to where
the “London Eye” is located. As we walked across the bridge, my
friend pointed out several landmarks, including the “Wedding
Tier” Church [St Brides]. This church is so nicknamed because the
steeple is tiered like a wedding cake, and I’m told many people like
to get married there for that distinction. We then walked the
waterfront with him, pointing out different things and came to an
upscale restaurant where he offered to buy a pint. We chatted there
for a bit, with me giving him a music CD as a small gift for his
birthday, which was in a few days. It was very noisy in this
place, so he suggested we go to another pub that had outdoor seating
and was much quieter. I then proceeded to tell him about myself in a
bit more detail than I do most people I meet for the first time. He was
looking at me in an odd fashion, and I explained that if we were going
to be friends, I felt I should be honest with him up front. When we
were done with our drinks, he took me to Waterloo Station and showed me
the common meeting place for people. In Philadelphia, we have the
saying of “Meet you at the Eagle”, meaning the bronze statue of an
Eagle in the John Wanamaker Store [formerly Macy's] at 13th
and Market streets. Well, in London, it’s “Meet you under the
Clock”, meaning the clock in London Waterloo. We then boarded a
train for Clapham Junction. He had to take a different train to get
back to Streatham, as I did for Forest Hill. After a warm farewell, my
friend had just boarded his train and immediately got back off and
came to me and said, “Terry, I am going to do something that is
very un-British”, and gave me a big hug. I will admit I was a bit
surprised by this show of warmth. However, I quickly recovered and
reciprocated modestly. This is the same person who had
expressed regret that I would not be there for Christmas in 2006.
On
the way back to Forest Hill, I reflected on the events of the day. It
soon became very clear why I love GREAT Britain, and its people.
This friend is sadly an agnostic. It is my prayer, hope and wish to
someday bring him to the Cross of Christ. As a Christian, it is
only natural that I would want someone who is close to my heart to spend
eternity in paradise with me.
Typical of the United Kingdom,
Thursday morning started off on the dull, grey side. The good part is that the sun usually makes an appearance by mid to late morning. My friend
from Cobham, Kent, met with me in London Victoria at the Starbucks in
South East Rail’s terminal. After some tea, we went to the Science
Museum for something of a tour. The first thing that struck me was
the stationary steam engines that were of the “Walking Beam”
type. This type was commonly used for dewatering the Coal Mines.
There were a number of other engines there that had been used for
power generation and other purposes. However, unlike the Franklin
Institute in Philadelphia, there was nothing representing railway
use. There are a number of displays showing the development of
aircraft and space exploration, which are all very nicely done. Sadly, we didn’t have time to view the entire museum, as there were other
activities that were planned for the day.
We
arrived at Westminster Abbey and were able to get a good seat in the
Quire. The service started with an Introit by William Byrd with the
Vesicles and Responses by Byrd as well. The Magnificat and Nunc
Dimittis were written by Charles Wood.
At
this point in time, I have to confess, I, in the midst of writing this
letter, I have lost the programme for this Evensong. As a result, I
cannot provide any more information on the music sung. Rest assured, though, as per the norm of the English Cathedral Choir Tradition, it
was all very well done.
When
the service was over, we just looked at each other and smiled. We
both knew that what we had just heard was truly exquisite music. We
then went to London Waterloo and took a train to our respective
“homes”. I proceeded to Streatham. I had wanted to check out the
Railway Hotel to see what their rooms were like for future reference, and found out they were no longer in the roomlet business. I had
wanted to get some supper in the pub section but the place was too
noisy to suit me, so I walked up Greyhound Lane and took the 109 Bus
back to Streatham Hill, where I stopped in a “Dallas Chicken”
place for some Chicken and Chips. After “supper”, I went back to
Forest Hill for the night.
It
had been a lovely day I spent with this closest of friends, whom I
truly love as a brother. One thing I will say for him, for someone
who is a self-professed atheist, he is more Christian in his attitude
and the way he treats others than many so-called Christians I know!
This might be due in part to the fact that he was raised in a Salvation
Army household. It is my hope to bring this friend to the Lord
Jesus.
Well, here it is Friday, one
day closer to the concert. Today I was to meet with my friend from
Russia, who had been in France on business and was coming to London
for some rest and recreation. His train wasn’t due in till late
morning, so I was able to take my time getting to London Waterloo. I
had told him I would meet him under the clock, but when I saw just how
bloody busy the place can be, I decided to go to the Euro-Star
Terminal to meet him. After about a 45-minute wait, the passengers
had started coming out of customs, but I did not see him. I had a
photo of him, and I thought I would be able to recognise him. I
started to leave, and I heard this voice say something like, “Excuse me, are you Terry Tschopp?” Needless to say, I was surprised to
see that he had made it with the suitcase he had described to me.
After a warm greeting, we went to his hotel and got him settled in.
While he was doing this, he very kindly allowed me to look at some
video footage of a concert in France he had taken. After he had
gotten organised, we went to Wetherspoons in Norbury for some lunch.
I had wanted to show him St. Philips and Pollards Hill, two of my
favourite spots to just sit, relax and try to sort things out. They
are both very peaceful places.
First, we went to Wetherspoons and had a leisurely lunch. I have always
contended that the best way for people to get to know each other is to
dine and worship together. So far, this policy has served me well, and
I now have friends from different countries .
After
lunch, we went to the Church and luckily for us, some people were
working on the sound equipment that would be used for the concert in
Arundel the next day. The person in charge is a former chorister with
Libera and a casual acquaintance of mine. This person consented to
allow my Russian friend to take a look inside the church and take
some photos as well. When my friend was done with his “photo
shoot”, we went up the street to Pollards Hill.
The
view from Pollards Hill is somewhat interesting in that one can see
several landmarks that are actually several miles away. One of the
more notable ones is the radio tower that is located in Crystal
Palace. I might point out here that since it is an immense structure, it
is the most dominant landmark in South London and can be seen from
quite a distance from all compass points. One other feature
that is outstanding is the high-rise office towers that are located
in Croydon.
My
friend took a long video shot of the panorama, after which we sat on
one of the park benches and had a long heart-to-heart talk, getting
to know each other and our personal spiritual issues. It was a nice
sunny, breezy day, and as usual, the only noise heard was that of the
wind blowing through the trees and the birds singing.
It
was time for him to get back to London, so we returned to the A23 via
the Norbury Methodist Church. We stopped there for a moment, and I
explained that this is the church where I went to the Good Friday Service
after the “Witness march” I participated in Easter of 2006.
Whenever I am in Norbury, I stop there at least once and offer prayer
in person for the Church and the well-being of its people, as I do
for St. Philips.
[I would do this for St. Stanislaus in Rabe Wyzna, Poland, should I ever visit. That, of course, is another story that is only just unfolding. Stay Tuned ;) While this will most likely never happen, it is fun "watching" the folks in Rabe Wyzna squirm in their collective seats.]
LOL
We
boarded a bus for the Streatham Hill Station, and on the way there, I
pointed out various things to him; where other train stations are
located, including the ice rink, indoor Go-kart track, as well as the
PC Planet. We parted company. I went back to Forest Hill for some
rest, and after that, I did basically nothing. After all, this was
supposed to be a rest and recreation holiday.
It
was nice meeting someone from a country whose government was once the
free world's mortal enemy. In the course of our talks, I have found the
Russians to be not so different from the rest of us. They have
exactly the same hopes and fears as anybody else in the world. My
friend grew up in Communist Russia and had never been baptised. In
the course of our conversations, I encouraged him to become baptised.
He had wanted to become baptised, and hopefully, I was able to give him
some reinforcement. To my understanding, he is going to classes that
will allow this to happen in the Easter of 2008. When the time comes when
we will meet again, I will be more than happy to take communion with
this person who has become close to my heart.
I
woke up early on Saturday to get to London Victoria to meet another
new friend who had just flown in from Kansas City, Missouri. We met
at the designated spot and were soon on our way to Arundel, via
Norbury. I had wanted to show him St. Philips and get some breakfast.
We first stopped at St. Philips, and some people were loading a
truck, which was to take the sound equipment to Arundel for that
evening’s concert. They were very busy, so we didn’t make a pest
of ourselves and asked to go inside the church. After a few moments, we
went to Pollards Hill and had a nice chat, getting to know each other.
He was impressed by the view from there and started to understand my
impressions, as I have stated in previous letters. We went to
Wetherspoons for Breakfast and then back on the train for Arundel. As
we travelled southward, the clouds began to lift, and it soon became a
very nice, sunny day. When we arrived at the Arundel Station, we
hired a cab to take us to the hotel where some of our party were staying for the night.
After
my friend had gotten settled into his room, we went for lunch at the
local McDonald's, after which he decided he wanted to take a nap. While
he was napping, I decided to walk to the town of Arundel, which is
only about a mile or so away. It had become a nice sunny day, so I
figured, why not? The only drawback I encountered was the fact that there
are no sidewalks for most of the way, which means I had to walk on
the shoulder of a very busy road.
I
arrived at Arundel Cathedral, took some photos of the outside and
went in for something of a self-guided tour. Inside, I saw adult
members of Libera setting up for the concert that night and was very
warmly greeted by one in particular. This particular person is one of
the ones who, as a Treble Voice Singer, had been unwittingly
instrumental in my return to the Lord with the music he made at that
time. We chatted for a few minutes, and I realised the crew was very
busy, so I excused myself and returned to the hotel.
When
I returned to the hotel, it wasn’t quite time to give my friend a wake-up call. I had asked if the hotel had tea available and was
given complimentary tea and biscuits that I enjoyed, sitting on an
outside patio. Like I had said earlier, it had become a nice, sunny,
warm day. Here I am, 3600 miles from home, sitting in the sun with
some tea and biscuits, just enjoying life. This has been one of the
few times I have really enjoyed being alive, and all had seemed well
with my life at this point in time.
After
tea, I went and woke the other American up and returned to the lobby
to a surprise. I was greeted by me friend from Westbury, and with him
were two others I had known only from Instant messaging. One was a
young man from Malvern, and the other was a young man from Denmark. In
the course of the conversations with these young people, I found that they had some spiritual issues that I was able to provide counsel
for. This will be discussed in greater depth later on in this letter.
There was also another American there, the one I had met on my
December 2006 trip. I am not exactly bosom buddies with him, and
the others were worried I would have a problem with his presence. I
assured them there was no problem, as we were all there for the same
thing, and I was not about to do anything to spoil the good time that
was in store for all of us.
[The one American did eventually get to be a real pain, and he was given the boot a year later. The man from Kansas City is a real gentleman, however, we are no longer freinds because of political differences. In other words, he's "Woke" and I refuse to follow that line of evil thinking!]
We took cabs to the Arundel Cathedral; we had wanted to be there
when the doors opened so we could get “good” seats. We had
arrived early enough that some who wanted it were able to get
something to eat at a nearby pub. Whilst in the pub, I spotted one of
the parents and acknowledged him. After a few moments, he came over
and chatted with me. I knew this parent from my Easter 2006 visit.
I proceeded to the Cathedral and met for the first time an online acquaintance from Germany who is a lovely young lady. After a bit, we
all entered the Cathedral and took our seats. Unbeknownst to me, my
Russian friend had reserved a rather good seat for me. The lights
dimmed, and one singer took centre stage. He started with the opening
line from the Tallis Canon and was soon joined by the other singers.
When the Tallis was done, they immediately went into the Gloria whose
music is from the Saint-Saens, Maestoso from the Third Organ
Symphony. When this was done, there was a very nice round of applause.
The boys did the following with intervals of
presentation, some anecdotes and a comic act: Angelis, Lacrymosa, Far
Away, Sacris solemnis, Always with you, Sanctus, Ave Maria, and
Libera. There was applause after each song, and a somewhat long one at
the end of this set. We then had about a 15-minute intermission.
For
the second half, the boys started with, I vow to thee my country
followed by the songs, Hymn to Beauty, Do not stand at my grave and
weep, When a Knight won his spurs, Adoramus, Mysterium, Stay with me,
Salve Me, Sempiterna and I am the day. There was a standing ovation
for the boys that lasted maybe five minutes. They did two encores but
to be honest, I don’t recall what they were.
This
was my first-ever Treble Voice Concert, and I’ll be honest, the
first 10 minutes of it, I sat there with my jaw dropped. I had never
heard anything like this before in my life, and it did indeed exceed
my expectations on presentation and quality.
After
the concert, a group of us chatted and then went to our respective
places for the night. I would have liked to stay the night in Arundel, but like I said earlier, I, like a dope, ran out the door that morning
without my medications.
On
the way back to Forest Hill, I started talking to a person who was
seated across from me. This person was drinking a beer and seemed
somewhat distressed. I had asked him if there was anything I could do
to help, and he politely declined. After several moments, he gave a
brief synopsis of what was on his mind. I gave him one of my cards
and told him that if he would like to talk about his problem in depth, I
was only a few mouse clicks away. I am willing to listen to anybody
who needs help, should they ask for it. We came to London Bridge
Station, and we both went our separate ways. I will most likely never
hear from this person again, but rest assured of one thing: as long as
I draw breath, the offer is still there should he ask for it.
The
next morning, I was up bright and early. I had wanted to meet my
friends at Wetherspoons for Breakfast. I didn’t know where exactly we were going to meet, but as fate would have it, we met on the
platform of the Norbury train station. I had no idea they were seated
two cars ahead of me coming up from East Croydon. After the
pleasantries, we went to Wetherspoons and had breakfast, after which
we went to St. Philips for morning service. We knew the choir wasn’t
going to be there, but that didn’t seem to matter to any of us. I
might point out that I really don’t need the choir to worship what I
believe to be the God of Truth and Light. Of course, if the choir is
there, they do make for a very nice touch.
Since
it was the first Sunday of the month, Healing Prayers were heard with
Anointing with oil. The invitation was extended, but nobody seemed to
want to go up, so I broke the ice and approached Canon Washington
first with my concern. Then just about everybody who was in
attendance that morning went forward.
[I might point out here, because of my belief in the Power of Prayer, I was appointed to head a Healing Prayer Ministry in a church I used to belong to before they went "Woke". When I would travel, I would carry Holy Oil [Chrismaria] with me for anointing. Interesting times. I can never talk about others concerns but be assured, I heard many stories that were absolutely heart breaking. In time, I needed to get help. That is something I will discuss only privately]
After
the concerns were heard, we proceeded with the Eucharist part of the
service. The young man from Malvern had gone to the Communion Rail
with me and had taken his first Communion in seven years. This young
man had been turned off from the church and was just about ready to
give up on his beliefs in God. I had given him counsel for his
concerns, and then one night, whilst chatting, he said to me, “Terry,
the next time you come over, I will take Communion with you”.
You
will never know how good it felt for me to see the Holy Spirit at
work and see efforts come to fruition.
The
service finished, and we had tea and biscuits. We then went to
Wetherspoons for lunch, where we had a rather lengthy one, taking the
time to get to know one another and bond just a bit.
After lunch, we went to St.
Paul’s for Evensong, but before we went there, the young man from
Denmark had to get to Heathrow airport for his flight home. Before he
left us, I had a word of prayer with him and then shook his hand
goodbye. This is one of the young people whom I had been giving
counsel to for faith issues. He was afraid to publicly profess his
faith lest his peers deride him. I explained to him that if his friends
were true friends, they would respect his beliefs and still continue
to be his friends. This young man is no longer afraid to profess his
faith for what I have told him, he has found to be true. It was sad
he had to leave us. I was hoping he could spend the day with us. My
door will always be open to him should he ever come to America.
We
went to St Paul’s for Evensong and were treated to hearing their boys’ choir. I will say this much: for the different Cathedral
Choirs I’ve heard, this is perhaps one of the best. When the
service was done, we went back to St. Philip's for their Evensong.
This is a normal practice when visiting Great Britain for me. It sure
beats sitting around for seven hours or so waiting for the evening
service, and in many cases, it is spiritually rewarding to do this.
The
Evensong at St. Philip's started with a call to prayer. The hymns sung
for this service were from the hymnal “Hymns, Ancient and Modern”.
We sang the following: 75, “The day of resurrection”; 113,
Father, hear our prayer and for the last one we sang 194, “King of
Glory”. The choirs sang for an Introit, “Sing choirs of heaven”
by Shepard. They also sang the Magnificat to a setting by Harwood, and
for the anthem, they sang “Ye choirs of new Jerusalem” by
Stanford. In all, it was a very lovely, meaningful [to me anyway]
service. Afterwards, we had a chance to chat with Canon Washington and
other friends. I was particularly blessed with being able to chat
with parents I know and help a friend from Kansas City, Missouri, realise a dream of his.
It
all too soon became time to go. My friend from Kent was giving me a
ride back to my roomlet, and he wanted to get going. Before I left, I
called the members of our party together and had a word of prayer
with those who wished to participate. Then I wished an older
chorister who helps out with Evensongs farewell, a handshake. This
young man is growing into a very kind and loving person, which, to be
honest, is my wish for any child. I also said my farewells to Robert
Prizeman and other members of St. Philips.
My
friend from Kent took me back to my roomlet. When we arrived, I had a
word of prayer with him and his wife. As I have said on several other
occasions, it is my hope to someday bring this closest of friends to
the Lord Jesus. He denies this will ever happen, but I still believe
with all of my heart, as long as he draws breath, there is hope. This
is the one thing I have never lost for him: Hope.
Many
things happened this week, and I would say they were good things. I
was able to share spiritual experiences with several friends. I was
able to help two people with spiritual issues whose
faith I have watched grow, and I have watched another’s faith
strengthen as a result of their visit to GREAT Britain. I know I have
been panned for saying St. Philip's was the cause of my return to the
lord. The thing people don’t understand is I know the real
birthplace of that is in my own heart, where all changes must take
place, as for anybody. To me, St. Philips is my “Mecca” for want
of a better term. I have been allowed to call it home while I’m
there, and to be honest, I love it as if it were my home church here
in America. The one thing no one can take away from me is my love for
St. Philips and her people, for they are indeed, the church. When I
showed the other visitors the church, you would never have any idea of
just how proud I was to do so.
In
my life, many good things have happened in the past two and a half
years, and Lord willing, they will continue to keep happening. I know
I have had my share of troubles that I’m not going into here, but
you know what? By the same token, I have been truly blessed with many
friends and lots of love, and I can’t help but feel I’m a better
person for it.
As
always, you are in my prayers.
Terry
