As with many Methodists around the connexion, I took part in the annual Covenant Service this morning. As our minister Roger said, the words of the Covenant Prayer, and indeed the whole service, seem to become more powerful, and have more impact, year by year. I described last year in this blog the huge impact the prayer made on me as I first heard my mother say it when I was in my early teens, and it is good to see now that Anglican friends often join in this service with us, bringing to life the Covenant between our, presently, two denominations.
There was another dimension to this special day this year, however, as it was the last day Cleckheaton Methodists will worship in the present sanctuary. We are worshipping in the main church hall for the next 3 months, whilst re-ordering work is carried out, to gve us more flexible space suited to a wider range of uses. In particular we shall not hear the organ again – it has been declared past its best-by date, with repairs and servicing becoming ever more costly. So after a lovely service which Roger opened by reading 1 Kings 1:40 “And all the people went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound” Alan played for us Vidor’s Toccata enabling him to play this “fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuosic passage” one last time on this instrument. The ground certainly did shake, and Alan revealed many emotions in the music and in the people listening – and received a justified round of applause afterwards. So, yet more new beginnings await us…. Linda
