Tonight's service at D+1 combined some very brave words with some absolutely awful hymns!  Of six, I knew two - most of my folk didn't know the others either - and given those I did know were 'For the might of Thine Arm we Bless You' and 'Now Thank We, All, our God' it was hardly a hymn-fest.

It wasn't exactly a preach, more of a history lesson, some testimony and a tough closing dilemma.  We had a very quick trawl through psalmists in the open air, the Tabernacle, Solomon's Temple, synagogues and the early church (informative for many, I'm sure) then three stories of churches, one which had declined from enormous to closure in 30 years, one which missed an opportunity to leave a decaying building and 30 years later sold it to a brewery company (it's now a pub and they have a small building elsewhere) and one which was a three-way merger that 30 years on has adpated one of the buildings effectively.  We were then told we were two congregations with two seemingly incompatible visions for the future, in regard of buildings (actually I don't think our position was correctly represented since we have not decided to abandon the concept of a building for a merged church, simply it is not an option for us as we are) and in mission.  Our task is, therefore, to think and pray about the future.

Brave words, and needed to be said - just need to see what happens next.  Watch this space!