For the last four years we have held our services at 3p.m.  as a compromise time between the old times of 10:30a.m. and 6p.m.  Today we start a new pattern - 10a.m. on the first two Sundays, 3 p.m. on the second two Sundays  and 10 a.m. if there's a fifth Sunday in the month.  Despite having chosen this pattern - or at least agreed to it - already a few are grumbling about the 10a.m. start time as 'too early' and we haven't even tried it.  For those of us who are setting up it means a 9a.m. start, which in turn means an 8:30 a.m. car load etc etc.

So, here I am, up bright and early 'suited and booted' and ready for action.  I think I will enjoy the change - people might arrive a little dozy but at least they won't want their after dinner nap in the sermon; people might rush off to cook their carrots (though I hope they don't) but they can't moan about having the whole day taken up by church (heaven forbid!).  I had intended to do a couple of hours' work before church but a leisurely bowl of porridge and a whirl round the 'traps' put paid to that idea.  Even so, it is rather pleasant to have some time when the world is still sleeping just to be or to do stuff uninterrupted.

The afternoon will be work time - I have an essay I desperately need to get started with and spent all of yesterday afternoon sketching out a plan for (at four sides of hand written A4 it is about 15% of the word count in titles and notes), and I am looking forward to that too.

On the radio this morning the 6:40a.m. (yes, such a time does exist on a Sunday) Pause for Thought was about 'change' with the speaker wisely observing, people don't like change but they adapt to it pretty well.  I think that's true of my little church - change is almost our middle name nowadays and, despite the premature grumbles, I am pretty confident that we will adapt to this change fairly well.  People will need to be careful to turn up at the right time on the right day, but I'm sure we'll cope - and if it doesn't work, well we can change it again!