Category: Worship

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Reading Stanton Coit

Stanton Coit (1857-1944) has always been one of “those names” — a Humanist source for pleasingly churchly worship material, a quoted authority, largely an enigma. Partly to since he was a Humanist, I wasn’t likely to come across him. But I saw some of his work in the 1937 Services of Religion (prepended to Hymns of the Spirit) and looked up his Wikipedia article, which provided much of the following reading list. See the links to read the PDFs. (Will fill in the gaps if the works appear online.) And thanks to Humanist Heritage for this delightful photo of Coit in beach togs.

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First thoughts about the Union Prayer Book, Sinai Edition Revised

It’s hard to judge this book. I’m not Jewish. I’m not accustomed to flow and customary options within the services. The work comes from a small organization. I expect I will be inspired by it and find several prayers or ideas for prayers when I become more accustomed to the text.

So just two observations now.

First, interleaf photos of historic Classic Reform synagogues gives the prayer book a historic feeling, and can’t afford to be seen as a relic. Coming from parallel movement within liberal Protestantism, I know it is a reputation to be overcome.

Second, I wish it were more attractive. Book design is a tricky art, and would be costly. But there is something too plain about this service book. It was dropshipped to me from GIA, a hymnal publisher. I’ve never found GIAs work to be terribly pretty. (They published the hymnal of NACCC, which I wrote about sometime back.) But following the publication last year of New American Haggadah, (NPR) a notable work of liturgy, scholarship and art, so pedestrian a publication of a long-lasting prayer book seems like quite a waste.

And a cautionary tale for Unitarian Universalists.

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New page: "Lectionary and Propers index"

For more than a year, I’ve been typing out the appointed prayers (proper collects) and biblical lessons from two sources — Universalist and “Free Church” — which map the historic Western lectionary. It’s not complete, but I’ve transcribed enough to make it worth it worth indexing them. Follow this link. Like the main project, it will be a work in process.

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New "Union Prayer Book" and old "Parish Practice" arrived today

I’ll keep this brief because I came home feeling not-so-well today. Two books that I had ordered arrived: the hot-off-the-presses new addition of the Union Prayer Book, Sinai Edition, Revised And a used copy of Parish Practice in Universalist Churches, by Robert Cummins.

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The first is a modern adaptation of a classic Reform Jewish prayer book and I’m excited to review it since it has many of the same liturgical sensibilities of classic Unitarian liturgy. Indeed the Sinai referred to in the title is Chicago Sinai Congregation, its source. Chicago, as many of my readers know, is also a wellspring of this Unitarian liturgical tradition I referenced.

The other book is what it says on the label, written in 1946 by a well-loved, now-deceased General Superintendent of the Universalist Church of America. Fun fact: This copy was withdrawn from Andover Newton and was last checked out 40 years ago.

More details about these, and the Coptic works I’ve been writing about as soon as I can.

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A short film of hope for dying congregations

I was searching online, clicking links and reading tonight when I found this charming, touching and pleasingly funny film short. It’s about a Jewish congregation in the East End of London trying to keep a minyan on Yom Kippur. Spend ten minutes and — if your congregation is in peril — hope.


“The Tenth Man”

And the punchline, for this blog? The Sandys Row Synagogue, where it was filmed, is a real place. And this is the actual building, in another age then known as the Parliament Court Chapel, where a spiritually-conflicted John Murray and his first wife, Eliza, heard the Universal Gospel from James Relly. In other words, this is where the “father of American Universalism” became a Universalist. It makes me think, and tremble a little.

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Preaching this Sunday

Preaching this Sunday, 5pm, at Church of the Holy City. Would love to see you there.
Oh! and there’s a concert there, beginning at 3:30.

Music of the Angels FREE Concert — May 20th, 2012, 3:30 P.M.

Mary-Victoria Voutsas, piano
Elena Maria Liberatore, clarinet

and collaborating Chamber Musicians
performing Brahms, Beethoven,
Hindemith, Dvo?ák, and more.

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Log Lady or chalice lighting ?

As a Gen-X fan of Twin Peaks, I have a deep admiration for the Log Lady. But there’s something about this prologue that suggests a Unitarian Universalist chalice lighting. Or at least I’ve heard odder thoughts expressed in that place.

Though, to be fair, the “as above, so below” reference is closer to Swedenborgianism.

This is blog post 3,300.

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Woodworking plans for communion trays?

Years ago, at a prayer breakfast, I received communion with others at our table, the bread and wine (juice, of course) from handmade trays. These were “smaller than a breadbox”. The individual cups rested in dimples in the base. A handle ran lengthwise, padded feet under the base and a groove through the base allowed them to stack, like these seen at a church supply house. (So much for illusions of a quaint English workshop.) At the breakfast, a small oblong plate covered the groove and made the apparatus self-contained. The “breakfast model” was smaller — 8 or 10 served, I think — so perhaps more modular for small congregations.

I would love to see plans and a buying list for these, either vintage or new.