Anglican Tea Room! (church, atheist, agnostic, bible, worship)

[Nehustan]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

*Pours some steaming Earl Grey* You are most welcome here kind sir. Earl Grey is also my favorite, especially with a little Godiva chocolate on the side. In fact, I invariably have a cup by my side when I sit down in the evenings to peruse RF.

Where are you serving mint?

luna

erm...I guess just after magrib....but we don't have a tea room, maybe I will erect a bedouin tent in lieu

[sojourner]

I think we have intercommunion with the ELCA now, but I'd need to verify. These days with two preschoolers I am out of the loop when it comes to much beyond worship and Sunday School. (I would like to identify a Spiritual Director; I had one briefly in MO before we moved, and I would very much like to find a way to take EFM, but again with two little kids and a husband who travels a lot, makes it hard). As I said above, I am very supportive of ecumenism and interfaith work. I always figure that if we work at Love then unity will follow.

So great to have you stop by Soj! Can I pour you anything?

I did the whole EFM thing -- was a mentor for two years, as well. It's a great program, but it is time-consuming...and rather expensive...

In the morning, a hearty breakfast tea, in the afternoon, Earl Grey (It is an afternoon tea, you know), in the evening, China Gunpowder. All with a bit of sugar and a dash of milk. Cheers!

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by Elvendon

Hehe, though I do like real ale, I loooove my tea ^^.
It's great to be around!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assam_tea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_Digestive

Thank you for the 'educational' links. English Breakfast tea and graham crackers it is then! Just kidding. We Americans can be so gauche. Actually those Chocolate Digestives sound very nice.

The Church of England is even more mixed than the Episcopal church I think. It appears to me (from ordaining a gay bishop) that the progressives may be more common in the states than they are in the UK. Conservative and Progressive Anglicans appear in closer to equal quantities over here. As far as homosexuality and women-priests go, I'm quite progressive, but theologically I've been told I'm quite close to Eastern Orthodoxy. We tend to have quite a-lot of high-church over here... how about you?

Well, I think we have a lot of 'in-between' high and low church. The church I grew up in, a beautiful old stone thing on a picturesque lake in a small upstate NY town, and the two I've been a member of since, have seemed like 'high church' to me, in that they seemed very very similar to the RCC masses I've attended. The last church I went to, in MO, used the bells and incense a lot (even when it was not a holy day service), so I thought that was 'high church,' but I've been informed since then that actually this is not so 'high.' Guess I've never been to a real high church before, sniff, but I'd really like to. I love the liturgy and sacraments, and I think the 'higher' the more I'd like it. I've never been to an Episcopal service that was as low-key as most other Protestant churches I've been to. Many of them do not even have the Eucharist each Sunday. Anyway, that sure was a lot of words to say "I'm not sure."

I've been enquiring into Eastern Orthodoxy ever since JamesThePersian pointed me in it's direction. If you'd like to find out more, this place is great:

http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/

Thank you, I would like to check that out some time. I enjoy James' posts and have found myself attracted to much of what I've learned about the EOC. I would love to go to an EO Mass sometime.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...210096,00.html

I think if this is done, the monarch should cease to be the head of the Church of England - it should be made that the Archbishop of Canterbury should be.

Thank you for the article. I read it, but I really don't feel strongly one way or another about this. Seperation of church and state has worked pretty well as far as I'm concerned here in the US. And as for the Monarch being the official head of the Anglican Communion, well, I guess that does not really bother me one way or another either. Seems more of a diplomacy thing as far as your politics go, and more of a figurehead thing as far as the CofE goes.

Hey, I might, just might (keeping my fingers crossed), get to visit Ireland this September! I am not a world traveler (except for two trips to China when we adopted our girls, and a trip to Mexico for the first and only time last year), so this is a very big deal, a trip of a lifetime for me (if it happens). Any suggestions for Celtic Churches to check out there if I get to go?

luna

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by Nehustan

erm...I guess just after magrib....but we don't have a tea room, maybe I will erect a bedouin tent in lieu

A bedouin tent--cool! Hey, you all do need a tea room or something over in the Islam forum. And as for 'in lieu,' as long as it is not 'in the loo.'

liue-na

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by sojourner

I did the whole EFM thing -- was a mentor for two years, as well. It's a great program, but it is time-consuming...and rather expensive...

Yes, it is a committment, but I thirst...

In the morning, a hearty breakfast tea, in the afternoon, Earl Grey (It is an afternoon tea, you know), in the evening, China Gunpowder. All with a bit of sugar and a dash of milk. Cheers!

I'm getting a great education in tea here. Hehe, leave it to brothers and cousins of the Church of England to know their tea. I drink coffee in the am, two or three cups at most, then my Earl Grey in the evening. Hey, it's always afternoon somewhere...

Soj...why did you leave the Episcopal Church, and more importantly, when are you coming back (tease, but I am curious about your path so far)?

luna

[sojourner]

I was reared in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and became an Episcopelican later on. I had taken the full course of EFM, had completed a unit of clinical pastoral training, and also had completed a two-year course in our diocesan school for ministry, all as part of the requirements as a postulant for Holy Orders. Then I got married.

Seminary was no longer an option for the new family, but I knew I had a call to ordained ministry. Soon after it became clear that this was not going to happen anytime soon (and I was pushing 40 with teenagers at home...) I received a call out of the blue from a friend of mine in a local Disciples congregation. She was on the pulpit search committee and wondered if I'd be interested in accepting a call from them. The rest is history...

I'm serving this congregation while I finish seminary. We'll see where God takes me after that...

[Elvendon]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

Thank you for the 'educational' links. English Breakfast tea and graham crackers it is then! Just kidding. We Americans can be so gauche. Actually those Chocolate Digestives sound very nice.

Oh they are! And the gauche is part of the charm

Well, I think we have a lot of 'in-between' high and low church. The church I grew up in, a beautiful old stone thing on a picturesque lake in a small upstate NY town, and the two I've been a member of since, have seemed like 'high church' to me, in that they seemed very very similar to the RCC masses I've attended. The last church I went to, in MO, used the bells and incense a lot (even when it was not a holy day service), so I thought that was 'high church,' but I've been informed since then that actually this is not so 'high.' Guess I've never been to a real high church before, sniff, but I'd really like to. I love the liturgy and sacraments, and I think the 'higher' the more I'd like it. I've never been to an Episcopal service that was as low-key as most other Protestant churches I've been to. Many of them do not even have the Eucharist each Sunday. Anyway, that sure was a lot of words to say "I'm not sure."

That's interesting, I always thought you Episcopals were more low church. Well, it was obviously an incorrect assumption! I love ritual too, though I wish it had more of a unique flavour. I've seen Catholic services, and they are quite similar to ours now they have abandoned the latin too (although we usually lack some of the bells and whistles.) I've often felt we need to find our own core statement of beliefs that makes us Anglicans (as opposed to Catholics, EO, or whatever), and our own wellspring of mystical, apostolic authority and inspiration.

Thank you, I would like to check that out some time. I enjoy James' posts and have found myself attracted to much of what I've learned about the EOC. I would love to go to an EO Mass sometime.

Yes, James has been kind enough to point me in the direction of my local EOC. I'm sure there is an American Orthodox that posts on this forum who knows your area.

Thank you for the article. I read it, but I really don't feel strongly one way or another about this. Seperation of church and state has worked pretty well as far as I'm concerned here in the US. And as for the Monarch being the official head of the Anglican Communion, well, I guess that does not really bother me one way or another either. Seems more of a diplomacy thing as far as your politics go, and more of a figurehead thing as far as the CofE goes.

True, but if s/he is crowned by other faiths, I don't think it is appropriate for him/her to be the head of the CofE (I don't know if the Queen is the head of the whole communion, I don't think she is...)

Hey, I might, just might (keeping my fingers crossed), get to visit Ireland this September! I am not a world traveler (except for two trips to China when we adopted our girls, and a trip to Mexico for the first and only time last year), so this is a very big deal, a trip of a lifetime for me (if it happens). Any suggestions for Celtic Churches to check out there if I get to go?

luna

Hm, well the main locations that are central to the Celtic Movement in Ireland tend to be locations associated with Saints - wells, shrines and mountains, rather than churches. Croagh Patrick is quite famous and is the site of Saint Patrick's meditation before he banished all the snakes from Ireland. Kells (the town in southern Ireland, not the Village in the north) is the site of a famous Abbey and the Book of Kells, a really beautiful illuminated set of Gospels (which is now kept in Trinity College Dublin) was written there. The west coast of Ireland is dotted with old cells that used to be stayed in by Celtic ascetics. If you are into the cult of female Saints - then Kildare, the seat of the Abbess Saint Brigid is a good place to visit. If you fancy swimming across the Irish Sea, then the isle of Iona in Scotland boasts a living Celtic-inspired Retreat, founded by Rev George MacLeod.
Broadly, when you plan your itinerary (and while you are out there) I'd contact the Church of Ireland. I'm sure they will be able to help point you in the direction of some shrines near to where you are visiting. Their central cathedral

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to go to Ireland yet (it's on my list of places to go while at Uni) But those are all the places on my itinerary, and they are important in the history of the Culdee Church.

Hope that helps