I don’t usually attend the 9 am combined service at St Phillip’s. But today I did. And I am very pleased that I did. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, cool but not too cold. The service order is a little different in that it combines some aspects of the traditional 8 am format with the more informal 10 am service. I like the live band, but have to admit I do prefer the older hymns rather than more modern Christian worship songs.
It was quite crowded in church today, probably a result of combining the two usual services. The 8 am service is usually sparsely attended, mostly by the older members of the church, and the occasional oddball like me. I can see now that there must be a considerably larger congregation at the 10 am service, with a number of parishioners who appear to be of Islander, Chinese and Indian ethnic origin. That is a really nice thing to observe. The Indian ladies always come in their traditional costumes, and pull their linen headscarves over their heads when they sing, and when they go up for communion. The Islander ladies always wear their colourful traditional clothing as well, with woven grass belts hung with decorative shells.
Today we all met Simon, a cloth puppet who looks a bit like a muppet with a black toupee. I’d never seen him in action before. He was giving a message to the kids, and of course, everyone else, to be mindful about reading the bible carefully, and to live by its directions faithfully. Not to cut corners, because things will not turn out right. Much like recipe books and maverick cooks! A good way of passing on the message, cos the puppet’s funny way of delivery sure made it stick in people’s minds.
Pastor George in action. Peter giving the sermon. Gail doing a kiddie presentation with Simon. The backs of various parishioners. I have become rather competent at drawing people’s profiles and backs.
I remember asking George, our pastor, when I first started attending, whether I could sketch during sermons. He looked doubtful, but very generously agreed as long as I was able to keep it discrete. He did mention that there was another lady who used to draw in church a fair bit. He didn’t mind as long as I was able to follow the service and didn’t get too distracted. Little did he know that when I sketch (and I suspect many urban sketchers would be able to agree on this), I actually concentrate a lot better. You see, when I draw something, I have to really look at the object in order to set it down on paper - the set of someone’s arms, the way their skin creases when they smile, the way they shift their weight on their feet, which changes the way clothing drapes. Along with that observation, I also concentrate on all the associated sensory signals, such as any noises or smells that accompany that very moment. When I look back on my sketches, I am almost always able to close my eyes and imagine the exact moment I put those images down on paper. It is a way of staying fully in the present.
I have discovered it is an incredible way of note-taking and preserving memories.
“ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
”
