Merry Christmas Everybody – O Little Town of Bethlehem

It has been a busy few weeks in our house.  Beginning a new parish ministry at the start of advent is always going to feel like you are jumping onto a moving conveyor belt.  We have also been consciously pressing the brakes and trying to ‘do’ advent without rushing into Christmas.  This has involved some interesting mental gymnastics.  I don’t know how well I have managed to compartmentalise myself whilst preparing all of the Christmas services has been an interesting experience.  Whilst I’ve been telling people to await expectantly I’ve been going to my computer, digging out common worship and looking up Christmas responses ready for tonight, tomorrow and the next few weeks.

In the midst of all of this, we managed to spend our day off in the same room playing music.  Ed came and did drums and Ruth and I spent an afternoon recording the other parts for O Little Town of Bethlehem.  It was finished on Friday ready for the Online 9 Lessons and Carols Service but embargoed until this afternoon when the service was transmitted.  In typical Metanoia fashion, it was a crazy idea Ruth had whilst I was noodling the Chili Peppers in the rehearsal room.  Hope you like it!

Now Christmas is here and I’m heading off to midnight mass in a few hours.  Then I’ll grab my guitar and go play Slade for the families who come tomorrow morning to meet around God’s table.

Merry Christmas Everybody!!

Advertisement

Online 9 Lessons and Carols 2012

Some of you may remember that last year there was an Online Nine Lessons and Carols Service.  This year is no different and Metanoia are involved in it once again.  Check out all of the details over at Nine Lessons and Carols 2012!  Check out the hashtag #onlinecarols2012 too!

I also updated Metanoia’s facebook url so it matches every other online presence we have. Facebook’s original policy of never allowing you to change your name has been relaxed to “OK, we’ll let you change it but only once”.  If you have any links, they may need updating.

http://www.facebook.com/metanoiauk

Are You Gonna Go My Way?

One of the many things I need to do now that I am back online is sort through all of the tasks that have been backing up.  Here is one of the clips of The Rock Mass that I’ve managed to get off my computer and up to YouTube.  Thanks to Trash II Treasure for the shooting and editing.

Guess I’d better update Metanoia’s website.

Metanoia T-Shirts

A lot of people have been expressing an interest in a band T-shirt for Metanoia before Greenbelt.  I’ve spoken to the company who made our Silverthorn T-shirts and they will be able to sort out a run of screen printed shirts with the Metanoia Logo on the front and the Rock Mass “Follow Me” logo as a full back print.  From experience, it is better if people let me know what size of T-shirt you want.  I have to pay out for a run of 50 in one go.

If you would like one, please could you let me know (click email me icon), and pay in advance?  I know it sounds the wrong way around but 50 T-shirts is quite a lot

 

as they are costing £10 each.  If I am going to see you in church on Sunday we can sort it out there.

They will be ready before Greenbelt so I can give you them there if you are going.  If you are local to me (Yorkshire), we can meet and pass the merchandise over.  If you need it posting, It will be £2 for postage (If you are outside of the UK, no problemo but it will be at cost, sorry).

Mens fit or ladies fit, let me know.  If you don’t pre-order, I’ll only have mens fit left.

If you would like a hoodie I can get them for £25 but only as a special order.  If you want one, let me know before hand as it will be too late after that.

I personally will be having a T-shirt and a hoodie.

Greenbelt 2012 – U2charist

As you probably know, Ruth and I are involved in a couple of services at Greenbelt this year.  We’ve had details confirmed about when the U2charist will be happening.  It is going to be in the “InSense” venue at 5pm on Monday.  The worship is being organised by Luminous in Lincoln.  Metanoia will be leading the musical aspects of the service with a selection of U2 songs.

It’ll be great to see you there!

Metanoia at Greenbelt

Greenbelt 2012 is fast approaching and Metanoia are going to be involved in two of the services there.  Blesséd  are once again providing alternative sacramental worship and we have been asked to collaborate with Fr Simon and the team once more.  This year we are doing the opening act of worship in the Big Top at 5pm on Friday.  What the organisers were looking for was a ‘charismatic’ service of benediction.  Needless to say it will have a distinctive @metanoiauk feel to it.

There was also a request for a live band who would be able to help Luminous stage a U2charist.  Fr Simon suggested that we would be able to help out as we played a couple of U2 numbers in the big top last year.  Not quite sure which venue the U2charist is in yet or at what time but I’ll keep you up to date!

So who is coming then?

Metanoia – Now The Green Blade Rises

Easter weekend was completely hectic and I totally forgot to post this.  It was part of the Stations of the Resurrection over at the Big Bible Blog organised by @vahva.

Here is Metanoia with Now The Green Blade Rises.  Why not follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or me on Soundcloud.

The News

It has been a week of strange experiences.  I mentioned in passing to our lovely local journalists that I was involved in a service at Dewsbury Minster called the “Rock Mass”.  Obviously we have done a few of these before but this time it seems to have legs.  Something to do with it being in a “Minster” and something about it being a “diocesan event”.  I talked with our lovely local journalist for a whole three minutes whilst she wrote everything down in short hand.

Last night I discovered that our paper had a massive pic of me in it and a half page article about the event.  I was a little shocked at how much it focussed on me (I’m shy).  For our local paper this makes sense as the Rock Mass isn’t happening here.  For the people who live here I am the curio.  The Dewsbury paper has a preview of the event in todays issue and it is very much about the event.

Yesterday, I received a phone call from the Dewsbury Reporter asking if they could do a photo shoot for the event.  Could I bring my motorbike down?

The next thing I knew, I was riding a Harley into the Minster and plonking it in the centre aisle.

That is a sentence I never thought I’d be writing!!  I’ll link you to the proper photo when it has been published.

Blesséd Liturgy from Greenbelt

Fr Simon has made all of the resources used for the Blesséd Eucharist at Greenbelt publicly available here.  It was great to be asked to be involved with the music!!

Danger

Here’s a live recording from Thursday night at the New Roscoe.  This is one of Silverthorn’s own songs called Danger.