Author: artsyhonker

Last-minute Christmas gift suggestion in six easy steps

Byartsyhonker December 24, 2012 0 Comments
1) Go to 2) Pay whatever you want to for my album, "Twelve Days" 3) Download it and save it to a USB stick/dongle/thumbdrive/whatchamacallit 4) Wrap the thumb drive 5) Give it to the intended recipient -- probably someone who hasn't heard the album before. 6) Repeat for other music available on Bandcamp. A couple of tracks from the album are also in Online Carols 2012, starting at 2pm. Do join...

Online Carols 2012

Byartsyhonker December 18, 2012 0 Comments
Last year I got a direct message from a Twitter acquaintance, asking if I'd like to contribute to an online carol service. It seemed like a good idea, so I did. That service was a good one to be able to attend, and I enjoyed working on it. Afterward, I was particularly struck by some of the feedback from people who would otherwise be unable to get to any Christmas services. This year, last year's...

On the ordination of women — a personal note.

Byartsyhonker December 6, 2012 5 Comments
I haven't always been Christian. I was brought up in the United Church of Canada. I think it's fair to say that, on some level, it didn't "take". There are many reasons for this, but a key one is that my relationship with a minister was extremely difficult, and that people close to me also had difficult relationships with him and with other ministers. That relationship coloured my interactions...

Post AcWriMo analysis

Byartsyhonker December 6, 2012 0 Comments
At the beginning of November I set out to write and harmonise thirty hymn tunes in thirty days. The idea was that I would, at the end of November, have a body of work to point to, and also that I would brush up my rusty harmonisation skills. I was behind on this almost from the beginning. Other considerations, like getting the music ready for Carols by Candlelight at St Andrew's, and sorting out...

Good problems

Byartsyhonker November 24, 2012 0 Comments
It's getting near the time for the annual Carol Service at St Andrew's Leytonstone, and rehearsals started last night. For the Carol Service we have a "Community Choir" -- people from the community, and people from church who don't usually sing in the choir, join us for four rehearsals (plus a run-through on the day) so that we can do some repertoire that just won't work with lower numbers. The...

General advice during General Synod, part II

Byartsyhonker November 20, 2012 12 Comments
Well, that's a bit embarrassing. For the measure on women in the episcopate to pass, it needed a 67% majority in all of three houses: bishops, clergy and laity. It got 94% in the House of Bishops (Yes 44; No 3; Absentions 2), 77% in the House of Clergy (Yes 148; No 45) , 64% in the House of Laity (Yes 132; No 74). So it lost by a whisker, really. Six votes -- or fewer than that and a few...

General advice during General Synod

Byartsyhonker November 19, 2012 0 Comments
The Church of England's General Synod is meeting today and tomorrow. They'll be discussing the Living Wage, other important matters, and also the latest attempt on legislation to include women in the episcopate. Here are some things to remember: 1) We have already decided to have women in the episcopate. Whether it is right to ordain or consecrate women is not up for discussion. What Synod is...

Compline cards

Byartsyhonker November 19, 2012 1 Comment
We've been having sung Compline on the first and third Monday of the month at St Andrew's since September. I wanted to be able to give people something to take with them: something to help them pray during the week, perhaps, but also to stick on their refrigerator/corkboard/whatever to remind them about when the next services are. I didn't want to just give them a pew slip from the day before,...

AcWriMo 10: Colworth CM

Byartsyhonker November 12, 2012 0 Comments
Since I stumbled across them in the "confirmation" section of the New English Hymnal -- in fact the one hymn makes up the entire section -- I've liked these words by Matthew Bridges (1800-94): 1 My God, accept my heart this day, And make it always Thine, That I from Thee no more may stray, No more from Thee decline. 2 Before the Cross of Him Who died, Behold, I prostrate fall; Let every sin be...

AcWriMo 9: Poppleton 887 887

Byartsyhonker November 12, 2012 0 Comments
This text by Ben Jonson is often sung to Melita: 1 I sing the birth was born tonight, The Author both of life and light: The angels so did sound it; And like the ravished shepherds said, Who saw the light and were afraid, Yet searched, and true they found it. 2 The Son of God, th'eternal King, That did us all salvation bring, And freed the world from danger, He whom the whole world could not...