Part 359. Experiences of churches.

 Many year ago I attended a theology course organised by the Church of England.  The CofE is diverse, not only in its theology, but in the nature of its services.  Course members were invited to visit CofE churches with different theology and churchmanship from the one we attended.  We were asked to visit also churches of other denominations.

 Thus it was that I stepped out one Sunday morning and attended a service at my local Salvation Army Corps' Citadel.  The people were friendly, nearly all wore uniforms.  We were regaled with singing by the choir (known as Songsters) and a piece by the brass band.  The sermon was conservative evangelical in content.  Hymns, choruses and prayers as well.  Overall it was a typical evangelical hymn sandwich service, but not happy-clappy.

The following Sunday I ventured to the meeting room of the local Society of Friends.  Basically an hour of silence; no music, no singing, no prayer.  Time for contemplation.  At the end of the hour two individuals shook hands to signify the termination of the proceedings.  Tea and biscuits and polite conversation followed. A pleasant group of Quakers.

On the third Sunday I presented myself at the local Anglo-Catholic Church of England Mass.  Greeted with a number of pieces of paper from which one was left to one's own devices to navigate the service content.  Billowing incense and ringing bells as I expected.  The priest's apparel was exotic.  I half expected  him to speak in Latin. It was different certainly to my experience of Prayer Book Holy Communion.   The people were friendly but very few were from the immediate locality.

Some years later I began attending The Salvation Army meetings on a regular basis as I was impressed by the social work the Army engages in, although its evangelical stance grated somewhat.  However more recently, as I went through a period of deconstruction and also dismay at the lack of inclusivity on sexual orientation matters, I decided to leave.

Where to go now?  I dislike being isolated and seek fellowship with like-minded people.  Possibly the Quakers are my best option?