Are any of your churches having Homecoming Sunday tomorrow or the next few Sundays?

[hrmjustin]

Many Churches of many denominations have homecoming Sunday where people who have been away from church return. My church does not call it homecoming but we return to our full Sunday services and our professional Choir returns.

[madrchsod]

1. mine isn`t...

i don't remember when mine was last year

[hrmjustin]

2. Usually they are in September or early October.

[gopiscrap]

3. Nest Sunday

I used to sing in a professional church choir where's your church?

[hrmjustin]

4. I will send you a PM.

[longship]

5. I'm all for the full choirs. But, alas, I shall never return.

At least not for services.

But I love churches, and the inspiration which has inspired artisans to build such cultural icons as the wonderful cathedrals, the beautiful paintings, the awe-inspiring music, and any other cultural effect.

To stand in the midst of St. John The Divine in New York on a Sunday afternoon while the organist kicks the dust out of the bounteous organ pipes by playing Bach, merely for practice, is certainly one of more inspiring things in ones experience.

In that cavernous emptiness the beauty, and nearly incomprehensible size, of the architecture and the exquisite mathematical perfection that Bach laid down come together.

I don't believe in heaven or hell. But even as an atheist I recognize that the human mind still has an eagerness for such numinous experiences. There's something to this thing called religion. If only we could rid ourselves of the bad part of it.

My numinous experiences come from these things, plus the incredible universe before our eyes. And we can know things about the universe! I don't need religion to be in awe of it all.

Just some late night idle thoughts.

[hrmjustin]

6. St John the Divine is my Cathedral.

I love it. They have concerts.

[longship]

7. Indeed they do.

I knew it first in 1970, when I lived in NYC. It was a regular escapade for me.

I confess to be an atheist pillar biter. I love huge gothic pillars. And in New York, or any place, there are few larger than at St. John The Divine.

And Bach is oh so wonderful, especially when played in such a cavernous space. (But Cesar Franck really kicks the dust out of the pipes.)

Plain jeu!

[hrmjustin]

8. It is a great and wonderous building and a gem of the city.