Worship at altitude (2100m)
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2005
1
9
137
Trip End
Sep 20, 2006
Darjeeling,
India
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Credit for the questionnaire: www.ship-of-fools.com - Mystery Worshipper
The church:
St Andrew's, Darjeeling, West Begal, India
Denomination:
United Church of North India (it's Anglian by another name!)
The building:
Built in 1843 and rebuilt after a lightening strike in 1874, it's straight out of the English countryside (but with a corrugated iron roof), a real remnant of the British Raj
St Andrew's, Darjeeling
. Inside there are lots of commemoration plaques, all of them to British ex-pats, tea planters, civil servants, police chiefs etc. Inside is immaculate, outside a little shabby.The church:
It sounds like the core congregation is quite small, but boosted by visiting tourists. Most of the regulars were Indian/Nepali, and there was an American family who we think were missionaries in Darjeeling but they didn't talk to us so we don't know!
The neighbourhood:
Darjeeling was the summer capital (when Calcutta got too hot) under British rule but before the uprising in 1856. The church is on a hill near the main square, Chowrasta, and overlooks much of Darjeeling which is a bit like an old English seaside town that's not been looked after for a while. The population is a real cultural mixed bag of Indian, Nepalese & Tibetan with their relevant religions, Hinduism, Buddhism & Islam.
The cast:
the Pastor was Rev. R. Rai - an Indian of Nepalise decent, like many people from Darjeeling
What was the name of the service?
Holy Communion (in English)
How full was the building?
Not full at all! It can seat 150, when the service started at 9am we were two of about 10, but more people arrived later on bumping the congregation up to around 25.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
No
Was your pew comfortable?
It was ok. There were kneelers with St Andrew's cross on them!
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
We arrived pretty much as the service started, but the atmosphere was quiet and reflective.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
'Let everything that has breath praise the Lord'
What books did the congregation use during the service?
'The Lord's Supper' (Communion liturgy), 'Hymns and Choruses' and a more traditional hymnbook that must have been almost as old as the church.
What musical instruments were played?
None, we sang 4 hymns without accompaniment lead by the strong voice of the Pastor (and he appologised after one hymn for starting off too high!)
Did anything distract you?
The constant sound of the crickets in the trees outside, they are loud but not a lot anyone could have done about it!
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
Traditional, the hymns were old favourites: When I survey the wonderous cross, Guide me O thy great redeemer... you get the picture. We were a bit apprehensive about singing a cappella but it was actually very good as everybody there participated. It was moving at times and made a nice change. They do have an organ in the church, don't know if they have an organist though!
Exactly how long was the sermon?
25 minutes
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
We'd give him a 7. He was very passionate, quite informal & personable. English isn't his first language (probably comes after Nepalese and Hindi!) but he spoke very well.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
Rev Rai preached on the reading from Corinthians 12 12-31, as believers we are all in the body of Christ and we have a unity in Christ. We are all in the same family despite our different backgrounds, languages etc. He told an anecdote about when he took his first service at the church 10 years ago and only 2 other people turned up - despite low numbers, as Christians, we are part of something bigger and all have a part to play. He encouraged involvement to grow the church in Asia, people using their gifts. Paul's letter to the Corinthians could have been a letter to St Andrew's, Darjeeling.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
The accapella singing (and a little taste of home!)
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
It was sad that the church was so empty - it had obviously been built when lots of people attended but was rather cavernous for the current size of congregation.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
The service finished and the church cleared very quickly. We lingered to say hello to the Pastor (who was a very nice & welcoming man) and were the last to leave.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
Well, being Darjeeling it would have had to have been tea rather than coffee, but sadly nothing was on offer.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
6 - it's a sweet church and they are lucky to have such a passionate & fired-up Pastor. There is a real commitment here to keep Christian worship happening in this quite remote corner of India.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Absolutely! And we left quite inspired!
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
Sitting a LONG way from home, in a church on a hill in India that could have been any English rural parish church, and feeling that we had rather a lot in common with the 23 other people there...
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