I attended my first church service here today, and the denomonation was Free Church of Scotland. I'm still not sure exactly what the denomonation entails, but judging by the service, the worship is quite simple. There were no instruments, no hymns, no contemporary worship songs.....the congregations simply sings psalms that are rhymed and set to a tune by the Scottish Psalter. Though it's certainly not what I'm used to, it's a lovely service in it's own way. Since their voices are not supported or masked by instrumental accompaniment, the congregation has apparently learned to sing with a strong, beautiful, vibrant sound that I rarely hear in churches back home. Of course I believe that the use of instruments is absolutely biblical (and biblically encouraged), but I'm not necessarily opposed to the lack of them, either....and it doesn't seem to be a central theological tenant of the church itself, so I feel okay about it.
The service also involved a song in Swahili by a Kenyan fellowship that sometimes has their own separate worship services at the church. Their voices were so clear and powerful and resonant. I told their leader afterwards that their song made me want to dance (there was quite a lot of rhythmic swaying involved by the Kenyans themselves), and she told me that I should come to one of their services and just jump right in moving to the songs. I hope to take her up on the invite during my time here!
After the service, we were invited to lunch at a family's home, along with any other Scottish college students. It was great to finally get to talk to some Scottish people, and the hospitality was incredible....we were served an extravagant lunch, after which was dessert (rhubarb crisp and banana toffee cream pie) after which was two separate services of coffee & tea (it is the UK, after all) along with some delicious chocolates. We talked at length about the quality of UK chocolate compared to the States....well, there simply is no comparison. The very cheapest stuff you buy here (Galaxy and Dairy Milk brands, for those of you who have travelled here) is infinitely more delicious than a Hershey's or a Kit Kat.
The funniest part of the afternoon was that a couple of guys who had travelled to America this summer were absolutely enamoured with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.....but there isn't one in Scotland, so they were planning to make a six hour drive tonight to England to the closest Krispy Kreme for hot doughnuts. And a single doughnut here is about a pound, meaning close to two dollars!! I suddenly felt very proud and thankful to live five minutes from a Krispy Kreme at my American college. We also had a really hilarious conversation about Wal-Mart....they couldn't believe that they were able to buy guns and ammo at Wal-Mart in America, but not a single beer. In fact, the whole group of them was pretty stunned and dismayed when I tried to explain American gun laws (things like conceal-carry permits). Our hostess said, "Why on earth does Glasgow have such a dangerous reputation when you Americans can simply carry around guns wherever you like?!" I felt a little embarrassed, as I had clearly horrified them all without meaning to do so. There probably won't be too many people planning holidays to the States any time soon....
We stayed so long socializing that we ended up attending the church's evening service as well, and then we were invited to another large gathering of Scottish college students at the pastor's house, where we were also greeted with piles of cookies, strawberry spongecake, pizza, and chocolate dessert bars. How does one even begin to resist gluttony here, that's what I'd like to know....Anyway, it was a wonderful blessing to worship and fellowship with this new group of kind, welcoming people, and I look forward to doing it again in the future.
I am hiking to one of the Lochs tomorrow....yay for getting out of the city for a day!
The service also involved a song in Swahili by a Kenyan fellowship that sometimes has their own separate worship services at the church. Their voices were so clear and powerful and resonant. I told their leader afterwards that their song made me want to dance (there was quite a lot of rhythmic swaying involved by the Kenyans themselves), and she told me that I should come to one of their services and just jump right in moving to the songs. I hope to take her up on the invite during my time here!
After the service, we were invited to lunch at a family's home, along with any other Scottish college students. It was great to finally get to talk to some Scottish people, and the hospitality was incredible....we were served an extravagant lunch, after which was dessert (rhubarb crisp and banana toffee cream pie) after which was two separate services of coffee & tea (it is the UK, after all) along with some delicious chocolates. We talked at length about the quality of UK chocolate compared to the States....well, there simply is no comparison. The very cheapest stuff you buy here (Galaxy and Dairy Milk brands, for those of you who have travelled here) is infinitely more delicious than a Hershey's or a Kit Kat.
The funniest part of the afternoon was that a couple of guys who had travelled to America this summer were absolutely enamoured with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.....but there isn't one in Scotland, so they were planning to make a six hour drive tonight to England to the closest Krispy Kreme for hot doughnuts. And a single doughnut here is about a pound, meaning close to two dollars!! I suddenly felt very proud and thankful to live five minutes from a Krispy Kreme at my American college. We also had a really hilarious conversation about Wal-Mart....they couldn't believe that they were able to buy guns and ammo at Wal-Mart in America, but not a single beer. In fact, the whole group of them was pretty stunned and dismayed when I tried to explain American gun laws (things like conceal-carry permits). Our hostess said, "Why on earth does Glasgow have such a dangerous reputation when you Americans can simply carry around guns wherever you like?!" I felt a little embarrassed, as I had clearly horrified them all without meaning to do so. There probably won't be too many people planning holidays to the States any time soon....
We stayed so long socializing that we ended up attending the church's evening service as well, and then we were invited to another large gathering of Scottish college students at the pastor's house, where we were also greeted with piles of cookies, strawberry spongecake, pizza, and chocolate dessert bars. How does one even begin to resist gluttony here, that's what I'd like to know....Anyway, it was a wonderful blessing to worship and fellowship with this new group of kind, welcoming people, and I look forward to doing it again in the future.
I am hiking to one of the Lochs tomorrow....yay for getting out of the city for a day!
