Swans, Ducks and Wrestlers
Well, that was the strangest Easter weekend ever! Whilst I felt the joy of the risen Jesus, it definitely wasn't the celebration of Easter that most of us love so much.
One of the things that I did enjoy over Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter Sunday was the "streamed" worship which I shared in over the internet. I watched the Services from Swan Bank Methodist Church, Burslem, Stoke on Trent. Because of the circumstances it was stripped down to the basics - two or three people speaking on each occasion, all looking as if they were miles away from anyone else, plus one very talented singer/guitarist giving his all in appropriate hymns/songs. I feel like an adopted member of Swan Bank congregation now. Once this is all over, I hope to go and share real life worship there - hopefully during my Sabbatical in 2021.
I have a long term affection for Stoke on Trent area, for two special reasons:
Firstly, Victoria Hall, Hanley was always one of my favourite wrestling venues. Further afield than our regular circuit of shows at Oldham, Bolton, Stockport, Blackburn and Southport it was always worth the extra travelling time to get there. The Saturday evening shows there were something special. The extremely rowdy crowds encouraged the wrestlers to respond in kind and produce some of the liveliest matches possible. The shows at Hanley always seemed to include more matches than elsewhere making for a memorable evening and plenty to talk about on the drive home up the M6. Local wrestler Kendo Nagasaki regularly appeared at the Victoria Hall and near riot conditions would regularly ensue as a result of his tactics.
Secondly, the novels of Arnold Bennett are mostly set in the Stoke on Trent area - the "Five Towns" as he called them. These novels often have references to Methodism, because it played and plays such an important part in life in the Potteries. Bennett was not particularly fond of Methodism but his comments about the pitfalls of the Methodist Church and its Ministers are always very accurate, and often highly amusing. Bennett often renames places in the Potteries, so Swan Bank becomes Duck Bank in his books. If you want to get into Bennett's novels then "Clayhanger" is a good place to begin. It even opens with a reference to the Trent and Mersey Canal, which appeals to me as a canal walker.
For those of you who think I am lacking in culture for liking wrestling, the Victoria Hall is also a concert venue and has a historic organ. The composer Elgar conducted the first performance of one of his pieces here. Liverpool's own Ian Tracey regularly plays at the Saturday morning organ proms at Hanley.
My ideal Saturday would be one where there was an organ recital in the morning and a wrestling tournament at night. Maybe I could spend the afternoon seeing whether there were any ducks or swans in the nearby Trent and Mersey Canal!
Back to where I began - I am really grateful that Swan Bank is providing streamed worship during this time of crisis. It has certainly lifted my spirits and helped me to experience to presence of the risen Jesus at a time when there is so much sadness and suffering around.
One of the things that I did enjoy over Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter Sunday was the "streamed" worship which I shared in over the internet. I watched the Services from Swan Bank Methodist Church, Burslem, Stoke on Trent. Because of the circumstances it was stripped down to the basics - two or three people speaking on each occasion, all looking as if they were miles away from anyone else, plus one very talented singer/guitarist giving his all in appropriate hymns/songs. I feel like an adopted member of Swan Bank congregation now. Once this is all over, I hope to go and share real life worship there - hopefully during my Sabbatical in 2021.
I have a long term affection for Stoke on Trent area, for two special reasons:
Firstly, Victoria Hall, Hanley was always one of my favourite wrestling venues. Further afield than our regular circuit of shows at Oldham, Bolton, Stockport, Blackburn and Southport it was always worth the extra travelling time to get there. The Saturday evening shows there were something special. The extremely rowdy crowds encouraged the wrestlers to respond in kind and produce some of the liveliest matches possible. The shows at Hanley always seemed to include more matches than elsewhere making for a memorable evening and plenty to talk about on the drive home up the M6. Local wrestler Kendo Nagasaki regularly appeared at the Victoria Hall and near riot conditions would regularly ensue as a result of his tactics.
Secondly, the novels of Arnold Bennett are mostly set in the Stoke on Trent area - the "Five Towns" as he called them. These novels often have references to Methodism, because it played and plays such an important part in life in the Potteries. Bennett was not particularly fond of Methodism but his comments about the pitfalls of the Methodist Church and its Ministers are always very accurate, and often highly amusing. Bennett often renames places in the Potteries, so Swan Bank becomes Duck Bank in his books. If you want to get into Bennett's novels then "Clayhanger" is a good place to begin. It even opens with a reference to the Trent and Mersey Canal, which appeals to me as a canal walker.
For those of you who think I am lacking in culture for liking wrestling, the Victoria Hall is also a concert venue and has a historic organ. The composer Elgar conducted the first performance of one of his pieces here. Liverpool's own Ian Tracey regularly plays at the Saturday morning organ proms at Hanley.
My ideal Saturday would be one where there was an organ recital in the morning and a wrestling tournament at night. Maybe I could spend the afternoon seeing whether there were any ducks or swans in the nearby Trent and Mersey Canal!
Back to where I began - I am really grateful that Swan Bank is providing streamed worship during this time of crisis. It has certainly lifted my spirits and helped me to experience to presence of the risen Jesus at a time when there is so much sadness and suffering around.
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