Washed clean

Somewhere on the premises, most Anglican churches have a font for sprinkling babies with water. We all love to ooh and ahhh, irrespective of whether said baby chooses to smile benignly or scream with the full force of it's lungs. St Bride's too has a font; the pleasingly simple wooden stand, adorned with a flying dove.

But wait! There's something more! Look closely at the carpet in front of the font. I'll give you a clue...When they were very small, my boys liked to bounce on that particular bit of carpet because of the satisfyingly drum-like noise they could create. The 'new' Worship Centre was built complete with baptismal pit! I'm not going to be drawn on the old chestnut of infant v adult baptism, but it's certainly a different experience to watch a baby being dunked!

One thing more. You know how Anglicans so often like to sit at the back? Take a good look at the rows of chairs :)

Patchwork reredos

Collins English Dictionary defines reredos as
a screen or wall decoration at the back of an altar, in the form of a hanging, tapestry, painting, or piece of metalwork or sculpture

This patchwork quilt was stitched specifically as the St Bride's reredos. It was made while we lived in Old Trafford (so sometime during the 90's), by a lass who originated from the Derbyshire town of Wirksworth, but who was, for a while, part of our church family.
http://www.louisemabbs.co.uk/louisemabbs/home.htm

The quilt forms a stunning focal point for the Worship Centre and is particularly special in that it is unique. It was designed to be representative of God's love in Jesus Christ for the area and people of Old Trafford. If you look carefully, the brightness of the cross can be seen shining through, while the small yellow squares along the bottom depict the windows of the terraces and towers of the local area. In the bottom left hand corner is a small picture which is, I am almost sure, our church.

I have always loved the vivid colour and composition and, being something of a non-starter where needles are concerned, admired the skill in being able to design and create something so beautiful.

P.S. The quilt can be seen in situ on yesterdays blog. The cross is far more distinct at distance.

From every tribe and tongue

This is the view looking towards the front of St Bride's Worship Centre. I love the wooden roof and the amount of light which enters the room. The music group lead sung worship from the slightly raised platform, while the main service leader and speaker take the chairs to either side of the communion table.

Notice the languages on the altar cloth. For a while, the local Korean community used our building for their services on a Sunday afternoon. I forget whether the other language is Urdu or Arabic, but it reflects the commitment of the church to working with the local Asian population; predominantly Muslim, and it's not unusual for one or more of the worship songs within a service to be sung in Urdu. As a visitor, it can be interesting trying to get your tongue round some of the trickier pronunciations :), but an English translation is always provided.

St Bride's

Interlude over; back to Old Trafford and a photo of a place which, for our family, was a focal point of life and will always be a special place for me. This is St Bride's. It is one of very few churches bearing this name. There are a small number in Scotland, but the only other English ones that I know of are in Liverpool and in Fleet Street, London.

This building is obviously modern. It was constructed in 1991 and replaced the more traditional building which stood on this site from 1878 to 1989.

http://www.stbrides.org.uk/

I have lived in Old Trafford twice. The first time was in the mid 80's and this old building was my place of worship. By the time I moved away in 1987, the chancel of the church (the area containing the altar; or communion table) had been cordoned off due to the risk of falling masonry. It was a hard hat only area!

My other memory of the old building was that the warmth of the people was only surpassed by the refrigerator-like internal temperatures in mid winter! Even wearing many layers, it was difficult to survive a service without being chilled to the bone. As a result, we took to closing the church for the winter, and our morning services were held in the Community Centre across the road.

Eventually, the church was de-consecrated and the Community Centre became our temporary home as the old building was demolished. I was back in OT by then, so watched it being taken down piece by piece and then replaced by the building which stands today. The rectory (to the rear of both photos) became a Parish Centre and a new rectory was built where the original church entrance had stood. The corner of the Rectory parking area is visible in my photo.

Although it is sad to see traditional buildings disappear from our cities, this 'new' Worship Centre is a flexible space which is practical, welcoming and a great place to meet with God. I still feel like I belong.