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During the week before Easter, I attended Spring Harvest’s “Word Alive” event at Butlin’s Holiday Camp at Skegness. (For the uninitiated or those who did not watch ‘Songs of Praise’ on Easter Sunday’, Spring Harvest is a gathering of church members of all different denominations for a week of worship and study.) I must admit that I went somewhat reluctantly and with reservations, afraid that I would be overwhelmed by those whose beliefs were stronger than my own. In the end I felt I learned a great deal, although doubts remain and some questions are still unanswered.
About halfway through the week I became struck by the similarity of Spring Harvest to the world of bell ringing. For a start, it brought together people of all ages and from all walks of life, all sharing a common interest. Like bellringers, some were ‘beginners’; others had years of experience. Some were more committed than others but for everyone there was always something new to learn for those willing to make the effort. Some ideas were difficult to understand fully (just like these new 16-bell methods) and just as revolutionary, but they need to be heard and discussed fully or we may become ‘stuck in a rut’.
The music was, at times, inspiring. The sound produced by several thousand people sing at full voice gives the same feeling of elation as perfectly struck ringing on superb bells. Some of the hymns and song were old favourites; others were new. Like bell ringing methods, some of the new ones will not become popular with a wider audience; others deserve to become more widely known. At times I felt I was suffering from ‘new method overload’. Many ringers who have tried to learn multiple methods for a peal will sympathise; at first all the new methods get mixed up and only part remembered until they are properly learned and assimilated. So it was with all the new words, tunes and ideas with which I was bombarded for the first few days, until by the end of the week my brain had processed them into some sort of order and I could remember which new tune went with which new words. All that was missing was a portable mini-ring; then at least I could have done some teaching rather than being on the receiving end all the time and we may have gained some recruits!
Perhaps the most important lesson I learned is the difference between theory and practice. It can be very easy to know or believe something in theory but it can be difficult sometimes to put it into practice. I learned Glasgow S Major once: I knew it perfectly on paper but failed miserably when I tried to ring it, so I gave up trying. Eventually I realised this was not the way so I tried again, with more success. Some of us are like this when it comes to putting Christianity into practice. Sometimes we try and fall short, but we must keep practising until we do get it right. Some do not even try. We all know ringers who have are not prepared to learn anything new, or, worse, those ringers who do learn something but are not prepared to try to ring it on practice night.. Perhaps they are afraid of going wrong and being shouted at in front of everyone. Perhaps they are afraid of being laughed at or think they do not have the necessary skills. We need to overcome such fears and realise that whatever our level of skill, it will be sufficient as long as we are prepared to make the commitment. If we keep putting it off, one day it may be too late.
“Oddstruck”
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