I take my Kindle to church as it's got my Bible on. I need the bigger print. The font in the our pew Bibles is too small and the large print Bibles are jealously hoarded by those who got there first.
Although this seems like something that should be addressed - most congregations aren't growing younger.
Many churches now put a recording (audio or video) of their sermons onto their websites. Some provide transcripts as well; I prefer these as it's much quicker to read than to listen, however I recognise that some will say that sermons are primarily an auditory (and communal) experience.
Again, slightly off the point!
Given modern technology, it might be interesting to ask what an AI-generated summary of your sermon recordings would look like.
Some of the transcripts are being created using speech recognition - so similar issues crop up - for instance whenever biblical (and thus unfamiliar) place/people names are mentioned.
What will people do if the technology fails big-time, and all of a sudden there are no mobile phones, electricity, or internet?
Rev T puts his order of service and sermon notes on his iPad. Except when he's doing a wedding or a funeral. Then he uses paper. Just in case.
I take my Kindle to church as it's got my Bible on. I need the bigger print. The font in the our pew Bibles is too small and the large print Bibles are jealously hoarded by those who got there first.
My tablet has a couple of Bible versions on it with translations I prefer, and gives me the opportunity to see the context of the given reading, which in any case is on the screen only briefly.
I did the notes thing after my evangelical conversion during my student days, mainly I think because other people seemed to be doing it.
I very rarely looked at the notes afterwards and soon abandoned the practice.
I used to mark passages in my Bible too, I think but don't remember rightly. I was a bit taken aback when I found that a good Protestant friend still did that.
I'm not saying it's 'wrong'. It just feels alien to me now.
I may make the odd note during a talk at an ecumenical or other conference, but usually in the form of a reference to look up later or a book recommendation or a bon-mot that the speaker may have used.
If I were a preacher I think I'd find it very distracting if people were making notes during the sermon.
We tend to go in for short homilies rather than Protestant-style expository preaching in Orthodoxy, and I do miss that and feel we could find a place for it.
It's often felt that the Liturgy 'speaks for itself' and I do believe that to be the case, although given the very low level of catechesis in many Orthodox settings I do think we need to 'do better.'
I've noticed that some of the Romanians who attend our parish follow the Liturgy in prayer books printed in their own language. Our services are in English but with the Lord's Prayer said in several languages.
I don't find that distracting at all. I'm pleased they do. I must confess that I find the actions of occasional attenders and, dare I say it, 'culturally Orthodox' or fairly nominal folk rather distracting - particularly at Easter.
We had instances of drunken and rowdy behaviour this year, of people heckling the priest, disrespecting our neighbours, parking across people's drives or blocking roads. We even had a group that 'jumped the gun' and started a particular Romanian hymn that isn't supposed to be sung until after the climax of the Easter Vigil.
It was actually quite hairy at times.
It puts mild irritation at minor breaches of protocol into perspective.
As the saying goes, 'You can find both Heaven and Hell on Mount Athos.'
If I were a preacher I think I'd find it very distracting if people were making notes during the sermon.
We tend to go in for short homilies rather than Protestant-style expository preaching in Orthodoxy, and I do miss that and feel we could find a place for it.
ISTM that if your talk/homily/sermon is heavy on the didactic element you have to accept that some people are going to be taking notes at least some of the time.
Some churches have their liturgies or orders of service online, tablets or phones being used by some ministers leading worship, and some congregations are being encouraged to bring their devices to church to save money on booklets or printed sheets of paper.
This happened in the church I attended today. A discussion afterwards led to some expressions of horror- where would this lead? Sending texts or doing crosswords during the sermon? Checking up on the preacher’s sources?
Useful or potential distraction?
I saw people reading non liturgical ( even secular) works and doing puzzles during the Liturgy of the Word/ sermon long before tech devices were a thing
If I were a preacher I think I'd find it very distracting if people were making notes during the sermon.
We tend to go in for short homilies rather than Protestant-style expository preaching in Orthodoxy, and I do miss that and feel we could find a place for it.
ISTM that if your talk/homily/sermon is heavy on the didactic element you have to accept that some people are going to be taking notes at least some of the time.
I've taken, on my Sundays off my organ bench, or other feast days, to going to Mass at larger RC churches. I now have the Order of Mass downloaded on my phone for these times as it's rare to get a printed version at any of the places I've gone to!
Last time I did this, the charming elderly lady at the other end of the pew to me was clearly scandalised by my use of my phone during Mass and got quite cross, in a tutting kind of way, when I briefly responded to a buzz on the phone. (Blood sugars alert - I have all notifications on silent except these ones.)
I do get the school of thought that I could just listen to the liturgy, as I do the prayers and readings, but it's much better if I do have the printed liturgy so that I don't automatically join in loud and clear with the Common Worship, Church of England, Anglican version of the words with which I am currently most familiar. I have to do the same when I'm on holiday in Scotland at Piskie services, though as that was my home for five years, albeit over 20 years ago now, I can switch into the differences in the liturgy words more easily.
Comments
Although this seems like something that should be addressed - most congregations aren't growing younger.
Some of the transcripts are being created using speech recognition - so similar issues crop up - for instance whenever biblical (and thus unfamiliar) place/people names are mentioned.
My tablet has a couple of Bible versions on it with translations I prefer, and gives me the opportunity to see the context of the given reading, which in any case is on the screen only briefly.
I very rarely looked at the notes afterwards and soon abandoned the practice.
I used to mark passages in my Bible too, I think but don't remember rightly. I was a bit taken aback when I found that a good Protestant friend still did that.
I'm not saying it's 'wrong'. It just feels alien to me now.
I may make the odd note during a talk at an ecumenical or other conference, but usually in the form of a reference to look up later or a book recommendation or a bon-mot that the speaker may have used.
If I were a preacher I think I'd find it very distracting if people were making notes during the sermon.
We tend to go in for short homilies rather than Protestant-style expository preaching in Orthodoxy, and I do miss that and feel we could find a place for it.
It's often felt that the Liturgy 'speaks for itself' and I do believe that to be the case, although given the very low level of catechesis in many Orthodox settings I do think we need to 'do better.'
I've noticed that some of the Romanians who attend our parish follow the Liturgy in prayer books printed in their own language. Our services are in English but with the Lord's Prayer said in several languages.
I don't find that distracting at all. I'm pleased they do. I must confess that I find the actions of occasional attenders and, dare I say it, 'culturally Orthodox' or fairly nominal folk rather distracting - particularly at Easter.
We had instances of drunken and rowdy behaviour this year, of people heckling the priest, disrespecting our neighbours, parking across people's drives or blocking roads. We even had a group that 'jumped the gun' and started a particular Romanian hymn that isn't supposed to be sung until after the climax of the Easter Vigil.
It was actually quite hairy at times.
It puts mild irritation at minor breaches of protocol into perspective.
As the saying goes, 'You can find both Heaven and Hell on Mount Athos.'
ISTM that if your talk/homily/sermon is heavy on the didactic element you have to accept that some people are going to be taking notes at least some of the time.
I saw people reading non liturgical ( even secular) works and doing puzzles during the Liturgy of the Word/ sermon long before tech devices were a thing
That'll be when you need the Mass of solar ejection liturgy
There is that, yes.
Last time I did this, the charming elderly lady at the other end of the pew to me was clearly scandalised by my use of my phone during Mass and got quite cross, in a tutting kind of way, when I briefly responded to a buzz on the phone. (Blood sugars alert - I have all notifications on silent except these ones.)
I do get the school of thought that I could just listen to the liturgy, as I do the prayers and readings, but it's much better if I do have the printed liturgy so that I don't automatically join in loud and clear with the Common Worship, Church of England, Anglican version of the words with which I am currently most familiar. I have to do the same when I'm on holiday in Scotland at Piskie services, though as that was my home for five years, albeit over 20 years ago now, I can switch into the differences in the liturgy words more easily.