celticdragonfly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
celticdragonfly) wrote2006-01-09 11:42 am
celticdragonfly) wrote2006-01-09 11:42 am
Entry tags:
Why yes I did do well
I was lector for the 8 am service at church yesterday. I'd gotten a call asking me to do that service (actually, the 1st and 8th but I knew I'd still be out of town for the 1st) back before Christmas. That's one of the things I'd put down on my form of things I was willing to volunteer for. (It's funny - I suspect most people would be fine with signing up for things like greeter, when you're standing and shaking hands and talking with the people that come in, but would be nervous about doing something like lector up in front of everybody, but I'm the opposite.)
Between being out of town and sick, I hadn't gotten to see the texts I was going to be reading until 7:30 Sunday morning. (Oh,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bkseiver, it was *not* the same ones as the listing you had for your church) I figured I could do a competent job of reading, as long as I didn't go into coughing spasms or sneezing a lot. I'm mostly better, but the cold is still dragging out. I picked up cough suppressant that morning and took it. I was also concerned with doing a competent job of communion assistant, as the lector takes one side with the communal cup.
When I got there I was realizing oh yes, today's the church's 50th anniversary celebration. Oh yeek. We have a visiting bishop emeritus and everything. (I don't think I'd ever seen a Lutheran bishop before) I had a moment of twitchiness that the service would be packed, but it wasn't, then someone made a comment about how people would be going to the 11 am service afterwards to stay for the afternoon feast. Ah, right. Excellent.
Things went very well. I had no problem finding a robe that fit, and did the procession and such, went through the service from up front, got to time for the reading, stepped forward to the podium and up on the step, and as soon as I started speaking I could tell that yes, the microphone was placed right and picking me up fine. I kept my speed slow (I tend to talk too fast, especially when excited), and I thought I did a good job with the reading. The rest of the service went well. It's very strong and moving to be going through the service from up there. We got into the run-up to communion and it was interesting, when we started the Lord's prayer, I realized the bishop emeritus next to me wasn't praying in English, and a second later realized it was German. Fascinating. Communion went well, I didn't trip and I didn't drop the chalice on anyone, so that's fine.
I generally came to realize just how well I did. During the sharing of the peace, Pastor Phil told me I'd done an extremely good job of that, was I doing all month? No, just scheduled for the one day, but I'm willing to do more. The lector takes one of the exits to shake hands and wish people good morning, and a number of people stopped to tell me what a good job I'd done with the reading, good diction and speed and feeling and such. Then after I'd de-robed and was down by the nursery, someone else stopped to confirm that I'd been the one doing the reading, and said I'd done a fantabulous job, they didn't know what it was but I had it!
It all made me feel really good. Not too surprising - I used to do reading in church in my early teens, did oratory and dramatic reading in competition back in middle school and high school, and I had DJ training, so I have appropriate training, and I do think I read out loud fairly well. But it still made me feel good. I hope I get asked to do more.
Between being out of town and sick, I hadn't gotten to see the texts I was going to be reading until 7:30 Sunday morning. (Oh,
bkseiver, it was *not* the same ones as the listing you had for your church) I figured I could do a competent job of reading, as long as I didn't go into coughing spasms or sneezing a lot. I'm mostly better, but the cold is still dragging out. I picked up cough suppressant that morning and took it. I was also concerned with doing a competent job of communion assistant, as the lector takes one side with the communal cup. When I got there I was realizing oh yes, today's the church's 50th anniversary celebration. Oh yeek. We have a visiting bishop emeritus and everything. (I don't think I'd ever seen a Lutheran bishop before) I had a moment of twitchiness that the service would be packed, but it wasn't, then someone made a comment about how people would be going to the 11 am service afterwards to stay for the afternoon feast. Ah, right. Excellent.
Things went very well. I had no problem finding a robe that fit, and did the procession and such, went through the service from up front, got to time for the reading, stepped forward to the podium and up on the step, and as soon as I started speaking I could tell that yes, the microphone was placed right and picking me up fine. I kept my speed slow (I tend to talk too fast, especially when excited), and I thought I did a good job with the reading. The rest of the service went well. It's very strong and moving to be going through the service from up there. We got into the run-up to communion and it was interesting, when we started the Lord's prayer, I realized the bishop emeritus next to me wasn't praying in English, and a second later realized it was German. Fascinating. Communion went well, I didn't trip and I didn't drop the chalice on anyone, so that's fine.
I generally came to realize just how well I did. During the sharing of the peace, Pastor Phil told me I'd done an extremely good job of that, was I doing all month? No, just scheduled for the one day, but I'm willing to do more. The lector takes one of the exits to shake hands and wish people good morning, and a number of people stopped to tell me what a good job I'd done with the reading, good diction and speed and feeling and such. Then after I'd de-robed and was down by the nursery, someone else stopped to confirm that I'd been the one doing the reading, and said I'd done a fantabulous job, they didn't know what it was but I had it!
It all made me feel really good. Not too surprising - I used to do reading in church in my early teens, did oratory and dramatic reading in competition back in middle school and high school, and I had DJ training, so I have appropriate training, and I do think I read out loud fairly well. But it still made me feel good. I hope I get asked to do more.
Ah, well done!