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A very different feel to this month. We gathered for The River, then everyone was sent out for about 30 or 40 minutes to go down to the river Kelvin and find out what God was trying to say to them. People were encouraged to come back and draw or write or simply pray about what had happened.

There was a very peaceful atmosphere in the church as people returned and it was fairly late by the time the last few folk were finished their business with God. Handy being in the middle of Glasgow but so close to a river.

Re-using some ideas tried out over the two nights at Crossover we explored our self image and how we saw ourselves in Christ. This started with very fast dance music and an up beat video of people rushing around streets and some superimposed close ups of people's faces. Some prying questions were passed around on cards to help people centre on themselves and think about things. We then used The Starfish meditation and moved onto some slow worship. All music this month was backing tracks on mini disk.

Another Iona meditation was used in silence and by now the lights had dimmed to almost nothing. Posting some verses on the screens, and then we used the crucifixion video and some images from Easter. This led to a time of worship and response during which people could light candles and place them on the cross.

Jenny lead the late night chill out worship time at Crossover (a Christain festival in Scotland). This went down very well and was a good learning experience for us in taking The River into another venue - in this case a damp tent.

I don't have any notes on this one, which means it is the one where we started with a list of worship songs that we may or may not do in an order as yet undecided and that was the plan. This lead to an extremely free worship time as the worship team were reacting to the atmosphere. No images were used this months for a bit of a break.

15 April 2001

Good Friday and Easter Sunday evening service were both given over to The River. This was the biggest events so far in terms of both number of people who attended (as these are busy times of year) and the amount of effort and planning that went into each event.

Click here for images of the weekend including both River events and the morning service balloon release.

Easter Sunday Evening:
The church was again set in a circle with four monitors pointing inwards and the big screen at the front. Before starting we dimmed the lights other than that on the cross and reviewed the images used on Good Friday - taking us back to the crucifixion and death of Christ. Then with no images and only a faint red glow on the cross a short story called "The Angel of Death and Life" was read out - this told of how the angel rolled away the stone in front of the tomb. At the end of this all the lights were on and then everyone stood to sing there's a pageant of triumph in glory.

We then had a time of confession where everyone turned their back on the cross in the centre and a prayer was read, as the statement of redemption was read the reader turned someone around to face the cross and they turned the people next to them and so on as a physical act of turning to Christ. There was then two blocks of worship with a message from David. The worship was chosen at the time from a number of songs that we were ready to do - this gave us some flexibility and meant that we could react to the atmosphere.

13 April 2001

Good Friday:
The area was screened off at the rear and monitors placed facing inward at four pillars to create a new space. A cross was built and was lying in the middle as people arrived. "Passion" by Stu McGregor and some readings were read out over some music with some images depicting the passion of Christ. While this was going on (and with no warning) a crown of thorns and some old - roman like - nails were passed around. The physical presence of the cross and these elements of the passion was powerful.

We used a video of Christ carrying the cross through the streets. The video was shown in slow motion and these words were used at the end: "As he passes you think he sees you... You stare trying to see if he recognises you, is he conscious enough to know anyone? The moment is passed and he is gone. Even if you had the chance, what would you say?" People were then given the opportunity to write down what they would say and then place it on the cross in the middle (which was now the main light in the room). In silence someone went forward, gathered up all the bits of paper and with a heavy hammer nailed these all to the centre of the cross. It was then lifted up into place in the middle of the church - very dominating over everyone who was sitting on the floor.

After the remaining readings - taking us up to the point in the Easter story of Christ being laid in the tomb people left in silence (as instructed at the beginning of the night).

This River was built around a vision (or series of visions) that was given to a member of the congregation. The full text of this is available here. After some opening worship there was a led meditation using the text of the vision and various images of a figure by a canal, polluted and clear rivers, etc. after a chill out time when prayer was available we closed with a more up beat worship song.

The atmosphere was good and I think a lot of people were touched by God through this evening.

The Second River was more Praise orientated. Two blocks of worship with a time of meditation in the middle. Everything was done from one CD of backing tracks some specially written for the evening. During the meditation section various verses, video clips and image were used to guide and raise issues with people.

River - The First!

Having cleared the chairs and scattered some cushions around the lights were dimmed and some background music was set. The opening reading was from Genesis 2:10-14 followed by some worship (Come, now is the time and Praise God from whom all blessings flow). This was followed by a time of confession then My soul longs after you.

A time of mediation on the River of God followed using Ezekiel 47:1-12 and Revelation 22:1-2. A series of images of sky-scapes were used for this. A 'soaking/ministry time' with more images and improvised music was rounded up with responses from John 7:38, Rev 7:17 and 22:17.

Following What the Lord has done in me those present were invited to take some water from some containers at the front to represent their coming to the River of God tonight. The evening ended with Over the mountains and the sea.

Interview with Jenny after the first River

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