IvanB, Sometimes the hard part is to get it through choir members' heads that we are there for prayer, not for a performance. We're to treat the music and the Liturgy with reverance not to call attention to the singers. That would be very bad.

Alex, I don't suppose you'd like to move to Cedar Rapids, I surely could use another tenor. We are an Antiochian parish so we are new calendarists. We also have pews. We just finished an Evening Liturgy tonight celebrating the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. There is an old calendar Orthodox Church here in town as well as a Greek parish, new calendar of course. The old calendar group also does without pews. In what jurisdiction is your parish? That is, under which Patriarch?

Joe, We haven't had trouble with the introduction of evangelical materials because our Bishop and the Metropolitan Archbishop insist that all parishes select their music from a "library" of Archdiocese approved transcriptions and arrangements. The faithful are always welcome to sing along but of course we don't have hymnals so visitors don't have any way to know the music.

kimmers, Yeah the socializing is the worst. They'll hang around in the church hall until after the Liturgy has started then leave before the Liturgy has concluded to join others at "coffee hour." Ask them when they would be willing to practice and they all say "right after Sunday Liturgy," but when the time comes I see the same faces that I would see when we practiced on a weekday evening.

      - Mark