Camden Town, United Reformed Church and Library Cards

Travel Update 3
On Saturday, I planned to go on a “London Walk” to Camden Town. I got to there at 10am and it didn’t start until 11am. I planned to read until the guide got to the designated point, but there was so much energy and bustle around me I couldn’t resist. I had to start exploring on my own. I didn’t abandon the idea of the guided tout until I had already immersed myself in Camden market bought, bought a leather jacket, and a Union Jack book bag for Jazzy. I did bump into the tour at one point and overheard the guide saying Camden market has over 700 shops.
After a couple of hours of exploring, I began to get scared I would get lost in the labyrinth of shops (they have a canal with boats which they call Little Venice along it as well). Although Camden is known for being the punk central of London, they sell many other items there—clothes, shoes, art, jewelry, antiques, vintage everything, leather goods, souvenirs—just loads of items from all over the world (I even found a stand selling luchador masks and morrales with la virgin on them :D)
They also have food stalls—food from all over the world—every 10 feet you get a sniff of a new smell (both pleasant and not… The Stables reeked as if they still held horses :/)
I didn’t leave Camden Market until about 2pm… absolutely loved it. It was like the Pulga of all pulgas :D—a complete experience.
On Sunday I went exploring for a church. My father is a minister and church is very important to them. I must admit that as much as I complain about having to go to church and teach Sunday School and play the keyboard, I have missed church. I had visited Hillsong Church London two years ago when I was first here. It’s like a mini concert—church service there I mean. A bit overwhelming, but safe because I know the doctrine (what they believe in/preach) so I don’t have to be in hyperalert that they’re weirdos. I told Ian I would go over to his parents’ house Sunday afternoon so he could give his father a present for Dad’s day, so I couldn’t go all the way to Hillsong London. I had seen the sign outside a church called “Breakthru Church” in Brentwood which advertised a 10:30 worship service (lingo I recognize), so I decided to try that church. I took a train and walked to the church only to find a sign saying that that morning’s service would be across town in a different building. Boooooooooooo… I tried to read the map, but it looked like I would have to cross a major highway and it looked too far to walk to in 10 minutes. I remembered we had seen a Catholic church (the one with the cementary) and although I didn’t think my mother would give me credit for going to a Catholic church I figured it was better than nothing (although I must admit, I don’t think I could get anything spiritual from a Catholic mass—for me it’d be more like watching a show—which is really unfair of me… have to work this out in my head.) On my way to look for the Cathedral, I remembered the United Reformed Church by Brentwood Library. It didn’t look open, but a sign advertised Sunday service at 10am. Someone had to be in there! I looked through windows and locked doors and couldn’t make out a chapel at all. With my luck, this was their offices or community center and the chapel was somewhere else entirely.
I ended up walking around the building trying every door until one opened. It still didn’t look like a church, but I heard a man’s voice booming from upstairs so I followed the sound. The chapel was something out of an old British film—with the pews on the sides and chairs in the middle. There was a a massive organ (cathedral size pipes) on a platform in the back. It took me a while to find it because I couldn’t see the organist behind the monstrous instrument. There were about 32 people in all including myself. We sang hymns (which were so easy to follow because the organ played the melody clearly), listened to bible readings, bowed our heads in prayer and listened to a sermon. I sang in a falsetto voice with a British accent (or my version of one) cos no one could really hear me.
I liked that they had two bouquets of fresh flowers up front as decoration, I like the old furniture—very ceremonial. To me, it was like a literary experience—the setting certainly fit a lot of stories I have read and the sermon was reminiscent of a different era. Most of the parishioners were quite old. There are sooo many old people around here--- I mean in their 90s and walking around old. The man who led the service and gave the sermon spoke on the passage of the demon possessed man who had a legion of demons. It was cool listening to a sermon in British accent. He shared an anecdote about the day after the London blitz (bombing by Nazis for months) he saw a sign on a tailor shop that read “more open than usual” – probably didn’t have a door or windows. He referred to the sea in the Bible passage as a symbol of chaos and Jesus as a symbol of peace. History and Literature lesson while attending church—loved it! Regardless of religious views., everyone should send their children to Sunday School—it saddens me when my students (and even university classmates) don’t see the Biblical allusions in literature.
Church was over by 11:10 am. I’m torn between going to Hillsong London (amusement park of churches) or the small, potentially boring United Reformed Church next Sunday.
I stuck around Brentwood until 1pm so that I could print out my first draft of my newest story, but I had it saved in the wrong format. I did however acquire a most valuable possession—a library card! They also give you a mini card to put on your key chain—awesome pants!