Last night a friend who is an exceptional medium was working at a local Spiritualist Church, so my partner and I went along to support her.
The church has it's own building which although tired has at one time been full of energy, now I'm sorry to say it is only full of shadows of what it once was, there is no energy, no warmth and no atmosphere.
As you walk in you are met by the woman who runs the church, we asked if we paid or if there was a collection, "£3-00 each, all churches charge now, we have to pay the medium you know" not the warmest of welcomes.
There was initially six of us, then three more walked in, and another two after the "service" started so 11 congregation, the organiser and the Medium.
There were flowers on the platform, but they were wilting. The medium asked some of the congregation to put various people's names in the healing book, did the church have one, yes it was in the office, why, what use is it there ?
The organiser had instructed the medium to start with an opening prayer, followed by leading the Lords Prayer before stating "As you know I don't go to the front (the platform at the front of the church), she conducted the service and made announcements from the back, rude.
Before the "service" started we were asked to make sure our mobile phones were turned off, no problem I always turn mine off on arrival at a church. However during the "service" the medium turned to the organiser and started to give her a message from a loved one, when in the background we could hear a phone ring, after two rings the organiser said "I'm sorry, I have to get that" and walked out of the room.
Now not only did this upset the flow of energy and the "service", it also showed a high lack of respect for all those present including the loved ones who had come through to contact her and astonished the medium.
The organiser returned a few minutes later explaining it was another medium that she had been trying to contact for another service, as though that justified her interrupting the meeting.
The medium tried to get back to the reading she had started, when she then started to pace up and down the room, then she asked the organiser if she had a Native American guide, to which she responded yes, "Well" said the medium "he appears to be agitated he's just pounding up and down here, do you know why?" to which the organiser replied " Well I do suffer from anxiety, maybe he is showing you that". The woman had completely missed the point.
In England the established church and spiritualist churches do seem to be suffering a decline, why? Well I think this is the worse example of what some of the causes are.
Before I moved, I attended another spiritualist church, there was a warm welcome, a beautiful atmosphere set by candles, low lighting and music. We started with a song, then opening prayers and another song, by the time the medium started the room was buzzing with energy.
I know the churches are run by a limited group of volunteers, some who have been doing it for years and for some churches this is the problem, old fashion service, antiquated hymns and when new people take over the old ways are still followed.
This church had been a lovely little church and with some TLC it could be again and give support to the local spiritualist community.
We need to energise and modernise our churches to make the services more enjoyable, to attracted new members and to make the mediums work easier and invigorating rather than draining
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