Mystery Worshipper: Seoirse
Church:
Buccleuch and Greyfriars
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of visit: Sunday, 22 June 2025, 10:30am
The building
Lovely and traditional, with a nice tall steeple. Inside, the church was plain and unadorned, without being sparse, and in a very neat and tidy state. The church has a large porch, and the main space has a tech desk at the back and a dais at the front, with a large carved wooden lectern. Next to the dais was a piano.
The church
The congregation seemed, in common with many city centre churches, very diverse in age and background. There were families, older folk, young couples and singletons.
The neighborhood
The church is a stone’s throw from George Square, one of the central campuses of the University of Edinburgh. It’s also a 15 minute walk from Pollock Halls, the university’s main halls of residence.
The cast
The minister led and preached. Two members of the congregation gave prayers, and one gave a reading. There was a four-strong worship team.
What was the name of the service?
Morning service.How full was the building?
The building would have seated around 130, and was half-full.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
I was greeted at the door by a friendly lady who shook my hand, asked my name, and gave me a service leaflet and a leaflet about an upcoming mission conference.
Was your pew comfortable?
It was individual chairs in rows, with green cushioning. Perfectly fine, no complaints here!
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
The worship leaders were rehearsing, so if there was a lot of chatting, it was drowned out. A few people seemed to be exchanging greetings with friends, but just as many were sitting quietly. A gentleman in the row behind me tapped me on the shoulder and we had a brief chat.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
‘Well, good morning everyone, and welcome to church.’
What books did the congregation use during the service?
The song lyrics (which more than one person referred to as ‘the singing’) were projected on the walls. Some people had their own Bibles (including yours truly), and some had notebooks for taking notes during the sermon. The translation on screen and the one used in the Bibles (available at the back) was the New International Version, Anglicised edition.
What musical instruments were played?
A piano was used during the hymns. The sung psalm was a capella.
Did anything distract you?
A bloke in front of me was reading the Bible off his phone. And then he was reading his Whatsapp messages…
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
Fairly relaxed Scottish presbyterian. On a 1-10 scale of traditional to contemporary (1 being the Isle of Lewis in the 1950s and 10 being Hillsong) it was a solid 4. There was an a capella sung psalm (103 to be precise), but also contemporary hymns accompanied by a piano. There was long, extemporaneous prayer, but there was also a girl in her 20s or so down the front swaying with her eyes closed. And more power to her!
Exactly how long was the sermon?
35 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
6 — This was uncomplicated expository preaching in the Scottish Presbyterian style. Our preacher was Scottish, albeit with a fairly soft accent. There were no strong rhetorical flourishes or attempts to modulate the delivery to elicit any sort of emotion.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
The text was Matthew 5:38-48 and was part of a longer series on the Sermon on the Mount. What does Jesus ask of us in this passage? Why? And how do we do it? He referenced the shooting at Emmanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and the forgiveness shown by the congregants. In short: we reflect the Father’s love by loving even when it is hard to do so.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
I have a soft spot for psalm singing, and even though we were, to a person, out of tune (me included), it was very moving to make Jesus’ native prayer book our own in that way.
In addition, it was the last Sunday before the Sunday School broke up for the summer, so there was a prize-giving ceremony where the children were presented with books. I was impressed at a girl of 12 being bestowed a hardback ESV Study Bible, and there was a particularly cute baby getting a picture book of Bible stories.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
What can I say? I’m an Episcopalian: I am constitutionally averse to any sermon that lasts longer than 10 minutes, and any prayer that lasts longer than 30 seconds without a ‘Lord, hear us’ to break it up. The prayers and the sermon both seemed to last too long, and my attention flagged.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I didn’t have to hang around. The gentleman who had tapped me on the shoulder before the service tapped me again and we had an interesting chat about splits in the Episcopal Church, varieties of worship, and the various people who attended this church. He was very friendly and clearly very knowledgeable, and was a credit to the church in making me feel welcome.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
Sadly, I was too long gabbing to get any – the urn had run dry by the time I got to it. No biscuits, either.
How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
4 — This isn’t my denomination or tradition, so I’m unlikely to find a home here. But I felt very welcome.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
In many ways, yes. The Free Church as a denomination is too conservative for me, but I was surprised when talking to people how tolerant they seemed on issues I would have assumed were hardline stances (e.g. the ministry of women).
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?
The psalm singing. It was just lovely, and a rare treat for me.