Comment on this report, or find other reports. Our Mystery Worshippers are volunteers who warm church pews for us around the world. If you'd like to become a Mystery Worshipper, start here. Find out how to reproduce this report in your church magazine or website.   1870: Barnabas Community, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England Mystery Worshipper: David. The church: Barnabas Community, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Denomination: Independent evangelical charismatic. They are a member of Newfrontiers and the Evangelical Alliance. The building: A converted territorial army base with areas divided off for function. Not noticeable from the outside as a church. A small main corridor feeds various areas. The church: Barnabas Community Church was founded in 1983 and existed for a short time as two separate congregations, joining together in 1993. They have a lively sense of church community with outreach at their heart. Their many ministries, both domestic and international, are far too numerous to mention here. One definitely senses that they are a very busy church. The neighbourhood: Shrewsbury is in the West Midlands, about nine miles east of the Welsh border. The town centre boasts a largely unaltered medieval street plan that includes a maze of hidden corners, squares and lanes, home to several interesting shops, pubs and restaurants. Shrewsbury hosts a large number of churches of many denominations, including the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady Help of Christians and St Peter of Alcantara. The naturalist Charles Darwin was born and raised here. Barnabas Community Church is located in a mixed residential and commercial area. The cast: Terry Hotchkiss, elder, led the service. The speaker was Martin Charlesworth, lead elder. The date & time: Sunday, 22 November 2009, 11.20am. Their website advises persons wishing to attend the 11.20 service to arrive "any time after 10.50." What was the name of the service? Morning Service. How full was the building? Mostly full. Did anyone welcome you personally? Well, if "welcomed" means being told we could not gain entry to the car park as our car was too big, even though I saw plenty of empty spaces where my car could easily fit, then I suppose we were indeed welcomed. Once inside, we were greeted by two people who said hello and handed us some informational brochures. We were then pounced on by a person who asked many questions and led us around everywhere, including to coffee and the toilets! Was your pew comfortable? Individual chairs that were comfy. They were arranged in a semi-circle facing a stage area. How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere? It was lively and loud. The band were playing and we were not sure if we should sing along or not. Also, people were talking with a high level of buzz. Not a place to sit and be quiet for a moment to focus. What were the exact opening words of the service? "Good morning and welcome to Barnabas Community Church, especially if you are visiting here today." Elder Hotchkiss went on to explain about the church and how the service would be, including songs and the offering. Very good really. What books did the congregation use during the service? No song books. Words were projected onto a screen. Also no Bibles. I had to go and find a steward to ask for one and he then had to borrow one! What musical instruments were played? Keyboards, three guitars, saxophone, two singers. Did anything distract you? The obligatory mobile phone went off during the service. But I was more distracted by the fact there was nothing to focus on apart from the song words. Very plain walls and nothing visual, not even on the screen. Several people went forward during the service to have what appeared to be personal conversations with Elder Hotchkiss. Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what? The worship was very lively. We were told that we could stand or sit as we wished, but if we sat then we couldn't see the screen, so most people remained standing. We sang about six songs interspersed with a Bible reading and prayers. Everything seemed disjointed, though – no obvious connection between anything, and no time to reflect. Exactly how long was the sermon? 28 minutes. On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher? 6 – Elder Charlesworth is a clear and articulate speaker who put his points across well and with passion. He made little use of notes and used a PowerPoint presentation (which I thought a bit dull). I felt he missed out on an opportunity to show how the church, as opposed to the individual, should be challenged. In a nutshell, what was the sermon about? The sermon was based on Jesus driving out the money lenders from the temple. The main point was for us individually to have zeal in worship. Which part of the service was like being in heaven? Nothing really rose to that level, but it was good overall. The singing was very passionate. The talk was good too. And which part was like being in... er... the other place? People were asked to share thoughts or words from God. All well and good, but I didn't think anyone said anything that was particularly God-inspired. One person even gave a mini-sermon! I didn't think this contributed very much to the worship. Oh, yes, and being turned away in the car park and pounced upon as soon as I went inside. What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost? We didn't get a chance to look lost, which is just as well, as the signage around the building was poor or non-existent. But those who greeted us (if they were official greeters, they weren't wearing badges) seemed, we thought, quite obtrusive and intimidating. How would you describe the after-service coffee? Tea, which was self-service in cardboard cups. How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)? 7 – This is a lively church with a passion for worship, but this may be a difficult place for anyone who doesn't want a full-on experience straightaway but needs to find a way in slowly. Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian? Yes, it did. Overall we enjoyed being part of this time and seeing that sense of desire in people. What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time? Even after waiting seven days to write this report, I still remember being pounced on as the main thing.   We rely on voluntary donations to stay online. If you're a regular visitor to Ship of Fools, please consider supporting us. Easter 2010 From Yunnan in China to Louisville in Kentucky, we report on Easter services, 2010. Read here. The Mystery Pilgrim One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. London churches Read reports from 70 London churches, visited by a small army of Mystery Worshippers on one single Sunday. Read here.             More Mystery Worshipper reports