holy joes was one of the earliest alternative worship groups in the uk. over 18 years it has ebbed and flowed. after a recent sabbatical where the community had some space and a rethink about what they are up to, holy joes now have a home base in the crypt of st mary le bow. i was invited to speak/join an evening discussion on tuesday and shared some reflections on the journey and changes we have been on in grace. it was good to go along and the space they meet is amazing.
apparently the central worship space is unusual in that it has two pulpits. you can just about make that out in this picture… i have written before about deconstructing and re-imagining preaching but hadn’t thought of two pulpits for debate or preach offs. love to know what the historical use was… the other memorable thing about the church is that the vicar is called rev george bush! (honestly)…
Quite a few churches have two pulpits. Interesting you should think they were there for some sort of competitive purpose … actually the symbolism was that one was for the reading of the epistle, the other for the reading and preaching of the gospel ….
they have a great cafe (“The Place Below”) in that church….great for any lunch meetings!
In the states the one on the left (the one for reading Scripture) is called a lectern, while the one on the right is the pulpit (used for preaching). They are normally found in churches with Anglican tradition, such as Methodist.
Grace and peace,
Buzz