Oddities 1 - A note to the preacher

When I left for the US in 2000 I left bundles of papers in the UK to be sorted later.  Only now am I struggling through these masses of old newspaper cuttings and personal papers. I am uncovering oddities.  For example, a note passed onto me after a service when I was minister at St. Andrew's Street Baptist Church.

Please, please, PLEASE!

1. Can we have some more 'proper' hymns and not just the statutory two at morning service - usually chosen from the same half dozen.

2, Can we give Paul a rest for a while and get back to Jesus.

3. Have some more of Michael's humour in sermons - which differentiates them from long years of worthy (but dull) dissertations and drives home the points with unerring accuracy!

Why did I keep this?  I think it was part of my 'listening to my listeners' process which blossomed into some of my writing as a preacher.  Not always comfortable (far from it) and always to be balanced by others, yet vital.