Is that ice floating in the water cruet?

I got to church yesterday at 7:30 in the morning to open up for Sunday services. I got there about the same time as the rector. We walked into the main chapel, and...whoa! The heat was not on. Since it was like 7 degrees outside, that was a major problem. It was literally freezing in the church.

The furnace was acting up again. It blew out a thermastat about 2 weeks ago and the heating guy came out and fixed it. It apparently went out again, which means there will probably have to be some rewiring or something because the fan blows and the pilot light is lit, but the thermostat doesn't do anything.

By the 8:30 mass, we had coaxed the temperature up to about 45, or so the thermostat said. It was chilly to say the least. We got vested (and I now understand why Anglo-catholic priests insist on wearing a cassock under the white alb and vestments) and processed in. As we were bowing to the altar, I leaned over to the rector and said, "Is that ice floating in the water cruet?" At which point the rector turned to the congregation (most still wearing full coats and furry hats) and said, "Okay...change of plan. Let's proceed down to the Lady Julian Chapel where the heat is working." An impromtu procession of the reserved sacrament. I was happy.

For the 10:30 service, we set up chairs in the lounge area across the courtyard where the old chapel had been back in the day. I told the kids it was like a camp out liturgy. They bought it. And we stayed warm.

Tune in next time for the next episode of This Old Church...

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