The Queen's College Record 2020

Reports and College Activities
It was very strange to see the Chapel and Old Tabarders’ Room transformed into a
recording studio, and to be writing prayers in October to be broadcast in March. For
those in the Chapel it felt very different from our regular act of worship, but thanks to
those who got in touch to let us know it was a prayerful experience for the listeners.
And it proved to be good practice for what was to come! By the time the recorded
service was broadcast on 8 March we were already living in a different world, even
if we didn’t yet fully realise it. As at the time of writing (August), the altar table is still
dressed for Lent and the last entry in the services register records the suspension of
worship in the final week of Hilary term. The shutdown of the entire College site has at
least spared me the sensitive decisions which have divided some of my colleagues in
the wider church.
So for Trinity term, eighteenth century architecture gave way to twenty-first century
technology. The last couple of weeks of the Easter vacation were a crash course in
video, audio, and website editing – not exactly the main ministry skills I’d expected to
be exercising as Chaplain! – in time for the launch of our Virtual Chapel on YouTube
and Facebook. Fortunately I could rely on an excellent back catalogue of choir
recordings, and the willingness of College members to contribute, as well as their
inexhaustible tolerance of my bloopers (with special thanks to Owen Rees on that
score!). It was a little nerve-wracking watching the live viewing figures go up and
down on my first ‘e-vensong’, but maybe the payoff is being able to record 1.5K
‘views’ in the attendance register…! The services will remain available online at
www.queens.ox.ac.uk/virtual-chapel and on the College YouTube channel
www.youtube.com/QueensCollegeOx.
The Virtual Chapel has certainly been a lot of fun. We have been joined by Old Members
and other friends from across the world, who would not have been able to attend in
person, and given current members of the College a taste of Evensong without their
needing to leave their bedrooms! The video format allowed us to be creative. For
instance, we celebrated Pentecost with a collage of words and music in honour of the
College’s strengths in languages and translation. Nevertheless, a due formality was not
lacking where appropriate. Those who tuned in for the Revd Professor Paul Fiddes’
University Sermon on the Trinity will have seen the Preacher properly attired as per
University regulations, albeit with the backdrop of his filing cabinet!
But none of that will fully make up for what’s been lost this year, not least for our
finalists. Many of them are the year group I welcomed as freshers in my own first year,
and it feels inadequate to say goodbye to them via video rather than our customary
Leavers’ Service. I cannot subscribe to the glib sentiment, ‘the church is the people
not the building’. The Chapel has never been just for a regular club of churchgoers.
The beauty of the architecture and choral music communicates the love of God to the
whole College community and beyond. Indeed, making the videos has given me a
fresh appreciation of the Chapel building, seeing hidden details through David Fisher’s
exceptional new photographs.
48 The Queen’s College | College Record 2020