Not quite as planned

My tentative plans for when I arrived in London were to check in at the hotel (at the airport) then, if I were up to it, to take a train to St. Mary's in Goring-by-Sea (which I had visited before) for their 9:30 AM service. But alas, it was not to be.

My flight from Atlanta was delayed a couple of hours by equipment trouble, so we arrived at Gatwick about 9:30 AM instead of 7:10. All that remained for me, it seemed, was to go into London proper and tour. But while crossing the airport looking for the hotel, I heard an announcement, generally directed at the passengers of a couple incoming flights, for a short Anglican service in the airport chapel at 10:30. I checked my watch and it seemed I would have just enough time to make it after checking in at the hotel, and I did!

It was (unsurprisingly) not a well-attended service; the minister, another fellow who read the Gospel (I guess a regular), and myself to begin with -- we were joined by a fourth a bit later, who made the comment about how this must have been "the old mens' service." But at least I was able to make Mass, if not how and where planned.