From Frances, our Associate Minister: March 2019
1 Mar 2019 • zzz_Archive
Dear Readers,
For many years now, on the Sunday before Easter, traditionally known as ‘Palm Sunday’, about 40 people, children on bikes and several dogs have made a short pilgrimage, walking, or cycling from Broad Oak crossroads to Garway, stopping on the way at the Methodist and Baptist chapels and at Garway church for a short act of worship, and finishing up at the Baptist schoolroom for refreshments. And the greatest pleasure of the day is in meeting up with, and exchanging news with our friends and neighbours who attend different places of worship. It’s great to share each other’s hymns, each other’s slightly different forms of worship, and most of all each other’s company.
Last year, several of us got together and agreed that something that was so rewarding shouldn’t happen just once a year, and that we would really like to get together a bit more often (with no walking involved!). So plans have been made to have some services which are for ALL — whether you think of yourself as Methodist, Baptist, Church of England or Roman Catholic, or ‘nothing in particular’, this is for you!
We are going to take advantage of the beautiful new community centre at Garway, which is always warm and comfortable, with plenty of parking, and the first service is going to be on Sunday, March 31st at 4pm. This service falls on Mothering Sunday, when we give thanks for the human parenting we have enjoyed, and also the divine parenting that we receive from God. As part of the service we will be making posies of flowers to hand out to everyone who attends, and it will be followed by a bring-and-share tea, so please bring a plate of your favourite tea-time treat to share. (Download the flyer here.)
We’ll see how people like this first service, and hope to do more of the same in the future, perhaps 3-4 times a year.
Do please come and join in, wherever you live. Hope to see you there!