It may be raining outside, but that doesn't stop summer being the most popular time to get married. That's as true at St George Christ Church St Paul as it is in the rest of the country.
We've got a wedding more or less every weekend in July and in August. And wedding ceremonies are something we take seriously. They are ultimately moving moments and getting the liturgy right for the bride, the groom and their families and friends is something we are careful about.
But we also take the marriage seriously. Couples who come to us are encouraged to take part in our three session Marriage Preparation Course. This has been a 2007 initiative but the first course was so well received that the only request was for a fourth session! The next course starts next week.
It's amazing how easy it is to know each other really well, even to have lived together for some years, and yet not to have talked about some of the key things in our lives: who should be "the head of the household" (if anyone)? what influence has your own upbringing had on what you expect a marriage to be? how will you resolve conflicts when they happen (and they inevitably will)? Our course facilitates discussion on all of these topics.
And then when the wedding comes, the couples will be more ready to take part in a partnership for life.
Monday, 23 July 2007
Monday, 16 July 2007
Summer time and the living is easy
It's been fair to say that the last three weeks have been frenetic at St George Christ Church St Paul. An ordination, a summer fair, a first eucharist, a 2-day epic event for 150 children in Year 6, 2 weddings, 2 baptisms, a pilgrimage to St Albans, a new marriage preparation course, a youth awayday to Brighton... Thank you to all involved for all your efforts. If you aren't feeling tired yet, you must be superhuman.
It's now time for our activities to move to a gentler pace and for those involved to relax a little and appreciate the achievements of a buzzing place. We couldn't live with church life going at this pace all the time: it's a good job we don't have to. And yet it's also nice to be at a place where new initiatives happen so regularly.
The marriage preparation classes meanwhile are continuing: we've been excited at the first in the new format and couples have contributed some brilliant perspectives about what is going on as two individuals are joined together in matrimony.
Indeed, it's gone so well that we'll have a new group happening in August: I guess it's the wedding season.
And it's a nice time for allowing our faith to grow steadily. In the last two weeks, we have been reminded in the sermon of acts we can do for the Gospel: when Jesus sends out the seventy to go about Galilee and Israel, and the story of the Good Samaritan. What does it that Jesus wants us to DO?
This week, we will be celebrating one of our favourite saints, Mary Magdalene. We'll need to dispel a few myths, as in the Da Vinci Code, but we can also meditate a bit on her closeness to Jesus. How can this be? How can this work?
It's now time for our activities to move to a gentler pace and for those involved to relax a little and appreciate the achievements of a buzzing place. We couldn't live with church life going at this pace all the time: it's a good job we don't have to. And yet it's also nice to be at a place where new initiatives happen so regularly.
The marriage preparation classes meanwhile are continuing: we've been excited at the first in the new format and couples have contributed some brilliant perspectives about what is going on as two individuals are joined together in matrimony.
Indeed, it's gone so well that we'll have a new group happening in August: I guess it's the wedding season.
And it's a nice time for allowing our faith to grow steadily. In the last two weeks, we have been reminded in the sermon of acts we can do for the Gospel: when Jesus sends out the seventy to go about Galilee and Israel, and the story of the Good Samaritan. What does it that Jesus wants us to DO?
This week, we will be celebrating one of our favourite saints, Mary Magdalene. We'll need to dispel a few myths, as in the Da Vinci Code, but we can also meditate a bit on her closeness to Jesus. How can this be? How can this work?
Monday, 9 July 2007
Summer Fayre
Come to St George's this Saturday (14th July) and bask in the fun of the traditional Church summer fair.
There's the usual bevy of stalls, food and entertainments, in the Church building and our marquee tents outside: so come rain or shine, we'll be ready to have a good time, and entertain you whether you're seven or seventy.
It starts at 11 and the fun will be coming to a close at 3pm.
Please do come. We'd love to see you and you'd also be supporting your local Church funds, for which we'd be very grateful: we have our bills to pay, just like everyone else.
As for other developments, we'll be exploring the Good Samaritan in the service on Sunday: one of THE classic parables, that always has something new to say, even though you've heard it lots of times before.
In the middle of next week, we'll also be saying farewell to the Year 6 of Christ Church primary school with a special leavers' service.
The marriage preparation course is continuing. All the couples are enjoying it, whilst finding there are important things to discuss. We meanwhile are looking forward to marrying them.
If you're interested in getting married at our Church, come to see us in our parish office hour: between 10.30am and 11.30am on Saturdays: to be honest, though, this Saturday isn't the best day to come because of the Fayre. Otherwise, there'll always be someone there.
There's the usual bevy of stalls, food and entertainments, in the Church building and our marquee tents outside: so come rain or shine, we'll be ready to have a good time, and entertain you whether you're seven or seventy.
It starts at 11 and the fun will be coming to a close at 3pm.
Please do come. We'd love to see you and you'd also be supporting your local Church funds, for which we'd be very grateful: we have our bills to pay, just like everyone else.
As for other developments, we'll be exploring the Good Samaritan in the service on Sunday: one of THE classic parables, that always has something new to say, even though you've heard it lots of times before.
In the middle of next week, we'll also be saying farewell to the Year 6 of Christ Church primary school with a special leavers' service.
The marriage preparation course is continuing. All the couples are enjoying it, whilst finding there are important things to discuss. We meanwhile are looking forward to marrying them.
If you're interested in getting married at our Church, come to see us in our parish office hour: between 10.30am and 11.30am on Saturdays: to be honest, though, this Saturday isn't the best day to come because of the Fayre. Otherwise, there'll always be someone there.
Friday, 6 July 2007
Eucharists and summer fairs
Having been ordained last week, this week Father Robert (it's me writing this!) gets the chance to preside at the eucharist for the first time. Last week was an amazing day and this will be amazing.
The eucharist is the earlist act of worship Christians ever did: we know that from Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians, c.50AD. What exactly its meaning is has been long thought over and disputed. It was a hot issue in the 1st century AD - that's why Paul had to write about it- and it was a hot issue in the Reformation. It continues to be controversial.
And yet that's also a shame because it's a uniting moment. Everyone gets to come and share from the one bread and the one cup: or that's the idea.
Only priests are authorised to preside because they are the sign that the gathering at the eucharist is not just the gathering of a small bunch of Christians in one area: it's a gathering of the whole Church throughout the world.
It's making Christ present, as he asked his Church to do, and when we are one, we are one with all those breaking the bread today, from Baghdad to Brixton, and all those through time, from the Corinthian Church in Paul's time to Forest Hill in 2007.
Mind-bending? Yes it is. Scary? A little bit. Wonderful? Certainly.
But that's enough theology. If you want to relax and have some fun, come to our summer fair next Saturday (14th). Food, entertainments. Ideal for socialising and bargain hunting and all for church funds. It promises to be an amazing day.
Fr Robert
The eucharist is the earlist act of worship Christians ever did: we know that from Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians, c.50AD. What exactly its meaning is has been long thought over and disputed. It was a hot issue in the 1st century AD - that's why Paul had to write about it- and it was a hot issue in the Reformation. It continues to be controversial.
And yet that's also a shame because it's a uniting moment. Everyone gets to come and share from the one bread and the one cup: or that's the idea.
Only priests are authorised to preside because they are the sign that the gathering at the eucharist is not just the gathering of a small bunch of Christians in one area: it's a gathering of the whole Church throughout the world.
It's making Christ present, as he asked his Church to do, and when we are one, we are one with all those breaking the bread today, from Baghdad to Brixton, and all those through time, from the Corinthian Church in Paul's time to Forest Hill in 2007.
Mind-bending? Yes it is. Scary? A little bit. Wonderful? Certainly.
But that's enough theology. If you want to relax and have some fun, come to our summer fair next Saturday (14th). Food, entertainments. Ideal for socialising and bargain hunting and all for church funds. It promises to be an amazing day.
Fr Robert
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