Baptisms coming up

It's wonderful when anyone gets baptised and takes part in the sacrament that signifies entry into the Christian community: the body of Christ, if you want to be theological.

This Sunday, we'll be baptising Brooke Maya Hearne, the eighth person to be baptised in our church this year: and we've another 17 coming up, taking us through to the middle of August.
People get baptised mostly as babies, but sometimes we have young children, with the support of their parents, and sometimes the parents themselves! (Or just adults making this commitment to follow Christ.)

If you are interested in having your child baptised ("christened" is another word for it) or want to be baptised yourself, come to our parish office in church, any Saturday from 10.30am to 11.30am.

Father Robert

Happy Easter!

It was wonderful that so many people were able to join us for our Easter services.
On Sunday morning's eucharist, we had over 300 people, which is a record for a Sunday morning at our church. Apologies if you were one of those standing at the back: we hadn't quite scaled up, and we'll have to work out better next time how to fit everyone in more comfortably.

Holy Week really takes it out of you, as much emotionally and spiritually as anything else: the joy is meaningless unless there's the Cross too.
With that in mind, I'm on annual leave for the next fortnight, so no posts here for a while, but there's still plenty happening.
We've our parish Annual General meeting next Sunday (19th) and there are weddings both on Sat 18th and Sat 25th April.

Meanwhile, we'll be making more preparations for the Chapel on the Hill now that we've a bit more time to focus more generally.

In the meantime, happy Easter to everyone.

Father Robert

PS Thanks to Jonathan for this great photo.

PPS Check out the amazing DVD of "The Land of Green Ginger" produced by Tapp enterprises. The quality of production is simply amazing, and does rather better than do us justice. It makes us better than we actually were! Available for a fiver after Church.

There are 52 weeks in a year, there's only one Holy Week

What an amazing service yesterday with our procession behind a donkey. Over 200 people were with us, carrying palm crosses.
This week coming has something for everyone.
Monday 8pm: Eucharist with Meditation
Tuesday 8pm: Eucharist with Meditation
Wednesday 12 noon & 8pm: Agape Meals. These are informal meals interspersed with a celebration of communion, led by one of the priests. Everyone is included. Come and see if you haven't been before. it's lovely and you'll be very welcome. Very moving.
Thursday 8pm: Maundy Thursday Eucharist with washing of feet . This is followed by a watch at our Easter Garden until midnight. The service starts at 8pm and recalls the Last Supper until Jesus' betrayal in the Garden at Gethsemane. Beautiful and sad too.
Friday 12 noon: (adults) Silence and readings till 2pm, then Liturgy from 2pm to 3pm This includes the ancient practice of venerating the Cross.
Friday 12.30-3.30pm: (children) Good Friday Workshop with activities. Easter based activities: making banners, Easter bonnets, painting eggs, hot cross buns etc.etc. Finishing up with a song pointing forward to Easter in the Church itself.
Saturday 8pm: Easter Eve. Service as the Easter light is brought into the church, the great readings of salvation are read ("The Vigil"), and Christ is risen. Followed by fireworks and baked potatoes.
Sunday 10am: Easter Day Eucharist. The great celebration. Christ has risen. We all gather together. Full of joy and fun (and an Easter Egg hunt afterwards.)

Even if you don't normally come to Church, this year, come and see!
Father Robert

Drawing into Holy Week: Palm Sunday soon

Now our Lent courses are drawing to an end, after some very powerful moments of discussion and prayer and we're gearing up for Holy Week.
For clergy, classically, it's a really busy time, as there are leaflets to distribute, services to prepare, books to print...
but all the time the focus has to be on the Cross and the Resurrection. Which isn't busy at all.

You're very welcome to all our Holy Week services: from Sun April 5th to Sun April 12th.
We start this coming Sunday, Palm Sunday at 10am, with our journey behind a donkey around the streets (the donkey will be residing in the vicarage garden on Saturday night!).
Then on Monday and Tuesday evening, at 8pm, there are meditative eucharists;
on Wednesday, our Agape meals, at 12 noon and 8pm;
on Thursday, Maundy Thursday, at 8pm we recall the Last Supper in a service that ends with a watch into the night, for those who wish to stay (last year, there were a dozen of us.);
on Good Friday there are options. For those who want a silent meditative time, come to church at 12 midday, and in the church part of the building, there will be a solemn service;
in the Hall, from 12.30pm, there will be fun for children in our Good Friday workshop . This is free and includes a bundle of Easter related activities. It goes on till 3 when we go into church for a short service;
on Saturday, at 8pm, we have our Easter Eve liturgy, including ancient plainsong in the Exsultet and anointing with oil; this is followed by fireworks and baked potatoes. It's a great service.
finally, on Sunday, Easter Day, at 10am, we have our celebration of the Resurrection with our first eucharist.

These services are highlights of the year, moments of occasional dread, awe and joy as we relive Jesus's last week on earth and the moment of his resurrection. Don't miss out.