well that was an interesting week… someone for Spiritual Direction on Monday- thankfully they were very cheerful and reasonably happy with how things were going! Tuesday morning is our normal Ministry Team meeting here in Redruth which seems doubly important in this time of transition when looking after our curate and each other as the work-load increases. I also had a Wardens Group meeting which discussed amongst other things the final details for the service on Saturday so I crept off into the Curate’s study and logged into ZOOM for an hour before rejoining the original meeting. Thankfully there were still some biscuits! In the afternoon I met with one of our ‘retired clergy’ to plan the informal harvest service for two churches- but that will keep for the moment- but that is what the picture is for.
Wednesday and Thursday were two full one days with a lovely group of people who were inspiring and engaging – but it made me think so hard that my brain was exhausted and I need my Friday morning to catch up on the emails for the week, safeguarding requests and so on. Saturday of course was the Readers service and what a joy that was!
The new precentor Sue Wallace brough a breath of fresh air – almost flying in to the canon’s vestry where I was chatting to the brand new Readers about to be licenced. She managed to smile through most of the organisation over the next couple of hours and I made a point of thanking her afterwards not just for me but for the readers as a body.
Having had such a busy week I had little time to prepare anything particularly new for the two harvest services this morning so I wet for my trusty harvest assembly kit of some paper plates and 21 or so plastic cups. its an all action give the cups out to various groups around the church and see how the worlds resources are shared… and then linking that with the gospel about the rich man and building barns….
They all seemed to love the idea and the activity and even the sermon…. but Redruth Town has ‘banned single use plastic’ and we have a Creation Care crusader who I knew would take me to task. It cut no ice that I said that if I replaced the cups with others I would have to throw these away and that would contribute to the plastic waste. The discussion was curtailed by having to go off to harvest number two…. but it made me ponder about the things that keep us from God’s view of things.
Jason, our assisting minister took a couple of photographs during rehearsals beforehand which he posted on social media. I peered at the blue scarved figure deep in conversation with Canon Paul and Bishop Hugh and mused about how old he looked…. then I realised it was me.
More About the Reader Celebration
It was wonderful to catch up with folk I had not seen for some time and to hear about answered prayers.
It was also wonderful to see Readers who I had known since they began training preaching, leading the prayers and reading- apart from Deryck that is who after 57 years of Reader Ministry is hanging up his scarf. How fabulous to hear him read the gospel as a last part of that ministry.
More about the service when I get the official photographs.