* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Easter season contains the whole spectrum of emotions in the Church year - we have the joyous entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the shock and fear of the betrayal of Jesus, the grief of crucifixion, joy at the resurrection on Easter Day, then maybe, the uncertainty of what you do with all this truth in the time following. We know how the events play out, and still is does not fail to move us. Part of helping us experience Easter involves the wonderful procession into the church of the congregation led by Arthur and Smithy, two placid Shetland Ponies, as we hold our palms up high, bringing to life in our small way the procession into Jerusalem. Accompanied by the reading of the Passion Gospel, it makes for a very personal.
We were
also delighted to display our Easter Gardens in church, carefully and
prayerfully made.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Gargoyles at Canterbury Cathedral
During the half term holiday, Canterbury Cathedral ran a free children’s activity making clay Gargoyles. So the two grandchildren and I set off for the day. I used my Canterbury Cathedral pass. We turned up in good time. We followed a mother and child who looked as if they knew where they were going. Sure enough there were two stone masons carving gargoyles outside the Visitor Centre. We were at the right place. We were met by a lovely Canadian lady who sat us down, showed us the tools, showed us examples, and gave us some soft clay with which to work our masterpieces. Gargoyles aren’t the prettiest of faces so we did our worst. Yes me too, I wasn’t going to miss out on the fun.
Round
the walls were colourful posters of Cathedral life, and a short
history of the times. In the adjoining theatre there was a film
running to show how gargoyles are made. It was interesting to see the
real thing in the making. I wish I had paid more attention at this
stage! It was a short film but you will understand I had one eye on
the grand children. I remember seeing the original being dipped in
lime wash. The stone mason would take a block of stone and fashion a
replica of the clay head. The stone masons showed great dexterity.
Deep groves were made to create shadow on the faces, so the details
could easily be seen from the ground below. The last task was to
drill a large hole through the mouth to act as a water spout.
Look at the picture of two identical heads. The one at the back is the original. The one at the front is the stone masons copy made with chisel and stone. Look at the finer detail, and deeper carving. The stone mason has done an amazing job.
We were then offered the chance to carve our initials on to a quoin stone to be used as a replacement on the west face of the south west tower. So we all had a go. The initial “S” requires quite an amount of dexterity to shape round the curves. Practice makes perfect. It is more difficult than you think. We were given a map to show the location of where the quoin stones will placed. A6 and A13 are our stones.
Our clay gargoyles had to be left for a period of time to dry. So we took a trip round the Cathedral. The guide on the door gave Emily a Tomb Trail leaflet showing the floor plan and items to look for. We were told about a new excavation in the Cloisters revealing the original tile flooring below the paving stones. We looked at the modern very colourful Bossanyi stained glass windows, and windows showing bible stories. We went up into the quire. We looked at the tomb of the Black Prince, and the prayer niches nearby. Have you ever noticed them? The shape of the stone absorbs the sounds of the spoken prayers of those kneeling side by side.
The children were quite keen to see the martyrdom. Kids!
We went out of the door to the cloisters and looked at the newly revealed 13th century red tile flooring, with its fleur-de-lys pattern and couldn’t leave without having a look at the modern stained glass infill at the top of the tracery window, on the far side of the cloister. It shows sheaves of wheat. It’s worth a trip round the cloister. Have you missed this tracery window?
We passed the magnificent horse statue in the grounds, on our way back from lunch and collected our gargoyles before we left for home. The team were delighted to have had a stream of 200 people a day coming in to participate in the free children’s activity.
There is so much work in progress at the Cathedral, so much going on. If you haven’t been to Canterbury Cathedral lately it is worth another visit.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
March Family Service saw the congregation again plunged into the care of Liz and Vivienne - we were thinking about journeys, and what the essential things we need in order to make them were. With the magnificent help of our young people, we decided that we needed five things - a destination, map, advice on how to use that map, a mode of transport and provisions to keep us going along the way. We then transformed our thinking into applying it to our Lenten journey, and hopefully helped both our youngsters and older ones as we grow ever closer to Easter.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
March
already, and the Saturday Service this month was thinking about Lent
- we
were thinking about how we can get away from the distractions that
fill our lives and find a little time to focus on what Lent means to
us - whether we are giving up something, taking on something new, or
simply looking to make some quiet space to have a better conversation
with God. Lent is a reflective, thoughtful time of year, and it
is easy to try and cram the impossible into those 40 days (plus
Sundays!), but forget it for the rest of the year. How about we
use this time to make new good habits that last beyond the 40
days?
For our craft activity, we made clouds that we were 'blowing away' to remind us that whatever is happening, the Son is always there, even if we can't see him.
We
also had a chance to try out our new heaters (particularly as the
main heating was off!), and they definitely made a difference!
Especially once everyone had left and we were clearing up, we
switched them off and within minutes we could feel the chill come
back. Money well spent if we can make the church a more
welcoming place to spend time.
The Epiphany visit by the Saturday Service families to Amy Temple Cottages is a great way to start the 2019 New Year - the children made seven sets of Three Kings (that's 21 Kings in total, as we were reliably informed by Henry), one set as a gift for each of the ladies - and they looked magnificent!
The seven sets of Kings and their bodyguards!
That's six years of visits we've made now, four to the new cottages
Always good to have a tall person with you!
The motley crew, and Mae was Queen for the Day, after finding the little ceramic lamb in our Galette de Rois.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The
Christingle & Nativity Service is always a highlight, and 2018's was no exception! - the
children were magnificent, with abundant angels and shepherds joining
us on the day. It's so lovely that our local families are
comfortable to simply turn up and join in - we always strive to be
open and welcoming and a truly family friendly church community. We
combine the Nativity with our Christingle service, to really focus
the time on children. After the service, we went down to the
village Christmas tree to dress it with red and gold ribbons - quite
an established tradition now! Have a look at a selection of
photos from the day below:-
Christingle candles cast a beautiful glow around the church.
Our amazing Nativity cast were a total delight, and we only had one small punch-up between the Kings (they were brothers, it's to be expected!)
Afterwards, we gathered at the village Christmas tree to adorn it with red and gold ribbons. We were without big tall Jimmy, but Henry manfully took on the challenge of getting them tied as high up the tree as possible!
To commemorate the Centenary of WW1 St Mary's West Langdon held a short service in the Church followed by planting poppy seed under the memorial tree in the Churchyard which had been planted in 2014.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
St
Margaret's Saturday Service was full of lively participants today
(November 3rd) -
our theme was Remembrance and the creation of peace after conflict,
and our youngsters (and not so youngsters!) acted it out with
enthusiasm and thoughtfulness. "In Flanders Fields",
the poem by John McCrae, was read and we created our own field of
poppies for the display board - and a magnificent job they all did.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest
Festival at St Margaret's was a joyful celebration
- with
a congregation of all ages and some lovely musical extras from our
choir and talented youngsters, we welcomed the chance to come
together and share our gifts for Dover Food Bank and the Chrlton
Drop-In Centre. In addition, the week before St Maargaret's
Primary School had been in to hold their own Harvest celebrations,
and with their gifts, those in real need this Autumn can be provided
for. The theme for both services was the importance of sharing
our resources and it was a real example of people doing just that.
St Peter's church at Westcliffe celebrated their Harvest Festival on Sunday 23rd September - despite the miserable weather, the church looked wonderful (as always) with really delightful harvest decorations.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We
can all be Superheroes!
- our June Saturday Service was all about Pentecost
and Beyond,
and we talked about how the Holy Spirit gave the Disciples that extra
strength and courage to go out and spread the Word of Jesus far and
wide, to create the worldwide church we are all part of today.
Of course, it also gave them the ability to speak many different
languages, which they thought was cool! We decided that it
turned them into Superheroes so we made our own,
with
capes of flame of the Holy Spirit, because we can all be
Superheroes! [note
- the first time I typed 'Superheroes' I actually typed
Superhorses!]
The children turned themselves into Superheores with a little help from the Holy Spirit!
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Our
Saturday Services resumed this month (May) after our Easter Break
- we were treated to glorious weather, and on a Bank Holiday weekend
too! The theme this time was Ascension, with this year falls on
Thursday 10th May. we talked about how Jesus had spent forty
days after his resurrection appearing to many people, and that he had
to return to his Father in Heaven, but would send something of
himself in place of his own physical body to be with us all, wherever
we are, for all time. He made his Disciples a promise and they
had to be patient and wait for its arrival. We decided that
being patient was a really hard thing to do, especially when you are
not quite sure what it is you are waiting for!
Our craft
carried on this theme, creating a picture with something that you
then remove, but the same thing remains - Jesus is no longer
physically with us, but the Holy Spirit remains. The children
enjoyed the unrestricted nature of this craft - they could choose the
colours, they could put as many lines on the picture as they wanted,
and they were impressed by their endeavours!
The dove was removed to leave behind - a dove!
We celebrated the birthday of the church at our Pentecost Family Service - always good to have cake!
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Oh
my! We have been busy!
- we've slept out in the Bay, had a busy Easter Craft Morning and
enjoyed a joyful Palm Sunday around the Benefice, and now we look
forward to Good Friday and the truth of Easter Sunday. Our Big
Night Out was a truly rewarding (both monetarily and personally)
experience and we are so delighted to be able to support the three
chosen charities. Fortified with a fabulous breakfast, we held
our Easter Craft Morning just a couple of hours after leaving the
sleep-out - it was lovely to see so many families come and make
Easter crafts, have time to chat and spend an easy morning while
their little ones were occupied in their little achievements as they
created their masterpieces!
Palm Sunday 2019 was celebrated
at St Mary's West Langdon and at St Margaret's, and we both had
livestock! Arthur and Smithy paraded into St Margaret's church
(and left us a little present!) and a remarkably realistic donkey was
installed at St Mary's.
The St Margaret's Palm Sunday Procession:
Meanwhile, at St Mary's...
On the 25th March 16 of us had a lovely Palm Sunday service at St Mary's, taken by Roger Broughton with familiar hymns played by Jannine Hyde and joined by an inanimate donkey which brought a smile to peoples faces and wide eyes to the two youngest members of the congregation.