A Confirmation service to remember

 Saturday 7th November was the date set for Richard, Heather and Mercedes to be confirmed  at
Salisbury Cathedral during the Baptism and Confirmation service in All Saintstide. Friends and family arrived for a rehearsal and in time to see the Cathedral 'glowing' from the setting sun. We were given a very warm welcome by the Dean and then candidates and their sponsors started their rehearsal while the rest of us went off for tea, a viewing of the Magna Carta and a little explanation about the service and what would be happening. We then all met up again and there was an expectant buzz about the place.
The service began in darkness and with a reading from Isaiah 43:1-3a,6b-7. We all sang the Taize chant 'Veni sancta Spiritus' as Genesis1:1-3 was read. It was all very atmospheric. After the candidates for baptism and confirmation were presented, they moved to the magnificent font where the baptisms took place. Everyone then moved on towards the spire crossing where those to be confirmed were presented to one of the three bishops.The congregation was encouraged to move through the cathedral with the clergy and candidates.

At the end of the service the west end doors were opened and everyone followed the Bishops outside onto the steps of the cathedral. The night was clear and dry and there were distant fireworks exploding into the sky. Here we were able to group with all the people who had come to support from the Benefice - what a great turn out!

I think everyone would agree it had been a wonderful service.

 

 One added bonus - Alan and I, Richard and Tina - were some of the last to leave through the open West Doors - it was awesome to stand in the empty cathedral!

 



Link To Hope Christmas Boxes!

Link to hope Christmas boxes

166 boxes!!

On Tuesday the South Aisle in St James was a hive of activity with people filling, packing and wrapping the shoe boxes that will be sent to deprived families in the Eastern Bloc.

A huge ‘thank you’ to all those generous people who responded to our pleas for toys for children, hats and gloves to keep people warm and treats for everyone. Thanks too your donations of money that enables the charity to deliver the gifts.

Well done to everyone involved

Paula K

 







'Nigella' of the kitchen (Paula K checking the soup for lunch)

 

 ---  From this to this  ---

 

Alan learning the ropes!




All ready to go!

 

Read more about Link to Hope HERE

 

 

A View from the Tower - Milton Abbas

Wow! Photographs of Milton Abbas from visiting photographer Marc Bryans, who called in to the Coffee Stop to ask if he could take a photograph from the church tower. He e mailed us the results - one from the tower and one from ground level.

Another joyful baptism in the Benefice

There have been quite a number of baptisms in the Benefice this Autumn. This Sunday it was Kai's turn to be baptised in the  Morning Worship service at St Mary's Church, Winterborne Whitechurch. Rev Alan managed to distract Kai long enough from the play corner to baptised him at the font, surrounded by friends and family.
Baptisms are such happy occasions and it is a joy to be able to celebrate the start of a Christian journey in our morning services. Sometimes this may mean a little more noise than we are used to in church or a few more people filling the church - but it means that we can share this very special time - together. We always add when a service includes a baptism on our weekly church service rotas in the Pews News. If you are thinking about baptism ( you can be any age) - why not come to one of those services and see how it fits into our morning services? We would love to see you!

Harvest Breakfast.

Do join Winterborne Whitechurch for a harvest breakfast before the harvest service. Just think - Sunday breakfast cooked for you! It will be followed by a family friendly harvest service and it would be so good to see the church buzzing!

Loaves for the Harvest service at Clenston

        A Harvest Service with two harvest loaves made by two different 'Lorries'! The loaves for Clenston's harvest service were made by  Lorrie - and Laurence and his elder sister, Izzy. They were placed on either side of the cross in church. Lorrie makes her beautiful traditional harvest loaf to be shared with different care communities later in the week. Laury and Izzy's bread will be frozen and used again for another harvest service. During the service, Rev'd Alan told us why these loaves had become a traditional part of a harvest celebration.
 

The ancient Celtic world gave thanks as the harvest began to be brought in, and the first bread from the first flour from the first wheat was baked. The first day of August was the date of their festival, and the first Saxon Christians simply took it over and renamed it ‘loaf mass’, which in time became ‘Lammas’. Lammas was celebrated until the Industrial Revolution began to drive a cast-iron wedge between the people and the land and its ancient rhythms.

Gradually Lammas, like Plough Sunday and Rogation, began to die out except in the most rural communities, and no longer were the first harvest loaves brought to church at Lammas-tide to be offered on the altar as a thanksgiving for the first fruits of the harvest. 
A priest of the Church of England, Robert Hawker, revived something of the ancient Lammas tradition in his little parish of Morwenstow in Cornwall. Hawker was a highly colourful figure in more senses than one. He dressed in a deep red coloured coat, a blue fisherman’s jersey, long sea-boots, a pink brimless hat and a poncho made from a yellow horse blanket.
In 1843 he introduced the first ever Harvest Festival service, inviting his parishioners to give thanks to God for a plentiful yield from the land. He moved the service from the traditional beginning of harvest, 1^st August, to its end – 1^st October, which is why Harvest Festival is now always at either the end of September or the beginning of October.
From that remote Cornish parish the custom rapidly spread until nearly every church of nearly every denomination in nearly every part of the country had to have its harvest festival.  
And still the harvest loaf is an essential part of it all. It is ornamental rather than functional. But it is still a reminder of the centrality of bread to so many cultures, and our reliance upon it.

 Laury and Izzy spent Saturday afternoon at The Rectory learning how to make a harvest loaf. But first, they had to learn to make hedgehogs by shaping the dough and cutting the spines with scissors. While these baked in the oven, we set about making the harvest loaf complete with mouse.  There was a lot of concentration and hard work  (and quite a lot of fun!) It is lovely to be able to share these skills and hopefully we will have a few more people ready to make the harvest loaf - or loaves, for our harvest festivals next year!



Harvest at Winterborne Stickland

 St Mary's Church, Winterborne Stickland, held their Harvest Service today followed by an excellent Harvest Lunch in the Pamela Hambro Hall. The harvest loaf had been prepared the day before at the rectory  - with two new recruits learning the skills - ready for next year!
Our Harvest service was lead by the Reverend Sue Litchfield and with so many people, we were almost able to raise the roof with our singing. The church always looks its best at Harvest and the flowers were wonderful - with every window ledge brimming with flowers.
More people joined us for lunch and the hall was full. The harvest loaf was auctioned and went to a mystery telephone bidder for £20 who then kindly donated the loaf towards the meal. So it was sliced and added to wonderful selection of food.


Thank you to all who helped prepare or serve the food or who decorated the church or laid the hall out so beautifully - you all helped make this a very happy harvest in Winterborne Stickland