Home

From the Vicar

Gold line spacer

Menu

 

When I was a curate, Bill and Amy were two pillars of one of my village churches - and lovely pillars they were! Bill had lived in the village all his life, and told me that when he was a child the Parson was also the Squire. Bill commented, "If you weren't in church on Sunday, you weren't in work on Monday. It was as simple as that. At least these days, we go to church because we want to."

Bill would go to Morning Service with his family, and would then be sent, with his brothers and sisters, to Sunday School in the afternoon. "How did your parents persuade you to go?" I asked. "Two reasons," said Bill. "Sunday School was the most exciting thing to do - there was nothing else. And there were seven of us in a two-bedroomed cottage. Sunday School meant Mum and Dad got some time together - alone. Perhaps I exist because of Sunday School." I hadn't got an answer to that!

There is nothing new under the sun, and we are going back to an afternoon Sunday School - but these days it needs a catchy name: 'Ponteland Penguins'. Why Penguins? Because half the group wanted a name that related to animals or birds, while the other half wanted a name that related to chocolate! We will meet in Church from 4 to 5 p.m. on the second, third and fourth Sundays of each month, starting on Sunday 12th September. Each meeting will start with a short service - a bit like Our Service - followed by craft, music, drama and games. We will cater for any youngsters, of whatever age, who turn up, and we plan to have the kettle permanently on for any parents who wish to stay. We would welcome any church folk who'd like to come and help, and we would value your prayers, please.

It is no longer the case that Sunday School is the only thing to do on a Sunday; these days we compete with all sorts of activities, and our children live very busy lives. We therefore have to work on our publicity. Posters went into all the schools at the end of last term (Darras Hall First School photocopied the posters and sent one home with every child). All the youngsters who come to Holiday Club will get information, and we'll do another blitz in the schools in the first week of term. Visits to Mums & Toddlers and to the Brownies are already booked in my diary, and we'll use the databases we've built up over the last few years to invite all our Baptism families.

Heritage Open Days will be held on the same weekend, 11-12th September. We're using the national scheme, which has been organised to enable people to visit Heritage properties, to get the message across that our churches are worth visiting - and not 'just' as Heritage properties! If you meet visitors who have come to either church, whether for the services or just to have a look round, please welcome them.

Then, 26th September is 'Back to Church' Sunday. Once again, Maureen in the Office and I will use our databases. We'll send an invitation to those couples we've already married or we're soon to be marrying; we'll send an invitation to those people who have attended our churches for a funeral. And, while we're at it, we'll include some publicity for the two Sundays of Harvest coming up in October: a Harvest Family Service on Sunday 3rd October (preceded on Saturday 2nd at 6.30 p.m. by a Harvest Festival for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution; all are welcome to join the farming community for this special service and for a ceilidh in the Church Hall afterwards), and a Harvest Communion and lunch with Sandra and Eric Read on Sunday 10th October.

But please don't leave it all to Maureen and me! There is publicity material available for you all to take and use. Is there a family in your street who might enjoy the Penguins? Please tell them about it. And why not invite someone to come to church with you on 'Back to Church' or the Harvest Sundays?

Reverend Peter Barham, Vicar of PontelandPeter vicar@pontelandstmary.org.uk

 

 

Back

Gold line spacer

Next

Acknowledgements

Reverend Peter Barham vicar@pontelandstmary.org.uk