Bowling down the aisle and doughnuts in the side chapel

Well I was nearly felled at the first post in my quest for fun. I have succumbed to the dreaded cold, complete with sore throat and runny nose. I complained last year about the lack of hanky users in school and I see that it was exactly the same week into term that THE COLD struck last year. After a long (but not hot) summer with rest and fresh air and well away from snotty germs, it seems that the body's defence mechanism can't cope with a mass attack from marauding children. (ok, so the children don't maraud - but I'm sure their bugs do!) 

Despite sniffles,I was able to visit our church's new take on Harvest.This festival was seen as an opportunity to outreach into the community by running a Harvest Fun Day. A team from the church organised an assortment of games and fun activities to get the local community to come into the church and have a bit of fun, at minimal cost. The sun shone and quite a number of people wandered up the hill for a non threatening encounter with the church and free apple pie! 

A closed church door can be a huge barrier to people who have never been inside the church or have given up attending. There is the unknown on the other side and, in many people's minds, no real reason to explore what goes on on the other side. So a day like this means that the community can see that this is a church that doesn't take itself too seriously all the time. The Curate was a shining example of this and threw himself into the activities with gusto!

There were lunches and teas available in the hall and free apple pie in the church. People lingered over their ploughman's lunch or pasty. They chattered with others while enjoying their tea and cake. It was lovely to see such  a wide age range all having fun together. This first event was the result of a lot of hard work from a determined group of people and their hard work was rewarded. I hope that this will become a regular event for this church.