We had a most wonderful celebration of our parishes in St Philip’s Church on 19 November and it was great to see so many parishioners taking the time to join together. It was suggested that I print my ‘few words’ in the magazine and so you will see this printed under the heading ‘Parish Celebration’, along with a write-up from a parishioner. We had a slight technical glitch when it came to showing the parish documentary – all picture, no sound! – so we will arrange to show it again over the next few months.
Revd. Canon Gyles
On a cold, crisp morning the parishioners of Sandford and St Philip’s gathered to celebrate a special joint service on the fourth anniversary of the Parish Forum. And it really was a special service, which featured lots of participation by the children of the community reading prayers and readings. It was also a very musical service, featuring my personal favourite hymn, ‘One more step along the world I go’, strong performances by the Choral Scholars and a jubilant finale – the last public appearance of the current organ – from David of Widor’s Toccato from Symphony No 5 in F.
The service was to celebrate the faith we all share and was a great reminder of all the work that goes into the many activities that are run in the two parishes each year. The rector also unveiled a documentary on the life of the parishes put together by Transition Year pupils of Alexandra College, which looked very professional. However, due to a technical fault, the sound was very low, but Sonia’s quip about being muted five weeks into marriage made up for it! There will be an opportunity to catch the documentary again over the coming months.
The readings linked beautifully to the message of the service – that the parish is made up of many different people, each with unique skills to offer in the running of the parish. We had the opportunity to complete the survey about our involvement and sign up to the varied jobs that are needed each year.
After the extended service we were all invited back to the church hall for delicious soup, sandwiches and cake prepared by parishioners of Sandford and St Philip’s. The children ran around enjoying the hall and the outside areas and the parishioners enjoyed good food and chat with their parish friends.
Natalie Hodgess