Holiday Club, Barbecue and chats with the Vicars Wife!

This week our Church has operated a children's club. Apparantly they do it every year but this is the first year we have been with this Church. Joshua and Christina went along and had good fun. Joshua acted as Chief photographer the days he was there. Unfortunately Hospital appointments and transport issues meant they missed Thursday but they went the rest of the week and enjoyed it.

Friday night there was prize giving and a barbecue. It is a risk you take as a Church, inviting families of kids who have attended a special event to a service and barbecue in an evening. No-one can be sure how many will turn up. You can ask them at the door and get an idea of who intends to come but actually who walks through the door to a service at the allotted time remains a mystery until they arrive!

I got a text from the Vicars Wife! (Ok my mate Sue who happens to be Married to the Minister of our Church...) 90 people have said they are coming plus Church members who will come in unknown quantities! Please pray, it is fantastic but we are a little overwhelmed. I rang back to offer the contents of my freezer but they were off shopping! So I prayed! WOW 90 that is fantastic!

So the evening approached and we all headed off to the celebration! Well not quite all of us, Joshua had gone off at lunch time to a Young Carers residential activity weekend. Rosie was in Respite. This absence of number one daughter meant I could actually offer some help, so, arriving at Church, David headed off to ensure his camera was set for white balance and exposure! I headed to the kitchen to attack some tomatoes and bread rolls!

Meanwhile folk started to arrive...giving David opportunity to test out his shots!

The Service started a little late...the barbecues were a little reluctant to burn so it was maybe 10 past 6 before Nick headed for the Pulpit! It was a noisy service....a Church full of youngsters keen to show their appreciation for a week of activities and new things learnt. I love our Minister he is never put off by the noise and activity of the children and just talks over them. He did make an effort to bring calm for prayer time, and they did respond.

They children took great delight in singing to us...Who is the King of the Jungle? With actions and extra sound effects.

They wanted us to sing it too!

The prize giving was done with a minor panic as there were more children than prizes...Iris never to be outdone had spares and was able to ensure every child went off with a prize bag and sweets and their younger siblings all went home clutching a soft toy.

Eve was happily clutching a Soft Lion...tightly clutching, and was not going to let that go for anything or anyone!

The Children then demonstrated their memories with a mammoth memory verse. Romans Chapter 8 verses 38-39

So we eventually moved off to the Church Garden...(driveway that had been turned into a dining area) To drink tea and coffee and munch on burgers and sausages and salad. Also to chat and share and generally get to know people. I met a lovely man I hadnt met before who used to be an English teacher. He shared some of his memories of teaching 15+ English at a notorious school in Cambridgeshire. We laughed a lot! I learnt at the end of the evening that he was the father of one of the young men of the Church.

Somehow, in the midst of the fun and laughter and getting to know you....the Vicars wife and I managed to have an hillarious conversation.....about Knickers!

Adrian Plas springs to mind! Well it does now courtesy of Tia's memory which is better than mine!

Thank You Lord for bringing me into the fellowship of such a loving and laughing Church!

Tina