Crowds Flock to 2005 May Fair!
Well it didn't rain! I thought I'd start with the obvious. This
year's May Fair was an unprecedented success. We estimate that
we had crowds in excess of 2,500 people attending our main fund
raising event of the year. What's more they spent more of their
money than ever before! The final total is expected to be approximately
£11,700 - a record by a staggering £3,000.
We had queues for everything, which was the only complaint I
have heard. After last year, to be honest it was music to our
ears. We will of course try to cope better in years to come but
if we commit too much and it rains profits will disappear.
Our list of high earning stalls/ventures included all the old
favourites:
Advertising/Sponsorship £3,839
Grand Draw £1,574
Plants £1,320
White Elephant £818
Teas £446
Cakes £324
Hot Dogs £378
Beer Tent £420
Books £478
As always with the Fair there are loads of people to say thank
you to. Thanks to all the helpers on the day. I know some of
you were working very hard and the results show that it was all
worth it. Your support is the only way we make it all possible.
All the people who donated items for sale, the Scouts who, as
always, came up trumps with even more kit and helpers than normal
and put on a great assault course (which has already been discussed
for next year!) and, of course, I must not forget those long
suffering members of the May Fair Committee. Special thanks to
NGL golf who have, over the last years, helped to transform this
event with the loan of their equipment.
This year, unlike last, all our attractions turned up - apart
from the mini footy players. The guys from New Era improvised
well by pulling volunteers from the audience. Jayne Coleman's
dancers looked fantastic in the sunshine and the Scouts put on
a good performance as always. This year we had the added attraction
of Key Window's roboteers from Team Scorpion. All afternoon the
Morgan Rec resounded to the noise of scraping metal and bashed
Perspex. It was an attraction which we will find difficult to
match in future years - especially as it didn't cost anything.
If anyone has ideas of what to do next year please talk to me
soon as we will book attractions in the near future.
We were superbly supported by national and local companies, charities
and attractions. I hope you will be able to support them as they
have us.
Finally, we have had a number of balloon race tickets back -
the furthest balloon at the moment made it to Sweden!
The May Fair committee is now having a well earned rest but will
be back in full swing in December/January. I have heard there
is gossip going round and some people are beginning to think
all we do on this committee is enjoy ourselves - well if you
want to really see what goes on then you'll have to come along
and join the party - just give me a call.
Ian Williamson
"Help,
Hooray, Crackle, crackle,
crackle or OoooOH"
Where would you have been on Sunday 22nd May to hear the above
at various points in a bible reading? Answer: The united Christian
Aid Service.
About 200 people of all ages gathered in the CofE School for
a joyful act of worship to mark Christian Aid Week. The leader,
Nick Nicholls, the Baptist minister led the "interactive"
bible reading, mentioned above, which was the account the day
of Pentecost from the Acts of the Apostles and which really brought
that story home in a new way.
Christian Aid's slogan is We believe in life before death and
this year the particular emphasis is on Make Poverty History.
In our Crowthorne service the speaker from St Sebastian's, Ann
Potts had just returned from the Mityana Diocese of Uganda and
as she talked she brought to life the plight of the people of
that desperately poor country with slides illustrating her talk.
There was a picture of the women and children carrying water
from the local well, and another picture showing just how impure
that water is.
AIDs is a terrible problem in that part of the world and Ann
told stories of frail old people left to care for the child survivors
of parents who have died of the disease. She also told us about
two small orphan boys scratching a living in the bush. The smaller
boy was twitching and when asked why he was twitching, the visitor
was told that it was because he was so hungry. There was a tomato
on the table in the hut and so the visitor asked why he didn't
eat that. The older boy replied, because that's for tomorrow.
The service, which was punctuated by some up-beat songs were
accompanied by a group from the Baptist Church and in the final
song from South Africa, We are marching in the light of God,
it was really hard to stand still.
It was a real joy to worship with our brothers and sisters from
the other Crowthorne churches and I do pray that the service
will have inspired us through the Holy Spirit to work to make
poverty history.
Hazel Berry |
FAREWELL BRIAN &
PAT
Brian will be holding
a non-eucharistic Farewell Service at 6.30 pm on Sunday June
26th, his last Sunday in the Parish. Everyone will be welcome.
Brian and Pat also hope to be able to invite all the groups in
Crowthorne with which they have been involved. There will be
refreshment afterwards. We offer our thanks and best wishes
to Brian and Pat.
6.30 pm, Sunday June 26th |
Patronal Festival and Summer Buffet
The Patronal Festival will be on Sunday 19th June. Our guest
(and preacher) will be the Bishop of Gloucester, Right Rev Michael
Perham. (an ordinand from Crowthorne from the time of Michael
Campling!).
The Summer Buffet will be held at noon in the Vicarage garden.
Tickets, £6 per person, £12 a family will be available
in June. Please bring rugs or chairs to sit on.
Diary date:
The Archdeacon, Venerable Norman Russell will visit and preach
St John's on Sunday 3rd July.
This month our meeting on Tuesday 7th June at 8pm is our Annual
General Meeting. Following a short business meeting (when the
committee for the year ahead is appointed) there will be a talk
by Mrs Pennie Kennedy, MU Project Development Officer. Our outing
this year is on Wednesday June 8th. Following lunch at The Little
Angel in Henley a visit has been arranged to Greys Court a National
Trust property also in Henley. Those of you who have put your
names down for this outing will be hearing from your driver shortly.
On the 14th June it is the annual Wave of Prayer. This will take
place in the Lady Chapel and Crowthorne have been allocated from
12.05pm to 12.40pm. Please join in if you can, if not at Church,
then at home as per the leaflet recently delivered to you. Our
Prayer Meeting is on Monday June 20th at 9.30am and Corporate
Communion is on Wednesday 22nd June at 10am, both in the Lady
Chapel.
WITH TRUMPETS
ALSO AND SHAWMS*
If you were in church at 10 o'clock Pentecost service you will
have heard something unusual and beautiful. It was our first
experiment using instrumental music as well as voices; an interlude
on the saxophone accompanying a prayer to the Holy Spirit to
enlighten our hearts. It was written by Margaret Rizza, a former
operatic singer who has performed at many of the world's leading
operatic venues. She now devotes much of her time to creating
music that will help prayer and contemplation. She uses a varying
number of voices, highlighted by different colours of instruments
- "all facets of God's life, love and beauty being revealed
through our musical gifts" We plan to sing more of these
lovely pieces of music at communion and pray that the music will
be a preparation for prayer for those who sing and those who
listen.
We are looking for those who play instruments, about Grade 3
upwards. In particular we would like to know of players of flute,
oboe and violin. But music is available for other instruments.
Please speak to Maggie or myself if you would like to help. Shawm
players can also be found parts!
By the way, Please tell us what sort of hymns/worship songs you
find most helpful at communion time and do join in with the ones
that are in the book. The numbers are always on the R. H. hymn
board.
* see Psalm 98:7 (Prayer Book Psalter)
PET SERVICE
Pathfinders held a second Pet Service on May 15th at 3pm. This
was an equal success to last year's and was well attended by
both owners and pets. The service was lively (including renditions
from Spike Milligan and Flanders & Swann) and the pets were
blessed.
This was followed by tea, cakes and pet competitions.
Church Spring Clean:
Our thanks to all those who laboured so hard on 14th May to give
the Church its belated heavy spring clean.
Praying for Streets
In June we shall pray for:
5th Upper Broadmoor Road
12th New Road, Oak Lodge and Nugee Court
19th Linkway and Coppice Gardens
26th Waterloo Road, Pinefields Close and Barracane Drive
3rd July Church St, St Johns Street and Church Road West
We need volunteers who can help deliver leaflets in their area. |
