Last Sunday was the Birth of the Church which is marked as Pentecost or Whitsun. Hence, as always, that highly significant day in the Church Calendar and Liturgy is a busy day for churches and for St Andrew's there are three separate acts of corporate worship where numerically speaking, most attend the 10am Eucharist but this is no way detracts from the equally important 8am and 6pm services. The latter is now well established as a more informal, lay-led experience and on that particular day, it was dubbed correctly as Pentecost Praise. The early morning worship is conveniently centred in our south aisle, facing the Memorial altar and this area in general is thought to be the oldest part of our parish church. In this case, Traditional Order Two follows the prescribed format derived from the Book of Common Prayer and on that occasion on the 8th June, Reverend Gail delivered her homily which again, centred upon Pentecost. The content of this brought back memories of the film Twister, where storm chasers follow at a distance the awesome journey of a tornado as it demonstrated both power and magnificence. The early apostles experienced the rush of a violent wind, the work of God, the spirit of heaven connecting with them and now with us. We are invited to allow this spirit to dwell in us. Some may wish to keep a distance, like those in the film who followed the Twister but God is at the heart of Pentecost as described in the biblical account and we today can be transformed by the Holy Spirit, an integral part of the Trinity.
Reverend Liz thanked Reverend Gail for her stay at St Andrew's and our welcome visitor goes back to other aspects of her curate's work elsewhere in our diocese.
This Saturday, 14th June, there is Coffee Shop in the Chapter House from 10 to 12. On the next day, 15th June, it is Trinity Sunday when the 10am Parish Eucharist will also include Confirmation and Admission to Holy Communion with Jane, Bishop of Hertford, officiating. Later, at Cockayne Hatley Church, there will be Taize Worship at 5:30pm. Incidentally, for anyone who is unable to attend our services in person for whatever reason, we continue to use Zoom where we have a steady following.
Our altar frontals to our Memorial Altar have been lovingly repaired by Mary and we are thankful to her for her needlework skills in this difficult job. Mary's late father was Vicar of Biggleswade in the 60's era and no doubt there are still those who recall his dedication with fondness and gratitude. Time marches on and yet again, we remind all that on the week beginning 11th August, there is Holiday Club and more information can be available on the website or by phoning the office.
On Sunday, 22nd June, the 10am Parish Eucharist will also mark Friends of St Andrew's Renewal Day. This key component of the Church Family continues to raise and provide necessary funds for the restoration and enlargement of the church fabric and their continued support continues to feature in the everyday life of St Andrew's church and for this we are all most grateful.