Dear All,

The last few weeks have been incredibly busy in the life of the church. Amongst many other things the Bank Holidays have provided us with major fundraising opportunities in serving Teas and Refreshments in the Parish Hall: there has been a Book Sale: the organ recital series has begun and two professional concerts and a Talent Night have taken place in the Parish Church. None of these things 'just happen' - the church community has been working hard and the summer beckons with the hope of kicking back and 'soaking up the rays'.

In the background a major project has been underway. Working through our Church School at Green Lane the PCC, the Friends of St. Mary's and others have sponsored the 'Banner Project'. The aim of the project is to create four banners to be hung in turn in St. Margaret's Chapel to reflect the seasons of the year. Four similar banners are being created to hang in the school to create a visual link between the school and the church. Each week a committed band of adults has sat with children of all ages teaching the children how to knit and sew, how to crochet and stitch and slowly, slowly, the first fruits of hours of work are coming together. We hope to celebrate the arrival of the first banner in church later this month.

I can't help but think of the Old Testament description of the people of Israel wandering in the desert and creating the Tent of Meeting. The Tent of Meeting was a moveable place of worship, the precursor of the later Temple built in the Promised Land. We're told in the Book of Exodus (chapter 35) how the people offered their gifts toward the creation of the Tent of Meeting and how these were woven together by a team of artists. The result was no doubt magnificent but the Tent's worth lay in more than the skills used to create it for something incredible took place through the project: a disparate group of tribes started to become a united nation. The twelve tribes of Israel (descended from one father but many mothers) were bound together in this common endeavour and discovered in the process that they could unite in worship.

In our own way the collaboration and working together of young and old has been of great benefit to all. Whether in craft or serving cups of tea, standing at the sink washing pots or selling bric-a-brac and books sometimes God's work of building a people for His praise doesn't need a church service but the opportunity for all to feel involved, welcome and committed to a common endeavour.

Alec