A busy weekend at St Mary's with the fete on Saturday, and some solo singing in our Sunday Eucharist.
Saturday dawned a perfect English summers day with blue skies and a light breeze. The wind did pick up a little in the afternoon which was helpful as it would otherwise have been too hot! The traditional range of stalls, activities, the dog show, the classic cars, the runaway train were all there. The theme of the fete was '90 glorious years' and many stall holders were dressed in red white and blue to reflect the loyal theme. The fete was opened by another 90 year old, our own Deirdre Wade-Smith, who was driven to the podium in a classic Alvis car and duly declared the fete open. There followed 2 hours of hectic activity, accompanied by the Chichester City Band, and in glorious sunshine. We had more visitors than ever, aided perhaps by the presence of a sea fret or fog down in Selsey keeping people off the beach, this could be clearly seen by those who ascended the church tower, another of our attractions. Tug of war competitions were a feature of the second half of the fete, and congratulations to the City Band who won! At 4 o'clock after drawing the winning tickets for the Grand Draw, and finishing our delicious ice creams from 'Caroline's Dairy' the fete closed and the great clear up began.

Classic Cars

The ice cream van arriving

Chichester City Band preparing

The line of people waiting for the fete to open!

This morning on a warm summer's day we met at 10 am for Mattins. The readings today, from the King James version,  told the stories of Abram and Sarah meeting the three men/angels in the desert, and Mary and Martha discussing their roles with Our Lord. In his sermon Father Stephen discussed the role of hospitality in the Bible stories and in our present day life in the Church, we strive to welcome without over whelming! The story of Mary and Martha is interpreted differently than it used to be, we now see both their roles as valuable, but draw from it that we must not become so focused on tasks that we loose our spiritual connection to the Lord.

The Choir sang the Jubilate Deo in the setting by C V Stanford and The Anthem' Jesu Joy of  Man's Desiring'  setting by J S Bach.
There was coffee after the Service

Next Saturday the Fete!!! don't forget to join us between 2 and 4 at the annual Church Fete, one of the highlights of the year!



 

We met for our Parish Eucharist at 10 am on a blustery and rainy Sunday morning. The Gospel this morning, from St Luke told the story of Jesus sending out the 70 followers to proclaim the good news. In his Sermon Father Stephen extolled us to be more than personally involved with our faith, but to find our talents and use them for the church and community, not necessarily in preaching the Gospel, but that contribution that we can individually offer.
The Choir  sang 'Tantum Ergo' in the setting by Louis Vierne. There was coffee after the service, and as we left the Church the weather began to clear a little!

On the previous Thursday we had held a service of celebration for the life of our good friend Hans Florin, who died at the end of May. Hans nephew Henry Florin joined us from Germany for this service and gave a wonderful address charting Hans's life up to and including his time with us in Sidlesham. Hans contributed so much to the life of St Marys and to the village of Sidlesham, his passing to join his first wife Dorothy and his son Mark, who predecease him, is sad, but we are sure that his soul is joined with Our Lord and those he loved, and we remember him with joy.

Don't forget the Fete is approaching rapidly the 23rd of July will see the traditional Village Fete once more, the theme this year is 90 Glorious Years, so red white and blue are likely to be in abundance! Come and join us between 2 and 4 for all the stalls, competitions, the dog show, and an opportunity to go up the Church Tower for a splendid view of our surroundings! See you there!!

This morning at our Family Eucharist we celebrated Sea Sunday. Hymns were themed around the sea, the Choir sang Crossing the Bar words by Alfred Tennyson, setting by C H H Parry as the anthem.
There was coffee after the service.

This Sunday we met for our Parish Eucharist at 10 am at the end of a week in which our Country has taken a momentous decision. It was most appropriate that today the Gospel reading was the story of the Good Samaritan, and Father Stephen took up this theme in his sermon. He explained that the Samaritans were close relatives of the Jews, but had remained in Israel and intermarried with the local peoples when the majority of the children of Israel had been deported to Babylon. On their return the Samaritans were held as different and pagan, causing a dramatic split. It was however the Samaritan that came to the aid of the injured man, not the religious Jewish passers by. What a good lesson for caring and loving between people who see themselves as different!
The Choir sang Brother James' Air as the Anthem.