Births, marriage and death

Sunday 4th November 2018

On Saturday I was conducting a wedding.  On Sunday we had the baptism of two babies, cousins, with a congregation of 107 adults and 22 children.  (The Church of England is supposed to keep accurate records!)  The service included an activity which involved making a "Baptingle" and was followed by a quiet Communion service.  In the evening we celebrated All Saints' Sunday and lit candles in memory of the Departed. 

     All this involves constant work behind the scenes to alter the atmosphere of the church building.  The subtleties may go consciously unnoticed, but when the white and gold celebratory altar frontal is replaced by a red one [white for a wedding  and red for Remembrance], everyone picks up the mood.  It's one of the reasons why people appreciate a funeral in a church where all the most important stages of life have been marked for hundreds of years.