Songs Of Praise

The Songs Of Praise evening was a rather sweet and emotive affair.
Stand in vicar Dot, ( she of the jeans and purple hair ) was relaxed yet rather passionate about the church and village she was babysitting and started ( and ended) the evening by blessing the village and it's inhabitants. 
The simplicity and sincerity of her blessings almost moved me to tears.


The tiny  stone Church was three quarters full.
Flower Show Ann, Radio 4 Tim, The affable despot family, Mrs Trellis, Pippa from the rectory, Trendy Carol ( yellow top, snakeskin pants!!) and Gaynor the mad organist were all there and we sang a dozen or so hymns all dovetailed by asides from the vicar, who at one moment read from a piece of prose downloaded on her mobile.


Liv Randa and some of the other village Children gave readings and prayers and the vicar ended the service by explaining just how hard it was for the tiny existing congregation to keep the place going. Her acknowledgement of their struggle and for their obvious love for the institution , I think was gratefully received and again very emotional to listen to
It is rare to have a champion for middle class church Going types 
Respect 

A shakey selfie of Trendy Carol and I 

28 comments:

  1. Let us know when it airs!

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  2. The lovely altar cloth, flowers and polished candlesticks speak volumes about the way people feel about the church.
    It really is a tough gig when all the work falls to a small number, those little touches tend to fall by the wayside.

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  3. Barbara Anne3:33 am

    As our pastor in Louisville, Kentucky used to say...
    "Go in peace
    And as you are going, know this:
    By the grace of God you were brought into this world.
    By the mercy of God you have been sustained to this very moment.
    And by the love of God, fully revealed in Jesus the Christ,
    You are being redeemed, now and forevermore. Amen."
    - John Claypool

    What a lovely church.

    Hugs!

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  4. Is that the church near your home? I didn't imagine the interior to be open stones.

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  5. Very; nice. I don't know why but I thought trendy Carol was around 70 years old.

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  6. I want to see Trendy Carol's snakeskin pants!

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  7. Our church is not being used this summer, the vicar has about 6 churches to look after, and attendance was very low at this one. I suspect if you took the religion out of church going there might be attendances of a different type.

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  8. Beautiful stained glass windows.

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  9. Is that the church next to your cottage John?

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  10. Hello Trendy Carol, nice to see/meet you at last !

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  11. What a beautiful church. If the small congregation are struggling to keep it going, they could do worsethan follow the example of Yarpole in Herefordshire. When their local Post Office was threatened with closure, the community got together and with fund raising, grants and the necessary permissions, a small part of the back of the church was sectioned off, with a small community shop and Post Office and a beautiful galleried cafe with small kitchen above it. They also installed a loo on the ground floor and generally upgraded the heating for the building, with a better sealing secondary door on the inside,and a lift to the gallery. It works brilliantly and keeps the church alive. When required, the cafe tables are moved aside, bringing the floor area of the church back to what
    it was originally; it also makes a brilliant venue for concerts. How about it, Trelawnyd?

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    Replies
    1. That sounds like a wonderful use of the space. It's people that keep a church alive and this must fill the place with voices and laughter, as well as being so useful for the village.

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  12. Grrrr! How come there's no photo of Mrs Trellis?

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  13. Local lad8:46 am

    The lovely Miss America reading Mathew 13 v 1_9 surley the high light

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  14. what a gem to have right next door!

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  15. Such a beautiful space and “family.”

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  16. Thank you for including a picture of "Trendy Carol". Different, of course, than the picture I had created in my head. -Jenn

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  17. What a lovely looking old building! These places are increasingly becoming obsolete in our culture. Too bad really as they give a lot of people solace from this this harsh world of ours.

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  18. I'm not the church-going type, but old stone buildings like that are lovely. and so nice to see some of the villagers we have come to know thru your blog.

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  19. Lovely church and most wonderful meeting.
    I pictured "Trendy Carol" much like your photo with her hair flying flying as she zooms past your home in her fabulous outfits ! Thank You both for the photo.
    parsnip x

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  20. Vicar Dot sounds like she fits right in I don't go to church on a regular basis but I have been moved by a sermon now and again works for me much like therapy. words of wisdom instead of being preached at.

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  21. You always sound to have such a lovely village community John.

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