News

Marriage and Love

Last Updated on Saturday, 19 March 2011 09:22 Monday, 10 January 2011 14:28

A Wonderful Day

A congregation of friends and family gathered at St Francis, Bideford to witness and affirm the marriage between parishioners Bob and Leigh.

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Pentecost – camellias and candles

Last Updated on Monday, 28 June 2010 16:47 Monday, 28 June 2010 16:38

As we have only one service per month those at St Francis can often miss major festivals. This month we transferred Pentecost a few weeks!

The day was very overcast and all agreed it was an added bonus to the service. Judith had cut beautiful camellia sasanqua flowers which matched perfectly the red, orange and hot pink candles on the altar.

The Paschal candle was processed for the last time, the light passed from it to the Pentecost candle.

As the Gifts of the Spirit were described a votive candle was lit from the large red Pentecost candle and placed into a red glass, until we had all seven gifts - knowledge, understanding, wisdom, reverence, awe, counsel and courage. The lack of light – it was so dark we had to lean toward a window to read our service sheets – made this fabulous little church glow with the warmth that only candles can produce. And if that wasn’t enough, we learned a whole lot of unaccompanied songs and chants – the Spirit surely moved in that place.

St. Francis' A.G.M. report

Last Updated on Saturday, 12 February 2011 20:26 Monday, 17 May 2010 12:46

After our service on Sunday we convened for our AGM, and morning tea, at Judith's, where as always we were handsomely treated to a wonderful morning tea.

Although our numbers were down it made for a very amiable meeting, giving us the opportunity not only to cover a range of topics in good depth, but to vote absent people into positions of responsibility!

Plans were discussed as to the next phase of cleaning and restoring this fabulous little church. Monies for this being 'earned' by weddings and burial plots.

A good discussion was held about how we could provide pastoral care for locals and how new comers to the district could be welcomed.

Services with a special theme were suggested and these will now be talked through and diaried into the monthly services we hold.

Being on the Masterton Parish website was another topic raised with the realities of poor internet connections in this part of the Wairarapa.

Full of scones, raspberry jam and coffee the meeting finished with farewells to the duckshooters who had wandered through, the new puppy Marge and to our affable hostess. Wonderful.

P.S. Who took the minutes?