Cornwall Day 21 (Wild Church)

 

St Michael's Mount gleamed out like an emerald today, but this picture is deceptive. It is deceptive because there are no humans or dogs in it, and in reality there are humans and dogs EVERYWHERE HERE. We are trapped, I tell you - TRAPPED! We are ensconced in the half-term holiday, and there is no escape. It doesn't help that the weather is perfect every day because that only brings in more humans-and-dogs!

Yesterday I was able to escape the crush for a while, walking up the hill to St John's in the Fields Church of England, for Wild Church. Even the walk to Wild Church is enjoyable because the further up you climb, the fewer the crowds there are. Everybody wants to be DOWN.

I turned right and saw why they called it "St John's In The Fields" long ago. It looks exactly like a huge park with a very old church set into it. When you come up for Wild Church you will almost always see children playing, biking, and cheerfully working in the raised garden beds to the side. It is a child's paradise.

Wild Church takes place in the Vicar's garden. One approaches the Vicar's garden through an opening to the right of the church. 

When you enter the doorway you are given a welcome and a sheet to help guide you through the service. Then you are directed to the tea, coffee and cake shack, a very popular spot at Wild Church. Children think it provides a smashing start to the service. This time they had vanilla cupcakes with real whipped cream and fresh strawberries on top, and a huge chocolate layer cake. 

For a while, everyone was talking, milling around, making new friends, and looking at the variety of activity tables, which were not just for the children but for everyone. Everything at Wild Church is for everyone, which makes them all feel hugely welcomed.

The Vicar's wife is a terrific lady who sings, plays instruments, writes music, keeps a Spotify playlist, and includes everyone in the whole worship experience. There was a guitar, a keyboard, microphones, and a sort of box thing that a person sits on, and keeps rhythm on it with their hands. I don't know what it is called, but it was lovely because the Vicar sat on it and played it! 

After this, the Vicar spoke to us (the theme was The Holy Spirit's coming, at Pentecost - read Acts 2:1-31 -, as it had been in the morning service where he wore his robes and his shoes. At Wild Church he didn't). Much was said about Pentecost from others in the service, and in fact everything about the time together - and the Bible readings especially - supported the theme, tying it all together in an understandable way.

You need to know something here. There were lots of children there with their families - including grandparents (three cheers!). The children were not separated into another area to do children things. They were, for the entire time, in. 

Were they quiet? Well, not the whole time. But it didn't matter because whenever they made any noise, everything just kept going on as if they weren't making noise. No one was bothered by the noisy bits. It was very sweet and very much like Jesus, who is also wonderfully welcoming to children.

the Vicar

chocolate layer cake

The bus helped. What bus? you ask? Well, there was a blue and white wooden bus whose insides is actually a slide. The little ones loved it and spent most of the service in it. I was right in the line of sight of that little bus, and thought it hilarious!

When it was time to go I was able to say, "See you next week!" Smashing. 

So you see, my next Sunday will be a lively and a busy one. Singing in the choir at one church, having cake and tea at another! And maybe I won't even wear shoes - although that might shock my grandchildren. I can hardly wait.

See you along the Way!

the SconeLady

the bus!