Back to School?

When I was a child, Sunday evenings were always pretty glum affairs. For some reason the stress levels seemed to rise as preparations were made for going back to school. We really were one of those households where pencils were sharpened and a compulsory hair wash was a feature of bathtime. Perhaps it was something to do with being one of four children and part of the way that my mother could manage to get everything (and everyone) ready and organised. But I used to hate it! It didn’t mean that I didn’t like going to school – I did. But I didn’t like the preparations. And the end of the summer holidays was even worse. A trip to the shoe shops of Street in Somerset to the factory outlets for four pairs of school shoes, four pairs of black plimsolls and then on to somewhere else for shirts, trousers, pullovers and everything else that we’d outgrown in the past six weeks. So my heart goes out to the children of the village as they wend their way back to school after a long and lazy summer break. It can feel hard.

But all of this will soon be forgotten in the excitement of new classrooms, new teachers, feeling a little older, the opportunities and experiences of busy school life and a new term. The Junior School and the Infant and Nursery School both had Ofsted inspections in the summer term and both came through with flying colours. And there is St Luke’s School also. We’re so fortunate to have such great schools here in our village and the opportunities for our young people to learn and to grow and mature.

September can feel like back to school for the church as well. After the summer break our groups resume and people re-emerge from holidays to get stuck back into the business of church life. We’re fortunate to have our Patronal Festival, our church birthday, at the beginning of September each year. It gives us a chance to gather together with friends in our community to celebrate the past year and to look forward to all that lies ahead in terms of ministry and opportunities and service. This year we’ll be focussing on our links with Africa – with a visiting priest from Ghana, African drumming, an African influenced Jazz band and lots to do for the whole family in the afternoon. See below – we’d love to see you here.

Just like going back to school, getting back to church gives us a chance to understand a bit more and to learn and to grow in our faith. We may feel a little apprehensive about it all, but be assured of a very warm welcome and a chance to explore what our lives are all about. The answer to the meaning of life is not 42! It’s something more rewarding and important than that and I hope you’ll come and learn with us about the meaning of God’s love for every one of us.

Will