Thoughts on some of our Mission Week events....

Songs of Praise We attended the Songs of Praise service to mark the beginning of our mission week, and must say a big 'thank you' to all those concerned in making this a most enjoyable evening.

The hymns chosen were in keeping with the old church and the new and therefore enjoyed by all the family, yopung and old alike. Thank you again, and we hope we can enjoy another Songs of Praise in the near future. Mary and Kath

St James Garden Party We had a great afternoon at St James Garden Party. There was a lot going on; there were things for all ages - even a safe area for the young children with toys and a slide. Most of the people had a go at throowing the wet sponge at the vicar and curate. Most got a bull's eye and the unfortunate clergy got soaking wet! AAHHH! Good job it was a sunny day! here were drinks and cakes (We had one cake too many!) Yes it was a great afternoon for all. John and Elaine

Parish Walk On Wednesday evening we all met at church to start our walk through the countryside. We set out across fields of Rose Cleggs farm; the open views were wonderful. As we carried on past the farmhouse and down the lanes it was quiet and peaceful, with only the sounds of animals, birds and our chatter to break the silence.

We passed Jenkinson's and Wolstenholme's farms and ended up at John and Dyllis's farm where we enjoyed a short break and an ice-cream. We continued through the fields and past the lake, when suddenly wilds geese flew up from the field. What a sight! As we walked on we spotted a hedgehog snuggling in the grass.

We continued back down the lanes and across foields, realising how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful place. Lorna and Ron

Teddy Bears Picnic On Wednesday about a dozen children from Stalmine Playgroup, along with all their helpers, arrived at church, armed with their teddies, to enjoy a short service and a Teddy Bears Picnic.

It all started with the story 'We're going on a bear hunt' sung with lots of actions, followed by the story of the Lost Sheep. This led us nicely into our own lost teddy hunt. The children easily managed to find 9 bears but after several checks one poor bear was missing! Where could he be? Eventually he was found in the creche reading a story about bears to himself! This was no ordinary bear but a life sized teddy bear, who had paid us a visit! The children were both amazed and fascinated. He was taken outside to the Outdoor Play Area, where he enjoyed his picnic of ice cream and biscuits with all the children. The children were sad he had to leave, but he was very busy visiting all the other children in churches having a Teddy Bears Picnic.

A wonderful time was had by all and the children left church excited and ready for their next visit. This will be at Christmas when hopefully another special visitor will be able to greet the children. Please come and join us at these very informal services for the under 5's, we will be thrilled to see you and the children really do have a great time. Elaine D.

St James Coffee Shop It was a terrible day - raining heavily - would anyone come out in such bad weather? Would anyone bring any cakes? Those thoughts were going through my mind early Thursday morning. Why did I worry!

When I arrived at church the kitchen worktops were full of cakes and scones, buns and slices. It all looked so yummy! (Are you allowed to have a slice of chocolate cake for breakfast?) But we still had the weathewr to contend with. Surely no-one would want to get wet through for a cup of coffee, a cream scone and a bit of a chat? But this is Stalmine we're talking about!

At 10.30 on the dot (well almost) in you came! The kitchen girls (and boys) were rushed off their feet. The front of house cake slicer and server had to help people decide which goodies to try.

Did you miss out on the first St James Coffee Shop? Never mind - the good news is - it wasn't just a one off event - we open EVERY Thursday from 10.30 to 11.30am. Do pop in sometime and help us to eat some of those yummy cakes! Judith

Stalmine School Leavers Service All the school attended this special service.

Reverend Dyllis gave us a talk about moving on, especially Year 6 moving to High School which brings excitement, new friends and a new uniform. Reverend George talked about how we should try new things, like trying dog food to eat. Reverends Dyllis and George tried it and enjoyed it so much, they offered it to others but no-one would try it. It was very funny and everyone kept saying "no, don't try it". Of course it wasn't dog food but a Mars Bar cut up into small pieces.

To finish off we had prayers and sing songs, 'moving on up' and 'you're the one'. All the children enjoyed the service and so did I. Lisa Mary Jenkinson