Local Events - Part 4

[smallhobbit]

This is slightly different from some of my other Local Events posts, and instead describes some of the activities my church is involved in within the community.

Firstly, last week we held a Teddy Bear's Picnic at St Margaret's, to which lots of families came.  The major attraction was the zip wire which ran from the top of the church tower to the corner of the churchyard, for teddies and other brave cuddly toys.



I took The Daughter's rabbit along, and here's Flopsy going down the zipwire:

   

And later, proudly showing off her certificate:



Meanwhile, at St George's over the summer we have been running Fun and Free afternoons, firstly after school and latterly for a longer period one afternoon a week.  Free ice creams and snacks, outdoor toys and now craft activities.  These have proved very popular with local families, and we're currently looking at what we can do in the autumn.

Of course, as a church we also have services, and again we're looking at running some of them at times and in formats which families want to come to.  (Because wouldn't it be awful if the church failed to respond to current needs!)  So we're about to start trialling a monthly afternoon service.  And the Christmas Eve service will be moving to the morning instead of the traditional 4pm.  

Naturally we also hold baptisms (I've written about them here) and weddings:

  

Lastly a copy of the record of the dedication of St Margaret's in 1315:

Comments

[friendofthejabberwock]

A zipline for stuffed animals is adorable.

[smallhobbit]

It was incredibly popular - over 80 animals went down - and some of them went round again!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Oh, my goodness. That zipline is fabulous, and you get a certificate, too.

[smallhobbit]

It was great fun, very popular, and TD was delighted her rabbit got a certificate.

[apachefirecat]

That. Is. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to be able to do a plushie zip line now!!!!

[apachefirecat]

I bet she was!!!

[adafrog]

Fun.

[therealsnape]

I admire Flopsy's courage! It's an adorable idea to have a zip line for cuddly toys - and certificates, too!

Those blue flowers are spectacular. Is that always done for weddings?

[smallhobbit]

It was very popular - even a 90 year old bear had a go.

[smallhobbit]

It was!

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. It worked so well.

Flowers at weddings are up to the families involved. These were an incredible display and many of the flowers were taken from the church to the reception after the service.

[debriswoman]

You had me at “ here’s Flopsy going down the zip wire” 😊😊

[smallhobbit]

It was good. She was wearing a little harness to hold her in place :)

[apachefirecat]

AWESOME!!

[sister_raphael]

The zipline is fantastic! I really love the church photos too and the dedication document. That's really so interesting!

[sister_raphael]

Yes! Those flowers are amazing, but what a good idea to use them at the reception too!

[smallhobbit]

The zipline was great fun and very popular. I'm delighted you found the dedication document interesting - it does seem incredible that the church has been there as a place of worship for over 700 years.

[smallhobbit]

They were expensive. The family did leave some flowers for the church as well, the rest the florist came in, dismantled and replaced in the dining room for the reception.

[rusty_armour]

Both the Teddy Bear's Picnic and the Fun and Free afternoons sound like great family events. I think it's wonderful that Flopsy was awarded a certificate for going down the zipline.

I've admitted before that I'm not religious, but I can understand how it must be both challenging and frustrating to get modern families to attend church services. I hope the afternoon services and the morning Christmas Eve service work out for St George's.

I'm impressed by that copy of the record of the dedication of St Margaret's. I think the very oldest churches in Canada might date to the 17th century -- and those would be a rarity. I think that all of oldest churches in Toronto date back to the 19th century.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you - they are both popular. We want to offer services that are suitable for families who would like to come to church - there's never any obligation to do so if they come to other activities. At the same time we hope they show we are friendly and aware of people's needs.

Yes, I always appreciate being able to go to a really old church and think of all the history it has seen.