Harvest Festival
‘Welcome. Come on in!’
Standing near the door, a churchwarden and a member of the congregation greeted a couple visiting after the 10.30am Harvest Festival service.
’Do take a look around.’
Their eyes lifted in awe as they carefully descended the steps.
’My partner loves everything Mediaeval’
’Well, you’ve come to the right place. It’s a bit noisy just now, we’re having our Harvest Lunch - we’ve just had our Harvest Festival’
And what a Harvest Festival it had been!
The Priory looked stunning. Harvest Festival had really started on Friday, when the Flower Arrangers assembled, faces hidden behind arms filled with home-grown foliage, which was supplemented with locally-sourced blooms and the first-fruits of a talented allotmenteer’s plot. A happy morning’s ‘work’, with tea and coffee laid on, had really paid off.
On Sunday morning, after discovering the range of breakfasts enjoyed by some of the congregation (from homemade marmalade on homemade-bread-toast, via Weetabix, to leftover pea-and-bacon pasta from the night before), Peter shared the amazing work of the Farming Community Network, which supports members of the farming community to manage and thrive through difficult times.
Posies, made by the PALs, were blessed, ready to be distributed by the PALs to those who cannot make it to church at the moment, but who are in the Priory’s prayers.
As ‘Come ye thankful people, come’ filled the Priory with joyful sound, led exuberantly by the Orchestra, the congregation filled the main aisle, carrying their gifts of food, for Malvern Foodbank, to the sanctuary steps; a wonderful procession of thanks.
Rolos - both last and first - were shared with the younger members of the congregation as Adam explained the Festival of the First Fruits, where farmers brought the very first of their harvest to the Temple in Jerusalem, to give thanks and pray for the main harvest to come. In the same way God had shared God’s First Fruit, Jesus, who was the first to pass through death to eternal life. It’s a harvest that we, too, can confidently expect.
Rosemary led everyone in prayer, for the world, and especially this week for those involved in discerning God’s will as to who the next Priory Vicar should be, and for the candidates. A prayer vigil will be held from 8-8 on Tuesday - everyone’s welcome to pray throughout the day.
’Great is thy faithfulness’ ended, coffee was served in the North Aisle, and the nave was cleared ready for the Bring and Share Harvest Lunch. Rejoicing in the lack of pew plinths (remember those 4 inch trip hazards, anyone?!), stacks of chairs were shifted and tables laid out, in what seemed like record time. The freshly refreshed congregation settled at their tables for grace, then it was ‘children first’ to the tables of delicious food.
And so the Priory’s visitors, from America, found a church filled with the hum of lively conversation and an aroma of coffee and food.
’What a wonderful place. There’s so much going on’
’We’re not just history here’ said their impromptu, untrained, but enthusiastic guide ‘We’re a living church. Next year we’ll be 940 years old!’
All are welcome at the Priory - welcoming all for over 900 years.
