Parish Away Day

"Growing Inside and Out"

The annual Away Day was set for 9th October in Aughton. I did not know what to expect but was aware of the title and the fact that it was a joint away day for both churches.

My morning started off as hectic as usual (too many things to do and not enough time). I got lost on the way there, which turned out to be a blessing, as I came upon the venue by accident, as the church I thought it was in was the wrong one. I felt stressed and if I am honest thought "I wish I hadn't agreed to come today."

It was a bring and share lunch and mum had prepared Pasta and two plates of salad as our contribution. When we arrived (stressed and late as usual) I opened the boot to find an empty plate on one side of the boot and salad everywhere. I looked at it in dismay and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Why do these things always happen to me?" I looked at mum and we both burst out into fits of laughter. Ftom then on I knew it was going to be a great day!

We signed in and were put into designated groups. Three were four sessions throughout the day and each group moved around together to complete each session.

The first session was "Creative prayer". It involved writing confessions in sand, looking at newspaper articles and praying for those in need and for myself, in various ways. I do not find prayer easy but the tools provided enabled me to focus on prayer and the opportunity to just sit and reflect provided great healig as I, like many others, do not allow time to do this in our busy lives.

Session two was a discussion as to how we have moved on since the last away day and how we can continue to move forward with our joint mission. This allowed me to hear the views of others and was extremely positive to see just how much has been achieved and how well the "work in progress" is progressing.

Session three was an opportunity to worship with the youth, as they conducted a sampler of one of their "Praise and Pizza Party" sessions. This was a breath of fresh air. It was fun, funky and yet still very moving. (I nearly cried when singing to Cliff Richard's Millennium Prayer, but some would say that Cliff has this affect on many people).The enthusiasm of the youth was inspiring and it was fun to see everyone dancing and trying to sing the tongue twisters. It has certainly made me want more and I will be attending their next session on 13th November as the adults do need to support and encourage the youth of our churches as they are an important part of our church community.

The final session was a creative art session. There were lots of materials to choose from and we had to make, draw, build lego or paint how we saw our church in the community. I am absolutely rubbish at anything creative so was a little worried about this one. However, the time flew past and before I knew it even I had managed to produce something. It was lovely to see all the other things produced and it is clear that the congregations include a lot of creative people.

The day ended with worship. I could not believe how quickly the time had passed. I really enjoyed the day and was so glad that I took one step back from the chores I usually do on a Saturday and allowed myself to spend time away from it all, with some lovely people.

I certainly did "grow inside and out" so thank you to the Clergy and all those who helped organise the day.

Jacqui Scrivens