Easter 2012 - Footsteps

Chearsley children, followed in the Footsteps of Jesus, acting out his last days.

 Follow the man with the water jar

 to the upper room to share the last supper

 

 Jesus washed the disciples feet to show that he came to serve, not be served

 A traditional Passover meal

 Breaking bread - this is my body broken for you

 Sharing wine - this is my blood, shed for you

Jesus was arrested while praying in the garden of Gethsemane

and was taken to the high priest's house

 

Peter was watching from the courtyard, but denied that he knew Jesus

 Then Jesus was taken to Pilate

 who washed his hands of him

 Simon helped carry Jesus' cross

 Jesus was crucified

Our Easter Garden

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11-17 March 2012 - Soul Spark

Soul Spark took place in Chearsley Church from 11-17 March and many people from the village visited it and felt their spirits uplifted or their hearts touched. The church was lit, warm and quiet choral music filled the space. There were a series of interactive ‘stations’ set out in the church concerned with life experiences and the journey of faith. They included the world of nature, hopes and dreams, forgiveness, remembrance of those who had died, Jesus the Light of the world, Jesus’ story of the son who came home and the love of the father, a ‘family tree’ with leaves on which to write the names of children you wished to pray for, bubbles to blow for all that made you feel happy in life, the world about us - moving beads to areas of the world for which you feel concern and a corner ‘nest’ in which to be still before God. Participants were invited to write their comments in a book and they included

“It was uplifting”
“I found it to be a very moving experience”;
“time to reflect on my life”;
“inspiring”;
“an answer to prayer”

They also included several requests to repeat the experience, so if you missed it this time, maybe something similar will be offered at a later date.

Sharon Sampson

18 Aug 2011 - Footsteps 2011

On Wednesday 18th August, 35 children and their parents had a wonderful day at the annual Footsteps day in Chearsley. They painted, stuck, sewed, tye dyed, constructed, acted, watched, ate and danced the day away whilst learning some of the stories that Jesus told.

They decorated plant pots and sowed a runner bean then watched a shadow play of the parable of the sower. After a picnic lunch in the sunshine they split into age groups to explore some more of the stories.

The youngest group made sheep and acted out the parable of the lost sheep complete with Barbie's Ken dressed up in shepherd gear! Then they searched for the Lost Coin, all the more fun because these coins were made of chocolate and they could eat them once they had found them! The middle age group built wise and foolish houses on rock and sand and then used water guns to try and destroy them. The oldest children went on a treasure hunt around the village to find the Pearl of Great Price which was hidden away in the bell tower of the church. The children loved climbing the 600 year old stone steps, something they had never done before.

At then end of the day, we all got back together again to share our stories. Two little girls Alice and Olive from the 2-3 year old group, beautifully re-enacted the story of the lost sheep, named Smudge. They were wearing Bedouin headdresses from Jesus' story of the lost coin, which we had also acted out. The 4,5 and 6's then sang the song "the wise man built his house upon the rock" complete with actions. This was followed up by a drama from our 7+ group where Oliver went shopping for various items with his slave boy Alex in tow. When they came across a fabulous pearl, Oliver sold everything he had, including Alex, in order to buy the pearl.The day was rounded off wonderfully with a party, complete with a feast and a disco.

Many thanks to all our helpers and those who came along to enjoy the day.

Sharon Sampson, Ann Persson and Yvonne Mullins

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21 May 2011 - Family Fun Day 2011

24 April 2011 - Easter Service 2011

Easter Garden Service

On Sunday, at St Nicholas we had a wonderful Easter Garden Service with nearly 60 adults and 20 children. The children had made a fantastic Easter Garden out of papier-mâché and stones and completed it with twig crosses, tissue paper flowers and candles (to represent the people Jesus appeared to after rising from death).

Thanks to our hard-working ladies, the church was decorated beautifully in gorgeous spring flower arrangements. As people arrived, they placed a flower on a wooden cross which added to the beauty of the church and created a lovely warm atmosphere. Several families read the story of that first Easter morning to us and the children lit the candles on the garden they had made. We sang lots of hymns and shared bread and wine that our vicar had blessed for us earlier that morning.

It was all rounded off with coffee, tea and some tasty biscuits that the children had made for us.

25 August 2010 - Footsteps 2010

10-11 July 2010 - Flower Festival 2010