Another month has passed by so quickly with very little extraordinary to report. However, apart from our normal Holy Communion services on the second and fourth Sundays we did have a Group Choral Evensong on the third Sunday. It was good to have the Lambourn choir from St Michael’s once again as well as a few others from outside East Garston to boost our singing and to enjoy some social time together after the service.
All of the churchwardens from the benefice attended the Episcopal Visitation for the Berkshire Arch Deaconry at St Nicholas Church in Newbury on 23rd May. This is the service at which churchwardens are admitted to office and make their declaration to perform their duties “faithfully and diligently”. Normally the Visitation is performed by the Archdeacon but occasionally the Bishop exercises his right to “usurp” her, as Archdeacon Olivia remarked during her introduction. It was particularly nice that Bishop Andrew was present on this occasion when Dawn Tonge was presented and admitted as a Churchwarden for the first time. I am personally very grateful that she has agreed to share the role with me.
Members of All Saints Church are organising a Safari Supper for the evening of Saturday, 2nd July. The evening will start with everyone gathering for drinks at Jimmies Farmhouse in Pounds Farm Lane. Participants will then be allocated a host somewhere in the village for their starter and a second host for their main course. We will all gather together again in the Village Hall for the desert course followed by coffee. Tickets at £25 are available from Dawn Tonge (648370), Bob Briant (648646), Vikki Brooks (649744) or Karen Sperrey (648365).
Please make a note in your diary of an afternoon concert of “Timeless Classics for Cello and Strings” planned for Sunday, 11th September in All Saints Church. The international cellist Phil Daish-Handy and his accompanist will be joined by the West Berkshire Strings to perform a program of enchanting classical and popular music. Tickets are priced at £10 for adults but are free for the under 18s and are available from me. Please give me a call on 648646 to reserve your seat.
Bob Briant
Churchwarden