Tuesday 26th April, 2005.
Having flown into the UK from Cyprus, we drive
down to Pilgrim Hall in West Sussex, which is actually quite close to
our UK house in Horley, Surrey. ‘It is so close to Horley, we can
come home at night’ says James. ‘Hmm’ says Carol, or
something similar.
We arrive at Pilgrim Hall and receive a warm welcome from Michael Lee,
the Manager and his wife, Maggie.
|
We are
allocated our room with a lovely view over the gardens. After
enjoying ‘a cuppa’ and meeting old (not so old) and new friends, we
walked around the grounds, all very peaceful and calm. I felt that
we were in the presence of Our Lord, just being there!
April seems a little too early to test the swimming pool, though we
were told later that it is heated.
|
|
Before an excellent
dinner we enjoyed a real treat! Terry and Maureen Finney had
celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary and entertained everyone
to champagne! Thank you Terry and Maureen.
At each meal we were encouraged to sit with different folk, we
thought this an excellent idea.
After dinner the Venerable Dr. Ian Young conducted the Welcome
session. It was so good to see Ian looking so much better in health.
On Wednesday
morning after a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast we
listened to the Revd Canon Brian Lea OBE who spoke on the
Ages of Mankind and how life is fast changing. Computers,
working mothers, fathers with little time to spend with
their children, lack of respect for our elders, lack of
appreciation for others. Brian read an amusing letter from
Grandma printed at the end of this report.
After coffee we had a Bible study with Bishop Harry Moore.
Harry’s session was very entertaining. He admitted to being
an admirer of Dave Allen, the comedian. I suspect that he
could have been an understudy at any time for Mr. Allen!
However, the session was about ‘Respect, Fellowship and
Living in Harmony, perhaps something that people lose sight
of these days?
During the afternoon, everyone was free to do whatever he or
she wished. Drive to the coast, play Poo Sticks in Ashdown
Forest or just sit and chat with new friends.
After another delicious dinner, Canon Brian Lea talked about
his experiences of having lived overseas and how lessons
learned could benefit the Church of England. Brian has
worked in the Sudan, Barcelona, Paris, The Hague and in the
UK. He pointed out stark differences between abroad and
within the UK – e.g. supermarket shopping, types of food
eaten and their preparation, the colours of people and the
styles of Worship. How we must be flexible and understand
each other’s needs.
Before retiring to bed a service of Compline was held. |
Wendy
Tatman cuts her cake at
Pilgrim Hall |
On Thursday, the
final day, at 8am we celebrated Holy Communion together followed by
breakfast and then sadly our Good Byes. What a wonderful few days!
How great it was to meet such lovely people, to share our
experiences and to worship Our Lord together. And James’s final
comment?
‘Do you have the dates for next year’s Spring Reunion Carol?’
|
|
