Christmas has come and gone.
People often say to me that “it’s your busy time”. Yes … there is more public activity, but a lot of Christmas is about showing up (what Woody Allen says is 80% of success).
The highlight for Camber was the talk given by Professor Emerita Tina Beattie, resident of Camber and regular contributor to Radio 4 Thought for the Day. She spoke not only from her great learning but also from her experience growing up in Zambia (once Northern Rhodesia) and her Scottish heritage.
There were 30 to 40 people in attendance (we stopped counting at 30) and the talk, with music, poetry, and readings, was very much appreciated. One listener came from as far as Benenden to hear Tina speak.
The highlight of our Christmas services at East Guldeford was the candlelit carol service on Christmas Eve. It was a beautiful clear but cold night. Over a hundred people came, more than twice as many as last year. The ground was wet, so we asked people to park in Salts Farm car park. It was such a moving sight to see the many people coming across the fields in the fading light to attend the service. It was trickier going home.
This year, the service was enhanced by a sound system provided by Simon Owen. Also, we had the Fourscore Choir, conducted by Martin Bruce. They sang three anthems and supported the congregational singing. Lesley Moore led us off in a solo of the first verse of Once in Royal David’s City.
People came from the surrounding villages of East Sussex and Kent with one visiting family all the way from Finland. Wonderful! For an hour or so, there were probably more people in St Mary’s than the rest of the village of East Guldeford.
Many thanks to Richard and Annie Baker who did the organising and much of the actual work of decorating both churches and the providing the refreshments over Christmas.
We now approach the season of Lent followed by Easter in early April (the 5th). Mothering Sunday is on March 15th. We hope to have an Easter Vigil service in East Guldeford on the Saturday evening of Easter weekend.
And if the weather permits, a Sunrise service on Camber beach on Easter Sunday. More about that and other things, next month.
