With the prospect of a rare sunny afternoon ahead of us, a number of us gathered at Parkside ready to enjoy an afternoon over at Henley.
Unfortunately, the date chosen for our outing clashed with the increasingly popular Rewind Festival which added some time to the short journey.
The sunny afternoon also boosted the crowds over at Henley, but once we’d managed to find somewhere to park, we were able to establish our traditional patch on the grass beside the river.
Older ones sat and chatted the afternoon away while some of the youngsters opted for a game of Kubb before settling down for tea and an ice cream.
It was an excellent afternoon and plans are already being made for 2013 – at least to avoid 17th August when the next Rewind Festival is on!
Below are a few photos from the afternoon:
Our ‘camp’ on the riverside grassA game of Kubb in full swingSome of the gangHollyRobert with some shady chap behindNot sure what Paul was doing here…Magnum time!BrianDave
Some forty people gathered for our latest Family Service and BBQ today.
With the planned speaker being unable to attend at the last minute it fell to Alan Michael to take up the baton in his place.
The service was once again chaired by David Hedges and began with the singing of Come and see followed by prayer.
Those present were tasked with choosing new team names for the Sunday Club teams and decided upon Bangers and Mash.
We then had a number of children’s choruses as usual before the memory verse for the month – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies”. – John 11:25.
Alan then came to speak on the subject of the raising of Lazarus, taken from John 11, and introduced Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
Lazarus then becomes ill and dies and Alan brought out the question as to why God allows suffering and bad things to happen to people who love him. Lazarus died that God might be glorified through his death. The Bible tells us that when Christians die it is like sleep as we have a great hope to look forward to when Jesus returns.
Jesus proves that He is the resurrection and the life by raising Lazarus back to life. Many believed in Him as a result.
Jesus met the needs of Lazarus, Mary and Martha in different ways.
Remember – Look back and know that God loves you.
Review – Look at present circumstances. God is with us.
Re-focus – Do we need to change our direction? Are we disciples? Remember that Jesus said ‘I am the resurrection and the life’.
We finished the service by singing Low in the grave and prayer.
The planned BBQ and games in the park had to be somewhat scaled back due to monsoon rainfall that fell during and after the Family Service.
Robert and Phil manning the BBQ in monsoon conditions
We had earlier set up a marquee to cook under, but ended up serving food in the back room and putting round tables in the main hall rather than in the park.
Parkside Christian Fellowship 