Pastoral Letter: September 2019
 | Revd Sue Cooper writes |
Hello Everyone,
I hope you have enjoyed the long days of Summer, and hopefully we will have many more warm, sunny days throughout Autumn,. September is a wonderful mix of old and new. Summer is growing old and tired, but the Children are preparing to go back to school for a new academic year, and one of the first things the schools will be arranging are their Harvest Assemblies. Harvest is one of our major Festivals in the Church, and a good opportunity for us to give thanks for all the food and drink we have. It wasn’t until I came to Northamptonshire some years ago that I really made the connection between the food on the shelf in Tesco’s, and the hard working Farmers. Being a Townie I rarely saw a tractor, or combine harvester, and I rarely saw fields of crops growing, so I took food for granted. Last year I had the pleasure of doing an extended placement with Emmanuel Church Weston Favell, and they run a food bank every Wednesday morning. I was shocked at the high demand for food parcels, and humbled by the cheerful, kind people who volunteered their time and energy to run the whole operation. It’s hard to imagine not having enough food to eat. My parents lived through World War 2 and remember the hardships of rationing, but unless you have experienced it yourself, it’s hard to imagine. I did however manage to really empathise with the food bank clients. Many of them were hard working people who were either down on their luck, or were in fact working, and still not able to make ends meet. The food parcels were a lifeline and gratefully received, but it did make me wonder how we have come to such a desperate place as a nation. Food shortage is not a problem in the UK, but none the less, it is a reality for many families, and like I said, unless we experience something ourselves, it is hard to imagine what it is like. I would like to invite you all to one of our Harvest Festival services. It’s a great way to thank God for the crops, and the food we eat, and it’s a good way to reflect on, acknowledge, and pray for the farming community and all those involved in the food chain, and their hard work to bring food to our tables. Even if you are not usually a Church goer, we would love to see you, and welcome you to share in this special festival All the Churches will be gratefully receiving contributions of goods and produce, which will then be either auctioned in the case of perishable foods, and the proceeds given to Charity, or donated to local food banks and local food distributers, who will pass it on and bless others with it. Many thanks, and God bless you,
with love Sue Cooper (Revd)
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