Flowering broadcast from St Osyth

Shirley Wells, Binnie and Tony Pugsley
From the Church of St Peter and St Paul, St Osyth

Displays were themed on different anniversaries including the washing powder, Persil

The annual St Osyth Flower Show over the August Bank Holiday weekend proved to be another success for the parish of St Peter and St Paul.

During this period BBC Essex broadcast live from the church in St Osyth, highlighting the Sunday morning service and other vicars.

The Church Army have also been active bringing the message of the gospel to the holiday parks.

It has been a cracking few weeks in the seaside parish!

Flower power

Organised by the Friends of the church, the Flower Festival at St Peter's and St Pauls was a wonderful occasion, a dream in colour, a fantasy of floral tributes to the theme on display.

Through the talent of the arrangers, flowers not only show their own beauty, but also paint the subject being depicted.

The Flower Festival is one way in which the Church invites the parish to come and meet us, come and see us and enjoy a facility that should not be ignored Binnie and Tony Pugsley

This year the theme was 'Anniversaries and Celebrations' and if you think it is hard enough to paint pictures on such a theme those that came along could clearly see what they can do with flowers.

St. Paul taught that from the visible things of creation we can know the invisible things of God and no doubt this is why flowers have been used in churches for hundreds of years; Christians see in flowers signs of heaven and the unfolding of spiritual life.

The Flower Festival does give a platform for the display of talent and no doubt this is part of the reason that people work so hard to make it a success.

But I also believe it is done to enhance the beauty of the church and to encourage those who do not normally attend church to come in, so that they can see that the church is not something dark, mysterious and off putting - but welcoming.

It is after all the Parish Church, meaning it is there for all the people of the parish.

More of the beautiful flowers on display at St Osyth

The Flower Festival is one way in which the Church invites the parish to come and meet us, come and see us and enjoy a facility that should not be ignored.

A preview night was held in the church on Friday, 28 August.

The theme for the evening being the '30s, '40s, and '50s and included entertainment with songs from Greg Potter, a fashion parade by the Dovercourt Theatre Group, along with some of our own young parishioners and poems and stories of the times from Mark Roberts and Pamela Garrod.

On the Sunday morning, our annual outdoor 'Songs of Praise' service in front of the church was led by Revd Heather Connell and attracted about one hundred people who sat in glorious sunshine to worship the Lord and sing His praises.

Church army

August in St Osyth heralded the return of the Church Army Summer Outreach Programme.

This event has been coming here to bring fun and the Christian message for over 20 years.

Sister Peggy Boynes ran this first in the Vicarage garden; since 2001 Sister Peggy Horseman has been at the helm, ably assisted by her team of willing volunteers.

Each year the activities are different and the location has changed, although the programme has been welcomed to Hutley's Caravan Park for quite a number of years now.

The purpose of the outreach programme is to enable people to have a living faith in Jesus Christ.

The programme is action-packed, with clowns drumming up interest around the camp and then keeping the pace going through the hour-long session.

The clowns, Mr Long, Mr Short, Mr Noah and Miss Chief, have been ably assisted by puppets and the storyteller, all of whom are part of the volunteering team.

The children (and sometimes their parents who join them) learn many new fun songs and participate in making some marvellous crafts - all based on Christian themes.

As the mission agency within the Church of England, one of the specific aims of the Church Army is to introduce the Christian message to children and young people.

As a church, St Peter & St Paul, has always tried to support this outreach programme in many different ways - such as financial donations, providing accommodation for team members, acting as volunteers to help on the programme.

Church members have received so much from participating in this event and can still be heard humming some of the funky songs!

This programme presents the Christian faith in a fun and wacky way, which makes it look a credible option and following Jesus a real adventure.

Year-on-year, one of the prayers of the team is that lives have been touched by this great seaside programme and that some of the Church Army aims - and indeed St Peter & St Paul Church aims - have been achieved.