Thought for the week: 15th July 2012
Make Music
Last weekend was extraordinary. In the Parish Diary was a note simply stating, ‘Music Marathon’ and as the weeks came closer I really was not any more excited. The thought of hours in church listening to music I neither liked nor wanted to hear, whilst I had a mountain of things to do was not really that appealing. (How good it is to be frank in a ‘Thought for the Week’). As the date came closer I became more enthused as people contacted me through our website to find out what was happening. However on the day and the weekend I was absolutely amazed.
Saturday began at 6am with my putting out bunting and notices in the Market place and at 9am 5 people were in church listening to our church choir sing for an hour to start the Marathon, and gradually Fakenham came alive and the Church came alive and by 10am the church was almost full. The church choir heralded 12 hours of amazing singing, dancing and band music. We had FADLOS our local light opera group singing songs from Sound of Music and Joseph, the Town Band playing the music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Stepping Stones Pram Service singing children songs, Messy Church also singing their songs. We had the school choir and band, every music group in the town taking part and during a wedding in the middle of the Marathon hand bell ringing in Tesco Superstore.
The Marathon ended with band music from the Town Band and people dancing at the back of the church.
We raised over £1,200 for the Church Development Fund but I have to admit it was one of the best days of my life as Rector here, and then on the Sunday we had a wonderful morning service followed by 60 people coming to Messy Church Music Day which saw children playing also sorts of instruments including a Welsh harp. One lad had never seen a harp before actually played it beautifully. What a weekend.
We may already see music as a special part of our lives but how good it was to see all ages coming together to make music and bring happiness to people. Music may divide people in certain respects but actually the overflow of groups at the Marathon meant that one group was listening to another group perform, and learning about the variety of music.
In the Book of the Revelation of St John we see the throne of God surrounded by trumpeters and singers and lots of noise. Churches don’t always have to be quiet places. In parts of the Bible both old and new we see people dancing or singing or having fun and why not? We hope to repeat the Music Marathon next year and this time I will look forward to it, and so will most of our town. I think that something has begun which we now will not stop!
Adrian Bell
