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All's Fayre in Our Community |
One of the great delights of the Church of England is the
traditional Church Fayre. This week we have been busy
preparing the Church, organising stalls, and giving out
posters for our annual Spring Fayre. As with most events at
Church the work is undertaken by lay people and probably
about 50 or so people will be involved with this event.
Now I know that some of the clergy avoid Fetes and Fayres
like the plague, but I use these events as a pastoral tool.
We make sure that these events have a pastoral and spiritual
side, as well as making money for the Church.
One of my major tasks is to collect items for the Fayre!
People telephone the Parish Office, and I collect what they
have. This collection is in reality a pastoral visit. It
often includes a cup of tea and chat, and then items are
loaded into my car. This way I meet many new people who are
often not members of the congregation, but feel that they
wish to help. Also we use the Fayre as an opportunity to
invite anyone to help. So we find that people help at the
Fayre and gradually start coming to Church. Even if they
don’t, they have a new vision of the Church and can feel the
friendship of the Church and see it at work.
Finally we always make sure that within the Church, during
these events there is a prayer corner, or a place where
people can be quiet. The Church may be busy but some will
come in for support and care and so the clergy make sure
that they are not running stalls or busy at work, but simply
around to give counsel and care.
So I have to say that although Fayres are very time
consuming, they have far more importance than raising money.
If run properly they can raise the awareness of the Church
and provide an opportunity to meet a whole range of people,
many of whom have few contacts with the Church.
Adrian Bell
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