What a great week we all had at Holiday Club this year!  The weather was hot.  The sky was blue and we had a really good team of children and helpers, so who could ask for more?

This year, for the first time for a long time, we had more children than we had places, and we had to start a waiting list.  Over 230 children were registered in Holiday Club and Jumbo (our crèche for the children of helpers).  Fortunately, as always, we had nearly the same number of helpers.

We had five different stories from the Bible each illustrating some good (or bad!) teamwork.  We began with the most famous Biblical team – the Disciples – Jesus’ winning team.  Throughout the week, our own disciples (AKA Adrian, the rector; and Richard from the URC; etc) wore their Biblical name on their backs to help the children remember them, and when our own Ken Tombs revisited the team on Friday.

There were visiting storytellers too.  A strange character called Gladys the Cleaner turned up in her nightie to tell everyone about Joseph the dreamer, and Anne Dove had everyone helping her to build the walls of Jerusalem – with the aid of many tea breaks!

However, this year saw a new feature in our worship.  The Thursday slot was filled very ably, and imaginatively, by our newly formed HC+ group (13 and 14 year old helpers).  They met together every afternoon, and worked on some modern day interpretations of the story of the healing of the paralysed man.  They also made a lively film of Holiday Club, which was shown as part of the Finale Exhibition on Friday. A great debut!

Group leaders, and children, worked well together to follow up the stories by making models of their favourite scene.  The Church buildings, and grounds, became a hive of industry as scores of ‘cardboard’ people were made and decorated ready for the Last Supper etc.

In the afternoon the teamwork continued as children went off to play football, rounders, and cricket, as well as working together in drama or making cakes.  Many went off on trips to build rafts at HOAC, to race cars in teams on a huge Scalectrix track, ten pin bowling with their friends, to try ice-skating, or to find out about the animals that live in the tropical rain forests. 

For those not out on trips, there was an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ of craft activities to choose from.

All this great teamwork culminated on Friday in a great “Finale In The Sun” in the Rectory garden when the children brought along their families to see what they had been doing.  The singing was uplifting and we sang our special Holiday Club song for the last time.

Thank you to the whole Holiday Club team for all the great work you did both before and throughout the week.  It could not happen without you. See you all next year!!!!

Dates for next year:  Mon 23^rd July – Fri 27^th July 2007

Anne Whitlam

DROP-IN FOR THE BEREAVED. Third Monday of each month. St Giles’ Church Hall, 2 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. A friendly, informal opportunity for a chat, over a cup of tea, with other bereaved people and pastoral visitors.  The next meeting is Monday 18^th September (also Monday 16^th October). Just come along, or ring the Rectory (622970), if you would like to talk to someone first.

ICKENHAM GOOD NEIGHBOUR SCHEME exists to serve the whole of Ickenham. We’re here to assist in an emergency. If you need help, the daytime contact numbers are: 01895 633020 or 01895 235061.

I went to a demonstration of photographic equipment last weekend. The demonstrator was a top photographer whose photographs of pop stars and celebrities are to be found in many magazines, and on CD and record covers.   Within about twenty seconds of him taking a photograph of a vase of flowers, it appeared on the screen behind him. Indeed, he told us that when the captain of the winning World Cup Football team was photographed raising the cup above his head, the photograph appeared world wide on the Internet within 4 minutes.

Any world event now appears on television within minutes of it happening and then is analysed by endless pundits all putting their own spin on what has occurred.

 How different from the way in which the Christian faith has been passed on over the last 2,000 years.  First by word of mouth from the twelve disciples and other eyewitnesses of the life of Jesus, then some years later written down by hand, then re-written in new languages and passed on to new continents. Finally, with the invention of the printing press, the events were put into print.

The question is, in today’s world of instant news and opinions, do we still take time to read and meditate on the greatest event of human history, the time when God walked on earth in the person of Jesus Christ. If we did, just think how different current world news might be!

Revd. Ken Tombs