There was a great turnout at the URC on 26th April for the joint service celebrating the signing of the Covenant between St Giles’ and Ickenham URC back in April 1985. Teamwork and keeping going were the themes of the day, as we considered all the ways in which the churches work ‘better together’ here in Ickenham. The wonderful annual Holiday Club is one such way, and in his talk to the youngsters, Bernie made use of the giant Holiday Club bubble machine! With the bubbles representing prayers going up to God, the air sparkled as bubbles were released each time a member of the congregation suggested a shared venture for which to give thanks.
And there are plenty of them, as Cliff Potter also outlined when he took us through a presentation prepared by himself and David Crane, which had previously been delivered to a ‘Churches Together’ Conference for the North Thames Area. Many of these joint ventures pre-date the formal Covenant: for instance, the two churches have been working together to organise the annual Christian Aid Week collection in the village since at least 1964. This newsletter, ICN, has been produced and delivered throughout Ickenham since 1965. And Holiday Club celebrated its 40th birthday last year, the first such gathering having been in the summer of 1968.
Other joint activities are newer: the annual Christmas Shoebox Appeal, the Live@Five services and the CLICK Rukiga project are examples. And a host of others fall in between: Men’s Breakfasts, Women’s Groups, Ickenham Festival involvement, the Pastoral Support Group – the list goes on and on. 
In his sermon, Adrian encouraged us to ‘keep going on and on’ too. On what was London Marathon Sunday he stressed the importance of joining together and keeping going. God wants us to do things together and to draw near to Him first to enable us to do so. We should hold unswervingly to the hope we possess and consider how we can spur each other on, just as those Marathon runners do, to serve and witness to the Ickenham community together.
The service concluded with Holy Communion, celebrated by Bernie, and supported by Adrian, Ken and some of the URC Elders. It was a fitting end to a joyful and moving occasion.
Richard Piper
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CLICK Rukiga Charity Car Wash
Saturday 20th June
10am – 2pm
URC Forecourt
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Roy Hill and his band of Scouts and Junior Church members will be hard at work on the URC Forecourt, cleaning the cars of Ickenham and raising money for Rukiga at the same time.
Bring your car along and be part of the fun!
Refreshments available while you wait.
£5 per car – Great Value for a Great Cause!
DROP-IN FOR THE BEREAVED. Third Monday of each month. St Giles’ Church Hall, 2pm to 3.30pm. A friendly, informal opportunity for a chat, over a cup of tea, with other bereaved people and pastoral visitors. The next meeting is on Monday 15th June (then Monday 20th July). Just come along, or ring the Rectory (622970) if you would like to talk to someone first.
