Saturday 27 November 2010

An evening baptism

It snowed here this morning and it was actually very pleasant outside for a while. Now its very cold again and the winds got up so the wind chill will be doubled so I am not looking forward to going out later . However I know I will enjoy it when I get there. I am christening a baby this evening. This sounds weird but the parents wanted it at this particular church on this particular day. It should have been in the afternoon but there was already a Christmas Fayre  booked to take place all day. The church warden thinks it will all have gone quiet by five o clock.
Hmm This is a church I know well. Used to be its PCC secretary. We go back along way. Of its present officers the two church wardens are friends . I have known one of them for at least 20 years if not longer and the other one and I moved into the village in the same week and we have been friends ever since so its quite  a family affair. She is a worship leader and is doing most of the service herself apart from the holy bits!  We have had some interesting discussions on this subject and she has written  and printed off a service sheet with great effeciency and sent it to me over the internet.
So far so good.  But as yet I don't know the name of the child, the names of his parents or his God parents and even as I type am not absolutely sure that he is a boy...I did send her a form to fill in so that we can do the Register but as yet I am not aware that its been done.
The priest in charge is off sick and will continue with this absence  for some time. I am certain that her Church wardens are more than capable of running the parish for her, but not necessarily to her liking!
I have promised to get there early so that we can sort out who does what and promised to take the Holy Oil from here...but the chance that everyone selling stuff on their Christmas stalls will have gone home is I'm afraid none. There could be a lot more people there than we expect.
I really hope that the snow holds off for a while...the potential for cock up is unusually great without that.

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