Easter Celebrations

All of St Hugh's Easter 'stuff' (services, reflections, sleepovers and dawn time gatherings) were well attended. We had a good time hanging out with the young people on saturday night and getting up nice and early to watch it get lighter.

I've always enjoyed getting up for the sunrise at Easter, and it much more exciting when you have a bunch of teenagers to encourage to be awake at such an unearthly hour! We didn't see the sun until later in the morning because it was pretty cloudy again this year, and it just started to rain as we got back to church for breakfast.

Our 11am service was really busy this year, but with some lovely small children making themselves at home, it still very much felt like we had a great time. We read through Luke 24 and stopped at the appropriate places to worship and share communion. The staff team did really well putting it all together.

I haven't had the chance to think a lot about what I thought of the Lent course and our whole Eastertime, but I'm sure I'll have a chance now that I'm not feeling fantastic and am hiding under a duvet! Easter is a lot more hard work than Christmas, that's for sure.

There are some pictures here.

Easter Celebrations

This year we combined our Christmas and Easter displays, so here is what is on the ceiling at the moment, with the cross positioned underneath it.


The crown of thorns sits lonely on the steps to the dias. Awaiting to be put back on the cross, where it normally is. Apparently it was worn by one of the young people when he played Jesus a few years ago.


I think this was the most powerful thing that we did. At the right point in the story, 3 men raised the cross to standing, with the children sitting at the foot of the cross. It brought to mind all of the feelings over the Easter season. Everything drawn to the cross.

On Sunday morning we walked to the hills and watched it get lighter, the sun rose behind the mist. When you get up that early you kinda feel cheated if it's misty, but nevermind, a good breakfast, services and lunch followed. A good Easter all round really!

Good Friday

Friday was a great day, lots of hard work on the teams part, but pulled off fantastically in the end.

We handed out the bits of ribbon to carry as we walked from St Martins, to St Hugh's then up to Lewsey Christian Centre (all in to the wind!).

Grey - the moments in Gethsemane, dark moments of pain and tiredness
Purple - mocked and dressed as a king, a very humble king
Red - bleeding and sacrifice

Yellow - rejoicing in the morning (a little prematurely)

Sabbath began at sun down, a time of fasting and trying to catch the feelings of the disciples, they didn't know the importance of Sunday.

Praying for no snow, dawn service will be freezing otherwise!

Fighting Impatience

It's always quite interesting driving around Luton at random times of the day.

At 5.50am there was a rather impatient person who decided to cut me up at a roundabout, I spent the rest of my journey thinking, "what could possibly make you impatient pre-6am on any day?".

Then at 10pm some lovely immature boys followed 1/2 the way home, and sped off at the first opportunity in a measley 1.0 engine, which sounded like a toy car. I'm not quite sure what point they were trying to prove seeing as at took them about 1.5miles to get the guts to over take my very pink car.

Easter holidays are about to start here in Luton and it feels like we've crammed a whole term into half a term. Tensions were running high and exploded in childish fisty cuffs during breakfast this morning.

As a consequence grapes have been removed from the breakfast menu...

Up and coming

Take what you will from this title, but if you happen to be in Luton on this day make sure you pop in to St Hugh's (Jeff has all the credit for the design)

Cracking on with life, and a bit moany about having to do lots of uni work over Easter, whilst trying to fast for 24hours (yes WorldVision are asking for money).

Launching

The young people of St Hugh's got a chance to share their experience and skills on Friday night, when they launched the fundraising for their trip to Uganda.

I'll put some pictures up soon...

The week has been a very busy one. Starting last Saturday, I had four visitors from Essex. We all sat and had dinner, discussing the finer points of a few things.
Sunday 'Life in all it's fullness' started... Good stuff.
So finally I'm back in to some sort of routine. Easter isn't that far off, and with Pancake day only a week and a half away the routine will be disrupted already.

Maundy Thursday

Yes, I am anglican, yes I am a little bit weird.

Those of you who know me will understand a little bit about why I love tradition so much.

We come to Easter, and a chance to meet with the church family at least once a day for 4 days. How exciting! The next four days are intense and busier than the other christian (nicked from the pagans) festival that we don't mention til november.

Tonight is the last supper. Tomorrow is the walk of witness, which takes place between three churches hopefully there will be lots of people. Saturday is youth night, pizza and sweets all round. Sunday sees the dawn service and breakfast for anyone who can brave it.

Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy your Easter long weekend, wherever in the world you are.

Spaces in between

You'll be happy to know that a mechanic looked at my poorly car and is fitting a new battery tomorrow morning before I head to school dressed in red.

Comic Relief has come around again, with a brilliant series of Fame Academy. Well impressed with the courage. I've done my singing on stage, so I no longer feel the need to ever ever do it again.

In other news I head in to the local school next week. For teaching and a meeting about Mentoring. Well excited. This is the start of a busy time, I feel. Lots of socail stuff happening, and hopefully lots of learning.

Easter shall be an interesting time this year. The last time I was properly away for Easter was a Spring Harvest trip, this time I'm going to be working flat out and hopefully blag a few days away afterwards.

But I am looking forward to it.

If anyone wants to join in with St Hugh's traditions, just ask. This does include a dawn service (what's dawn? Seriously I have been asked...) on Easter day and then breakfast after.