Home
Basis of Fellowship
June/July Newsletter
Groups: Church
Groups: Community Service
Groups: Under 5s
Groups: 5-11s
Groups: 11+
Groups: Ladies
Groups: Lifestyle
Groups: Recreation
History of PCC
Architecture of PCC
Through the Year
Publications
Links for Penge Congregational Church
Message Board
Guestbook
Event Calendar
Mail Form
|
Through the Year
This page depicts some of the things that happened at PCC, or with which we have been associated, during the past year or so.
The pictures have been compressed as far as possible, but it may take a while to load this page on a slow or busy communications line.
|
March of Witness 2002
 | The annual march held by Penge Churches on Good Friday morning as it turned the corner by PCC heading for the High Street.
|
|
Summer Fayre 2002
 | Fundraising sales are part of the life of most organisations, and PCC is no exception. If weather permits, we can hold a "Fayre" on the church lawn – far more pleasant and publicly-visible than one of the halls.
|
|
Desert Detectives 2002
 | | For a week during August, the Kenilworth Hall was transformed into a desert, complete with oasis, palm trees, sand dunes, tents and more sand. Twenty-five Desert Detectives joined us for the week – their mission: to find the Mighty Godsword. Each day began with the special Desert Detectives song (left photo). Then Cleo the camel (alias Helen) helped Julie Dune dig up treasures (right photo). On the Friday, we were sure that we would find a Godsword in the sand and we were disappointed to find a tatty old book – but we found that this was no ordinary book – it was the Bible, GOD'S WORD. So we had found the GODSWORD after all and we heard about Jesus – who is GOD'S WORD and who came to earth to show us what God is like. |
|
Harvest 2002
 The Tree of Life
This was the theme of our Harvest Festival Parade Service on 29th September. On entering the Church, we were confronted by our (horizontal) tree, with its roots coming down from the Communion Table, its trunk stretching the length of the aisle and its branches at the back of the Church. During the service we thought about those people who were the roots in our own lives: our parents perhaps or someone who influenced the direction we grew in; as well as the great tap root, who is, of course, God. The trunk was the Church family and everyone involved in the life of the Church in any way was invited to stand on the trunk; not many people were left seated at this point! A little later on, we wrote our prayers on leaves which were added to the branches.
Our Harvest gifts were placed on tables beside the branches of the tree, representing our contribution to those in need in our community.
|
Remembrance Sunday 2002
 | Left: The two minutes silence. The two picture frames either side of the chancel steps contain photographs and details of people from the Church who were killed during World Wars I and II, and those who served.
Top Right: The choir sing "These Things Shall Be – A Loftier race" to a tune written by a past organist of PCC, Mr Wilmer Pocock.
Bottom Middle: Brownies show a tray demonstrating items rationed or unavailable during World War II.
Bottom Right: The younger members of the uniformed organisations also made a dove of peace banner.
|
|
Christmas 2002
 | Top left: Temporary "stained glass" windows on left and right, depicting the Christmas scenes, illuminated at night.
Middle left: The nativity tableau mounted in the large outside notice case, and illuminated at night. Its clay figures were made some years ago by pupils of Kentwood School then opposite the church.
Top right: Presents of toys brought by children are given to local needy families through the Bromley Community Link voluntary service agency.
Bottom: The candlelight carol service.
|
|
Mothering Sunday 2003
 | Our Mothering Day service was, as usual, a parade service for members of the uniformed organisations all of whom took part in the service. There was a special rendition of "Look at the world" by an augmented choir (top photo) followed by a quiz in which we were asked to find words that go with "Family". Our extended Church family was included with a letter about our "adopted daughter", Judith in Kenya, who we support through World Vision. It seems that some of our money has helped the family buy a small cow (but doubtless she will grow!) The Guides presented the story of "The Prodigal Daughter"; not quite the original Biblical text, but the same point was made. After a rendition of "There are hundreds of sparrows" by the Brownies, members of the congregation wrote their prayers in hearts stuck on a huge card (right). Lest anyone think the Scouts were left out ... they read the lessons.
Of course, no Mothering Sunday service would be complete without a posy of daffodils for every mum (left).
|
|
Jesus Christ Superstar – 25th February 2005
 When we were approached by the First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell, New Jersey, back in the late summer of 2004, asking us whether we would be prepared to be a venue for a performance of Jesus Christ, Superstar in February 2005, we thought about it for a short while and then said Yes. We knew what we were being asked – to serve an evening meal for about 70 people, to find free accommodation with Church families for 45 teenagers, to find various items of musical, sound and lighting equipment, to publicise the event etc.– but at a safe distance of 6 months, it seemed quite do-able. But, once we were the other side of Christmas and 25th February was suddenly quite close, with e-mails flying back and forth across the Atlantic, it seemed a rather more daunting task.
The vital thing to understand was that this was no commercial undertaking. For the young people from New Jersey and their leaders, this was mission. Their performance was to be above all an act of worship. They performed free; they specifically did not want any expenses to be paid. The only thing they asked was that we should take a collection for a charity of our choice. They were undertaking a gruelling tour of the country for the Lord's sake, and we had to fulfil our part for His sake also.
I have to admit that we spent the week or so before the choir arrived in a bit of a panic. Finding accommodation wasn't easy, given that the 44 young people came in twos and that several of them have allergies to animal fur, nuts, etc. etc. The meal we were to provide was also not an easy task given that we were feeding so many, and that we had to have the food ready very precisely between their afternoon rehearsal and their final preparations for the performance at 7.30pm. We had to find lights, musical instruments, and amplifiers and have them ready for when the choir arrived on the afternoon of their performance. By the time we came to the day itself, we were all feeling a bit frazzled. But, it was worth it when they all arrived and everything came together. While they rehearsed, we cooked. Then we all ate together in the Kenilworth Hall. Then came the performance itself.
If you weren't there, you have to understand that they had already performed 5 times in different churches all over Great Britain. They arrived here mid-afternoon and adapted their performance to our church, to our space, to our exits and entrances, to our steps and aisles, in about 2 hours.
The actual performance was quite wonderful. The young people sang, danced and acted out the story of the passion and the crucifixion in a way that transfixed and moved everyone there. What I will always remember is the actual moment of crucifixion. Jesus, his shirt torn and blood stained from his scourging, toiled down the aisle with his cross. The crowd stood at the front of the church jeering and catcalling. Jesus' final words came from the back of the church. Everyone I spoke to afterwards said that the urge to turn round and look, even though intellectually we knew there was nothing to see, was almost overwhelming. Later the young men who stayed at my house that night told me that the illuminated cross in the big window at the back of the church was a focus for them as they played the scene. It was a moment which will stay with me for a long time.
The 4 young men who stayed with me were gracious guests, as were they all. They were not just polite young people, but ambassadors for their country, for their church and for their faith. I think we would all have been prepared to do a great deal more for them than we did; we all felt a connection with them far stronger than you would expect from an acquaintance of something considerably less than 24 hours.
The wonderful thing was that this wasn't just a bridge built between churches across the Atlantic. Ours was the last performance before they went home; the first one, 6 days previously, was at Beckenham Methodist Church. They hadn't got a drum kit; we had. We hadn't got stage lights; neither had they, but they borrowed some from St George's, Beckenham. So they borrowed our drum kit, and, in return, got permission to pass the lights on to us. After their performance, they brought back our drums and very kindly set up the lights for us and showed us how to work the control panel. After our performance, they came back and dismantled the lights and took them away. So there was also a bridge built across the boundary between Penge and Beckenham.
I hadn't seen Jesus Christ, Superstar before. I'm quite certain that I never would be able to watch it again in a theatre. In a church, in OUR church, it was a spiritual experience. Our fellowship, before and after the performance, with the young people made it a very personal experience, one to be remembered and treasured. Already, in our Lent study, we have referred to it, and to aspects of the passion and crucifixion that it highlighted for us for the first time. I wouldn't want to go through the week or so of anxiety again, but I like to think, if anything similar ever comes up, we will perhaps trust a little more in the Lord. The young people were doing his work and so were we, and He was with us through the time of preparation and the visit itself. As He is always, if we just remember to look for His presence.
Pam Owen |
This page has been visited  times. |
