A couple of Sundays ago son, Aaron, was invited to preach at the little church down in Owaka. I decided to go down with him and his wife as I have a friend who lives down there and attends this church. It's just over an hour to drive down. We stopped for coffee on the way as the power was off all over town all day and we didn't want to arrive early and discover we had nowhere to go for a drink while we waited.
It's a protestant church which serves a mixed congregation, mainly Anglican and Presbyterian. They don't have a full time minister so once a month they invite a guest preacher. Son goes down two or three times a year. The service is very relaxed and the people are friendly. There's also a Baptist church in town and probably a Catholic one nearby as well I'd say.
Daughter in law, Sofi, had been asked to dance, she does
Hawaiian dance in worship. The dance was beautiful and
everyone appreciated it. She is so graceful :)
(And thank goodness the power was back on as it was a cold
winter's afternoon).
After the service we were treated to a wonderful meal and great company before being sent off into the cool winter evening to head home again. Normally the service is in the morning but because of the power cut it was shifted to late afternoon. (Why does routine maintenance have to be done in the middle of winter I wonder? Especially down here?)
Teapotland, across the road from the church.
It used to be a delightful wee place to spend a few minutes but sadly, due to the owners failing health, it's now getting a bit rundown.
And that's me for another few days,
Keep well until next time.
Diana
That's the sort of service I d like to attend! Warm, friendly and inclusive. And Hawaiian dance . How interesting.
ReplyDeleteAnd teapot land. Now that looks something different too.
How great that you could attend.
ReplyDeleteThe church sounds a friendly one. I'm glad you could go there, support your son and daughter-in-law, have fellowship with the congregation and enjoy a meal.
ReplyDeleteShe's brave getting up in front of everyone. I don't think i would have the confidence to do it.
ReplyDeleteMe neither.
DeleteSounds like a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice day: service, dance, and lunch/supper too with your son and daughter in law.
ReplyDeleteOwaka is a lovely little village and I have always enjoyed visiting there. What a shame about Teapotland though - it has given so many people so much enjoyment over the years, but I can fully understand the owner's predicament.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to see some of these smaller churches still continuing on. Combining faiths under one roof always seems such a sensible thing to do. Sofi looks lovely standing there, and I can imagine her dance was beautiful.
Mxx
Sounds like a lovely day of worship and fellowship. How nice that your son was invited to preach! Is he a preacher in another church? Glad that the power was back on and you weren't too cold. I can imagine your DIL's dance was very lovely. That teapot land looks like it must have been an interesting place. Too bad it is now being neglected. I hope someone can help them get it taken care of. Anyway, it sound like you had a lovely day. Thank you for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteAaron was ordained a deacon in our church in October last year and has another 2 and a bit years to go before he is fully fledged, so to speak. We have a great preaching team of about 5 young men as well as the vicar, Aaron included, and most of them have been invited to Owaka to preach at different times.
DeleteDiana ~ lovely post and teapots are fascinating ~ sounds like a delightful visit for you ~ hugs,
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
clm ~ A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
The sort of church I like and left behind in Essex and I really miss it, haven't found one like it here yet.
ReplyDelete