Shrove tuesday (Pancake day) Shrove Tuesday is the day immediately preceding Ash wednesday. Shrove is derived from the word shrive and refers to the confession of sins as a preparation for Lent. This goes back to the middle ages in Europe. Depending on the date of easter it occurs between February 2nd and the 9th March. Although the day is sometimes still used for self-examination and introspection, Shrove Tuesday eventually acquired the character of a carnival or festival in many places and is often celebrated with parades.As the final day before Lent when fasting becomes a feature in the church, Shrove Tuesday also has many customs connected to food. Pancakes are traditional in a number of European countries because eggs, sugar, and fat, are used up so they will not go to waste; the day is known as Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday in Ireland. Similarly rich pre lenten treats, sweet pa̡czki are traditional in Poland, and king cake is an iconic feature of Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) In New Orleans.
What Happens on Ash Wednesday?
There is usually a service which is quite reflective, often the services will have periods of silence. We are holding a service at 2pm in All Saints. During the service the congregation will be invited to receive the ashes on their foreheads. Usually, the vicar will dip his/her finger into the ashes, spread them in a cross pattern on the forehead, and say, “From dust you came and from dust you will return.”
In some towns and villages church leaders may go into the streets and offer passers by a prayer and/or the the sign of the cross in ashes on their forehead
Source and Meaning of the Ashes
The ashes are prepared by burning palm branches from the previous years Palm Sundays service. On Palm Sunday, churches bless and hand out palm branches to attendees, referencing the Gospels’ account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when onlookers lay palm branches on his path.
The ashes of this holiday symbolize two main things: death and repentance. “Ashes are equivalent to dust, and human flesh is composed of dust or clay (Genesis 2; 7), and when a human corpse decomposes, it returns to dust or ash.”
“When we come forward to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday, we are saying that we are sorry for our sins and that we want to use the season of Lent to correct our faults, purify our hearts, control our desires and grow in holiness so we will be prepared to celebrate Easter with great joy”
After much deliberation the Church of England has now decreed that marriage is a union between a man and a woman and therefore single sex marriage services may not be held in the Church of England. However, the blessing of civil marriages will be allowed. Needless to say, this will not please everyone.
But what is the point of marriage anyway?
To answer this question we need to lookback in time – a long way back, some thousands of years.
In the past, marriage endowed a number of things;
The legitimisation of children – Children born within wedlock had certain privileges. They took the family name, they were automatically their parent’s heirs, they were entitled to the care and protection of their parents. Illegitimate children had none of these privileges. Worse than that, the informal description of bas***d became a synonym for someone who was untrustworthy.
Maintaining the blood line – In many societies maintaining the purity of the bloodline was important as families took great store in tracing their lineage back to patriarchal ancestors. This could only be done via legitimate children.
Social interaction – in many societies, although men and women could freely associate with their own sex, while unmarried, interaction with the opposite sex was very controlled and limited.
Intimacy – Intimate relations between a man and a woman were absolutely forbidden and for a woman in particular, breaking this norm would very likely ruin any chance of marriage in the future.
Mutual care and companionship – In highly ordered societies, spontaneous shows of affection were discouraged outside marriage and in public. Care in the sense of looking after and providing for was an obligation of family. Thus parents had an obligation to care for their legitimate children until they became adults and children were expected to reciprocate when their parents became elderly.
This was the status quo for hundreds of generations and in Western society remained more or less unchanged until relatively recent times. But what about now?
Although not universally the case, predominantly in western society, children born out of wedlock have the same rights as those born after marriage. There may be some exceptions to this such as claims to inherited titles but on the whole illegitimate and legitimate children have equal status and rights and any stigma attached to illegitimacy has all but disappeared entirely. Similarly with bloodlines, most of us, even the most ardent followers of family trees, are generally indifferent to whether a branch is legitimate or illegitimate. In our society there is no limit whatsoever to social interaction between the sexes and indeed intimacy with multiple partners before marriage is now so common as to be considered the norm. Certainly a history of promiscuity is rarely a barrier to a future monogamous relationship whether by marriage or civil partnership. Although mutual care within a family environment remains widespread, there are state safeguards in place for when these environments break down, so the imperative of using marriage as an assurance of support is less important than in the past.
So is marriage just a relic of the past and of no relevance to modern society?
Although some of the past imperatives for marriage no longer exist there is still a strong case for it.
The findings of extensive academic research does show that partnerships and families based on marriage are the most successful form of relationship in terms of the wellbeing of children and the longevity of the partnership. That is not to say that all marriages are successful or that they last ‘until death us do part’. In fact more than 1 in 3 marriages end in divorce at some stage but the odds are much better than unmarried partnerships. Our society also recognises the ‘sanctity of marriage’ and although marriage vows of exclusivity are broken, to do so is to break the norms that our society recognises are important.
For Christian’s a marriage involves a vow before witnesses and more importantly, before God that the couple intend to stay married until one of them dies. Not all Christian marriages survive but from the beginning the expectation is that they will. A civil ceremony will not invoke God or any deity but is as its name suggests simply a civil contract between two people. In UK law this contract may be between any two adults of whatever gender. The Christian Church does, however, not take its guidance let alone instruction from whatever norms society as a whole think are appropriate at any given time but from scripture (the Bible) from which it takes its authority. An imperative from those scriptures is that we should treat one another as we would wish to be treated and we should certainly not be too hasty to condemn others or treat them with disdain. But that does not mean that we should subvert Bible teaching in doing so. There is no justification for or examples of same sex marriages throughout the 66 books of the Bible. A marriage by definition is a binding commitment between a man and a woman. The church and indeed all Christians should be compassionate towards a society that thinks differently but the Church of England is absolutely right in forbidding the holding of same sex marriages within its buildings and by its ministers. Should civil marriages be blessed? Even this seems somewhat counterintuitive – if a marriage has been conducted in a manner that is unacceptable to the church then how can that same church offer a blessing for it? On the other hand, has the church the right to withhold a blessing for anyone who asks for it? –In the final analysis it is God who blesses or withholds a blessing not us. We are but His agents. On balance the Church of England seems to have got it right.
On January 6th you may have seen on church doors or on houses of Christians a mysterious series of letters and numbers, looking for all the world like an equation, inscribed in chalk over a doorway. It is often seen on churches of the more catholic tradition of the church.
If you don’t know what the chalk is all about, don’t you are certainly not alone
Epiphany; which can also be known as Twelfth Night, Theophany, or Three Kings Day is the time that marks the occasion of a time-honoured Christian tradition of “chalking the doors.” The formula for the ritual — adapted for 2023 — is simple: take chalk of any colour and write the following above the entrance of your home: 20 + C + M + B + 23.
The letters have two meanings. First, they represent the initials of the Magi (wise men) who tradition say were called Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar — who came to visit Jesus. They also abbreviate the Latin phrase, Christus mansionem benedicat: “May Christ bless the house.” The “+” signs represent the cross, and the “20” at the beginning and the “23” at the end mark the year.
Taken together, this inscription is performed as a prayer for Jesus to bless those homes marked in this way and asks that Jesus stay with those who enter the house throughout the entire year.
The chalking of the doors is a centuries-old practice which is used throughout the world, It is, however, an easy tradition to adopt, and a great practice to dedicate the year to God from its very outset, asking His blessing on our homes and on all who live, work, or visit them there.
The timing for the chalking of the doors varies somewhat in practice. In some places, it is done on New Year’s Day. More commonly, it is performed on the traditional Feast of the Epiphany — the Twelfth Day of Christmas (6th January). Traditionally the blessing is done by either a priest or the head of the family. This blessing can be performed simply by just writing the inscription and offering a short prayer, or more elaborately, including songs, prayers, processions, the burning of incense, and the sprinkling of holy water.
Have you thought of asking God to bless your home and family? You do not need chalk or wait until January the 6th although you may want to start the year this way. You can ask God in prayer any day of the year at any time to do this. Words can be your own or a written prayer such as the Celtic prayer below.
Loving God
Bless this house and those within. Bless our giving and receiving. Bless our words and conversation. Bless our hands and recreation. Bless our sowing and our growing. Bless our coming and our going. Bless all who enter and depart. Bless this house, your peace impart. Amen
If you want to talk to us about prayer, then why not ask us?
At All Saints we have a tradition of holding a Carol Service by candlelight and involving as may people from all parts of the community as possible. Lessons are read by children and adults from as young as 6 to octogenarians. Where readers are unable to join us in person we use videos of them reading in their homes. The music is lead by an orchestra drawn from the community together with a choir and organ. And the whole service s rcorded and posted on our facebook page.
Why not experience our Carol Service yourself ? Go to our Facebookpage
Christingle celebrations have been taking place for over 50 years. The Children’s Society first Christingle service took place at Lincoln Cathedral in 1968, but Christingles themselves go back much further to the Moravian church in Germany.
At a children’s service in Marienborn in 1747, Bishop Johannes de Watteville looked for a simple way to explain the happiness that had come to people through Jesus, and created a symbol — the Christingle — to do this.
Christingle services are joyful celebrations that brings families and communities together to share the light of Jesus and spread a message of hope.
Christingle celebrations are named after the Christingles that are lit during the service. Christingles are oranges wrapped in red tape, decorated with dried fruit or sweets, with a candle on the top.
Christingles are usually held from the end of November through to February (Advent to Candlemas), with Christmas Eve being a particularly popular time for services. The one at All Saints Church Marlpool is Held on Christmas Eve.
During the service, each person takes a Christingle and the candles are all lit as they are lit the light they give symbolising the light of Christ and bringing hope to people living in darkness.
Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps to tell the Christian story:
The orange represents the world
The red ribbon (or tape) symbolises the love and blood of Christ
The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations
The lit candle represents Jesus’s light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.
We use any collection we get to support the work of the Children’s Society
And the Children’ Society?
The Children’s Society provide specialist support that empowers young people to make positive changes and rediscover their hope. Children want a future they can look forward to and the society are there to make sure they get it. Working alongside young people, their families and community, they will not rest until together, step-by-step, they have created a society built for all children.
Young people come to the society when they have low self-esteem. When they’re living in families who can’t afford the next meal, the next size up in school uniform. Or when there’s no one else to lean on.
Refugee and migrant children land in this country alone and look to The Children’s Society for guidance to achieve the life they dreamed of. To have a settled home, a secure job and starting a family. They’re not asking for too much.
The Children’s Society see teenagers in their services who want to quit using drugs or alcohol. Who are looking after mum, dad, or their siblings more than they bargained for. Or who have been taken advantage of and find themselves carrying drugs to far away towns, or having sex with strangers.
Often, the hope inside them has taken a battering, it might only be hanging by a thread. But the society know it’s there.
Young people come to the The Children’s Society when they need someone to talk to, for therapy, sometimes just a bite to eat. To help with their court case, to talk to their mum, social services, their teacher, to sometimes not talk at all. We work with young people for as long as it takes and we’re with them no matter what.
They also listen to their needs and campaign and lobby on their behalf. We want to make sure they are heard at local and nation government level. They know better than anyone what will make all the difference.
The Children’s Society take inspiration from the courage and hope we see in young people every day, fuelling our belief that a good childhood is something every young person deserves.
This carol is a Christmas favourite and is about a calm and bright silent night, and the wonder of a tender and mild new born child. The words were written in 1816 by a young priest in Austria, Joseph Mohr, not long after the Napoleonic wars had taken their toll. “The story is that the priest went for a walk before he wrote it, and he looked out over a very quiet, winter-laden town,” says composer/conductor John Conahan, and was inspired to write what originally was a poem. It was Christmas Eve, 1818, when the now-famous carol was first performed as Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht. Joseph Mohr, the young priest who wrote the lyrics, played the guitar and sang along with Franz Xaver Gruber, the choir director who had written the melody. An organ builder and repair man working at the church took a copy of the six-verse song to his home village. There, it was picked up and spread by two families of traveling folk singers, who performed around northern Europe. In 1834, the Strasser family performed it for the King of Prussia. In 1839, the Rainer family of singers debuted the carol outside Trinity Church in New York City. The composition evolved and was translated into over 300 languages with many different arrangements for various voices and ensembles. It was sung in churches, in town squares, even on the battlefield during World War I, when, during a temporary truce on Christmas Eve, soldiers sang carols from home. By 1914, the carol was known around the world, so was sung at the front simultaneously in French, German and English. Over the years, the carol has grown in popularity along with some mystery. After the original manuscript was lost some speculated that the music had been written by Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven. In 1994, an original manuscript was found in Mohr’s handwriting, with Gruber named as composer. The English version of “Silent Night” is typically sung in three verses.
Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. ‘Round yon Virgin Mother and Child, Holy Infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight! Glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ, the Saviour is born, Christ, the Saviour is born.
Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.
At All Saints church we thought we could use our entrance hall to show what each month offers us. October brings the beautiful rich colours of trees in our gardens, parks and countryside. We offer our ripe produce at harvest to our community, to local people, whether those in need using food banks or just to show someone cares. The children dress up and enjoy Halloween, the pumpkins outside houses giving a clue to where they will be welcome for trick or treat. November turns misty and this year so much rain, and people worry about floods after the dry summer. We have the excitement of bonfires and fireworks, both for Guy Fawkes and Divali. For some people the noise can be too much, the fireworks are much louder these days, and they worry about their pets. It seems that every time some group enjoys themselves another set are annoyed. Compromise in a community can be difficult. Remembrance Sunday is commemorated in November. Poppies are produced and on show everywhere. We can’t just think about the two world wars. In every news bulletin we are reminded that there is civil war in all parts of the world at this very moment. December brings Christmas. Again I find controversy; Is it too early to put gifts and decorations in the shops and garden centres? Is it just money-making or does it help to keep businesses alive? Does it help families spread the cost? Have we forgotten why we have Christmas? Food and drink are part of all religious festivals and Jesus attended a wedding feast with an excess of wine which the guests drank dry. We can enjoy our family time, presents and food, and still remember why we are celebrating.
A while back All Saints ran a questionnaire to understand better how we relate to the community and as a feed into our ‘Mission Action Planning’, where we should be concentration over the next two years. We kept the questionnaire short – just 10 questions (many of us will have been asked to complete questionnaires on a variety of subjects with an interminable number of questions – we were determined to avoid that!)
Here are the results:
Q1. What is your connection with All Saints?
Options
%
None
16.8
I’ve been to weddings/funerals/baptisms
28
I come to special service (e.g.. Carol service)
9.6
I join in Sunday Services around once per month
0.8
I join in Sunday services most weeks
8.0
I know someone who has a connection
13.6
I’ve noticed displays outside church
13.6
I see it on social media
4.0
I rarely/ever come to services but I join in other activities
5.6
Q2.Whch if any of these groups that meet at All Saints have you: heard of, attended, would be interested in?
Percentages for each answer would not be very helpful so are not included but around 20% of responders had not even heard of any of the groups.
Q3. What do you think the church is?
Options
%
A community facility
33.1
A Christian community
24.5
A place for services
17.9
Somewhere for people to pray
22.5
Other
2.0
Q4. What might encourage you to be more involved with All Saints Church?
Options
%
More convenient service times
1.6
Someone inviting me/coming with me
15.6
More interesting services/activities
15.6
Services/activities which are more relevant to me
18.8
None of the above
48.4
Q5. How could we help you to be more involved?
Options
%
Have more social events
38.7
Hold discussion groups where I can ask questions and tell you what I think
13.3
Communicate better what’s happening
22.7
Have someone I can talk to in confidence
5.3
Make the building more available to the community
20.0
Q6. How well do you think All Saints represents Christianity?
Options
%
Very well
25.7
Fairly well
33.8
Badly
1.4
Not at all
0.0
Don’t know
39.2
Q6. How well do you think All Saints serves the community of Marlpool?
Options
%
Very well
25.0
Fairly well
37.5
Badly
4.2
Not at all
1,4
Don’t know
31.9
Q7. How well do you think All Saints serves the community of Marlpool?
Options
%
Noticeboards
27.3
Flyers
14,1
Social Media
20.2
Word of mouth
35.4
Other
3.0
Q8. How do you find out what’s happening at All Saints?
Options
%
Noticeboards
27.3
Flyers
14,1
Social Media
20.2
Word of mouth
35.4
Other
3.0
Q9. Which of the following best describes what you think about church
Options
%
It is not a welcoming environment
6.8
Church is boring
1.4
It’s a place to ask questions
6.8
I don’t understand what church is about
1.4
I feel I belong
14.9
Christianity is not relevant to me
23.0
I’m afraid I won’t fit in
6.8
I can meet God there
16.2
It’s somewhere I can find help
12.2
I’d like to know more
10.8
Q10. To which age group do you belong?
Options
%
Under 18
5.3
18-25
4.0
26-40
14.7
41-65
38.7
66+
37.3
Do you live:
Options
%
Alone
29.7
With a partner
29.7
As part of a family
31.1
A single parent
8.1
Other
1.4
That’s the easy bit! Now we begin the process of interpreting the responses and using them as a start point for moving forward. Our thanks to all those who responded to questionnaire. We’ll be posing updates in marlpudlian.net and elsewhere as we plan the way ahead and, more importantly, act on those plans.
Benjamin Franklin is generally credited with saying: ‘In this world nothing is certain except death and taxes’. While it might be just about possible to avoid paying taxes it is absolutely certain that sooner or later every one of us will die.
So then what?
Well whether our bodies are cremated, interred or buried at sea it is beyond doubt that our physical bodies do end up as ‘dust to dust, ashes to ashes’ as the words used in most funeral service declare. But is that it, is that the end of us?
Well the vast majority of faiths would affirm that that is not the case, that there are two elements to all human life. These are usually referred to as the body, the physical element, and the soul, the spiritual and invisible element. During life these two elements are inextricably bound together but when we die they separate. We know what happens to the body but what about the soul?
The most reliable source of information regarding this is The Bible, although the Qur’an (the Muslim scriptures) does refer to life after death and has some similarities.
The Old Testament has very few references to life after death. The prevailing concept is of eternal rest (in a place called Sheol) but there is little expansion on this. So we need to turn to the New Testament.
In the time of Jesus there were varying traditions and beliefs within Judaism. One group, called Sadducees, did not believe in any form of life beyond death but that one’s situation in life was dependent on how well the individual followed the laws set down by Moses. So the good prospered and the bad suffered.
Jesus did not subscribe to this view, so some Sadducees challenged him with a hypothetical situation; A man married a woman but he died without his wife having any children so his brother married her (in the Jewish tradition of the time, if a married man died without children his brother was obligated to marry his widow and have children to preserve the family name). In this story the brother also died without children and so the next brother married the widow and so on several times. Finally the woman died. The question they posed Jesus was:’ So whose wife was the woman when they all got the heaven? ‘
Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
So here we have an unambiguous statement from Jesus that there is most certainly life after death.
When Jesus was crucified he was not on his own, there were two criminals crucified with him. One of them asked Jesus to remember him when he entered his Kingdom. To this Jesus replied: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” It seems inconceivable that Jesus, so close the death himself. would have promised something that he couldn’t deliver.
At the Last Supper Jesus told his disciples that he was going to ‘prepare a place for them’. In the context of his imminent crucifixion, this could only mean a spiritual place.
So if there is indeed life after death what is it like and does everyone end up in the same place?
What heaven is like is a difficult one. We live in a finite world where time passes, so it is virtually impossible to comprehend any environment where time doesn’t exist – eternity. What would we do in eternity? These are unanswerable questions. There are lots of analogies in the Bible but these can only give an inkling. What we are assured is that in Heaven we are close to God and all the pains, cares and concern of this life will no longer exist, we will be in a place of perfection and harmony.
Does everyone end up in Heaven? – The short answer is, no.
Probably the most famous verse in the Bible makes this clear: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’
So what happens to all the rest?
Before we get to that let’s look at ‘whoever believes in him’
This doesn’t mean an abstract belief in Jesus as an historical figure, a good man, or even that he was someone sent by God. It means a belief in Jesus as the Son of God, an acceptance of his teachings and a commitment to do our best to follow them.
As James says in his letter; ‘faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead’.
As to what happens to everyone else.
Much as this is probably the answer that we don’t want to hear, the inescapable truth is that after our physical death each of us will be judged. The good news is that God alone is our judge – we do not get to judge one another. As a graphic example of how this works Jesus told this parable.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
The first thing to note from this parable is that it is about how we treat our fellow human beings. The second thing is that how we treat one another is the equivalent to treating God himself that way.
But what about this ‘eternal fire’? Are those that don’t make the grade literally going to spend eternity in a fiery pit?
It is difficult to square this picture with the one of a loving God who allowed himself to be murdered to give us a way back to Him. There are any number of views on this but most likely these glimpses of hell are intended to be taken figuratively to describe an environment in which God is absent, which is the opposite of eternal life in heaven. Somewhere where no one could possibly choose to go.
But what about those who know nothing of Jesus or Christianity?
The apostle Paul covered this in his letter to the church in Rome
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)
What Paul was saying is that those who have not had any opportunity to hear or respond to Gospel message will still be judged but based on a different criteria to those who have.
So in a nutshell;
There is most certainly life after death
After death each one of us will be judged by God
No one makes the grade on their own
BUT through the death and resurrection of Jesus everyone has the opportunity to inherit eternal life with God
All that is required of us is that we believe in Jesus as God and do our best to live according to his teachings.
Remembrance Sunday is the Sunday nearest to 11th November. It was orignally inaugurated to remember those who died in World War I, which formally ended on 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Despite this war being proclaimed as: ‘the war to end all wars’, unfortunaltey it wasn’t. Today we also remember those who have also died in more recent coflicts from World War II onwards.
From the beginning poppies have been the symbol of remembrance taken from the poppies growing in Flanders where several WWI battles were fought. Traditionally poppies are red, the normal natural colour of poppies and a symbol of the blood thet was shed. More recently, other colours are someties worn: Black commemorates the contributions of black, African and Caribbean communities to the war effort – as servicemen and servicewomen, and as civilians, Purple is often worn to remember animals that have been the victims of war, White poppies are sometimes worn by people who feel that the red poppy glorifies war. The white poppy is stll intended to commemorate those who have died in conflict but challenges us all to focus on avoiding was and achieving peace.
At all Saints, each year we create a display outside the church building, as you can see in the picture below and invtte anyone and everyone to add a poppy of any colour and of any constructon. Some are bought, some are knitted, some are made of paper and others of out of plastic bottles.
This is 2021 display – look out for this years!
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