Parish celebration brings distant churches together

 

By Julie Golding Page. In Saskatchewan, it is said that a farmer will drive 50 miles for a good cup of coffee. That may well be true, but on Sunday, July 20, the Anglican Mission of Hudson Bay and Arborfield outperformed this statistic. Some parishioners drove 85 miles (120 km) to participate in a parish event that included a joyful celebration of the Eucharist, followed by a delicious barbecue.

The gathering was a special event because while the two small churches in Hudson Bay and Arborfield share one parish, they are located approximately as far apart as Prince Albert and Saskatoon. The distance between the churches makes parish events a challenge, especially when combined with unpredictable weather in the winter and parishioners’ sowing and harvest schedules in the spring, summer and fall.

The day began with a service of Holy Eucharist, aptly named for the festive occasion, as “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving” in New Testament Greek. The Reverend Julie Golding Page celebrated communion and preached, making references to Indiana Jones, the British Museum and the Rosetta Stone during the sermon. The Reverend Steve Page led congregational singing and provided accompaniment with his guitar, playing a mix of traditional hymns and new praise and worship songs. Mr. Page also gave a children’s chat to an enthusiastic group of elementary- and preschool-aged children, explaining how the many shapes, sizes and colours of marshmallows in his bag resembled the variety of gifts and people in both the parish and God’s wider church.

Congregational involvement continued throughout the service, with Rae Granberg (Hudson Bay) and Marge Hainstock (Arborfield) presenting the Scripture readings, Linda Coates (Arborfield) offering the Prayers of the People, Sharon Washburn (Hudson Bay) assisting Mrs. Golding Page at the altar and Liam Washburn (Hudson Bay) acting as crucifer (cross-bearer).

The festivities continued after the service, with a barbecue on the church lawn. Parish barbecue chef extraordinaire Rob Granberg served up hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers on the grill, while the ladies of the parish prepared salads, desserts and beverages. Lunch followed, accompanied by much laughter and conversation.

“It was a wonderful get-together and we should do it more often,” commented Dora Thack (Hudson Bay). Linda Coates (Arborfield) echoed this sentiment, saying of the people of Hudson Bay, “It is a pleasure to get together with them, and we feel more of a connection with them now.” Leonard Gray (Arborfield) agreed, “The fellowship’s the thing I enjoyed the most.”

The parish service and barbecue was therefore pronounced a great success and the two churches are already planning another such gathering in the coming months. Although the distance between the two churches can be prohibitive, this day together shows that the “communion of the saints,” as the Apostles’ Creed puts it, is a gift from God that can be experienced in a profound way in our two-point parish.