Harvest Celebration Highlights from across our churches

Harvest at Ainsdale Village Church

Harvest is an important time to remember God as creator and be thankful for the good things He provides. There are many celebrations across our churches, bringing communities together and supporting those in need. Here are some highlights from across the Mersey Synod.

Ainsdale Village Church held a Harvest Festival service on 17th September. Church members donated items from their gardens, and Ann Hanley provided an abundance of food from her allotment. The local community brought bags and goodies and gave cash donations too. Revd Robert Shallcross led the service and Mike Smith played the organ. As is usual, all the donations and bags of food went to the Southport Soup Kitchen.

Macclesfield & Bollington URC celebrated the festival of Harvest on 8th October. The service was led by Revd Dr Marion Tugwood, and the focus was on gratitude for the things we have, which we often take for granted, and also our response to the climate emergency, to ensure the future of our planet. The church was beautifully decorated by church member, Anne Watson, and the congregation responded generously to the request for harvest gifts.  Fresh produce was donated to a local centre which provides supported accommodation to young people. Tinned and packeted goods were donated to Macclesfield’s Silklife Foodbank, which had put out a call for more donations of food in the month before the service.

The week before, the church hosted a concert organised by the Hope Centre in Macclesfield. The Hope Centre, which is a café and Christian bookshop, located next to the church, exists to provide a means by which the churches of Macclesfield and the surrounding area can reach out to the people of the town with hope and compassion. The concert was entitled, ‘A harvest of young musical talent’ – and it was just that! Seven young, local musicians performed on a wide variety of instruments, and in the second half, three students of the Royal Northern College of Music, again all local to Macclesfield, performed. It was an uplifting, impressive and very well-attended evening and it raised much needed funds for the work of the centre.

Malpas Community Church ran a Harvest Themed Cafe Church with some of the paintings that the children made at Buzz About Playgroup on display.

Ormskirk Street ran an Experiencing Harvest event with Queens Park Primary School.

The Uniting Church Garden Lane held an afternoon Harvest Tea on 8th October followed by a Community Celebration for Harvest on the theme of Creation, led by the United Reformed Church Minister, Revd Ceri Gardner and Christine Jones, a retired Methodist Minister. Children from the Ukraine were involved and brought some of their work. Matt Baker, Organist and Choir Master of the nearby St Oswald and St Thomas Anglican Church struck up a medley of traditional harvest hymns on the church organ. The congregation sang the Hymn, 'God is here ! As We His People Meet To Offer Prayer And Praise' and in response to each verse, appropriate items were brought to a central table. Finally, with prayer, offerings of produce were added by the congregation to be shared between the charities Save the Family and West Cheshire Foodbank.

St Andrew’s United Church had a fabulous Harvest Festival display.