A busy Sunday

I went to the 9.30 a.m. Holy Communion service at St. Francis's this morning which, being Palm Sunday, meant that we were each given a palm as we left the altar rail after taking the sacraments.  I didn't stop for coffee today but drove to St. Paul's to join Sara at their informal praise service where I was given yet another and larger palm cross. There is so much going on in Salisbury this Holy Week that it is very difficult to choose what to do and where to go. Sara zoomed off straight after the service and I stayed behind for coffee (having missed my drink at St. Francis's) and chatted to Ian Cowley (one of my lecturers at Church House) and the former secretary of the Diocesan South Sudan Link, Vere Hayes who has quite a few links as a peace negotiator in the Sudan.  I returned home for a light lunch of spaghetti carbonara before returning to St. Francis's to assist in (by handing our service sheets) and observing a private baptism and to reflect upon why it had been a private affair and not part of the usual morning Eucharistic or praise service.  The reason was really quite simple - there were a large number of people who were not regular church-goers and attendance at either of the usual services might have felt uncomfortable for them.  I had some time to kill before I had to return for my third visit to St. Francis's to lead the Choral Evensong. As it was such a bright and sunny day I used the couple of hours to go up to the castle and cathedral on Old Sarum Hill and wander around enjoying the sunshine and soaking up the historical backdrop to this place.  The car park closed at 5.00 pm. so I drove to Old Sarum Airfield and watched a couple of planes (one of which was practising stalling) take off and return.  Back at St. Francis's for 5.40 p.m. I robed with Ida (one of the other LLMs) and the choir and then led the Choral Evensong with Ida preaching on John 6 (which we had so recently studied in our House Group).  The service seemed to go down well (there were 15 in the congregation) and Paul sent me a really lovely email appreciating the way I had taken the service. It made me feel really good and he is so good at encouraging people.  I ended the day, after speaking briefly to Mum on the phone, having a couple of pints of beer with Richard in the Lion's Head.