The congregation of Fogo Parish Church meets this Sunday to continue their Easter Celebrations. So far we have listened to what the Gospel writers, Mark, Matthew and Luke, as well as the great letter writer Paul, have had to say. This week we turn our attention to the words of Saint John. John’s Gospel was the last of the Bible Gospels to be written and we shall discover much which reflects thoughts in the Christian Church towards the end of the first century — many of these thoughts will challenge us today in Fogo in the twenty-first century.

Our service is at 10.30 a.m. and everyone is always welcome at Fogo Parish Church.

Our new Easter Pulpit Fall

We meet together this Sunday at 10.30 a.m. to celebrate the Third Sunday of Easter and to continue our Easter celebrations.

So far we have listened to what Mark had to tell us about the first Easter (and we also celebrated Easter communion and even went egg-rolling after the service)! Last week we were guided both by the words that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth and by what Matthew shared with his readers and this week we shall listen with expectation to Luke’s Easter message. We shall also continue to sing and celebrate our way through this wonderful time of the year.

Things will be a little bit disrupted this Sunday because we have embarked on the final stage of removing damp from our ancient building. Our air-to-air heating system has done a magnificent job not just in keeping us warm all winter but also in gradually removing centuries of damp from the walls. Now we are tackling the final three areas of remaining damp. Lath and plaster has been removed and the stone walls exposed to the elements; ruble (which has been holding the damp) has been removed and by Sunday we hope that everything will be dry to enable the work of re-plastering to be undertaken next week. Exciting times!

The remaining area of damp in the south aisle with plaster removed

A discovery!

When the plaster was removed from the south aisle a gravestone was discovered built into the wall. We don’t know if this was its original position or if it was used by the builders because it was available. It would be good to find out.

We hope to have the building back to normal for the Sunday after this — but normal service will continue whatever. Remember: “You are always welcome at Fogo Parish Church.”

Up date: The contractors have made even better progress than expected and, as a result, the walls in the Church will all be replastered for Sunday. Next stop will be a complete redecoration of the interior of the church but we’ll have to wait a little while until the plaster has dried out. It will be wonderful to have a damp-free and newly decorated church in which to worship.

Our Easter Cross

We meet this Sunday at 10.30 a.m. for our Service to mark the Second Sunday of Easter.

Having read Mark’s account of this day on Easter Day itself, this Sunday we are looking at what Matthew has to say about the first Easter and Jesus’ resurrection. We shall also be singing some of the great Easter hymns — there are far too many to sing at one service!

After the service we shall share refreshments and, as always, everyone will be made most welcome.

“You are always welcome

at

Fogo Parish Church” 

Some of our Easter congregation rolling eggs.

Easter was a wonderful day — it started cold, but the church was beautifully warm — and then the sun came out and, after the service, we were able to roll the fifty-plus hard-boiled and then dyed eggs which had been prepared for us.

So many people had done something to make today really special. A cross decorated with flowers sat on the chancel, and everywhere in the church there were flowers with lots of Easter daffodils. A new Easter pulpit fall had been made and someone had bought Easter activity books for the children, another Easter Eggs while still another had made chocolate nests filled with tiny eggs for everyone in the congregation.

Stupendous music had been prepared, the ancient silver communion ware was on the communion table, refreshments had been brought in for after the service and so many people had come to join us.

We had every decade of age represented: children under ten, teenagers, twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties — every single decade having at least one representative!

It was a happy, happy service with several people sharing in leading the service and in distributing the communion. We had so very much to celebrate.