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Christ Church Woodburn annual picnic a great success

By Elaine Hooker

Published: September 2008

Related Topics: Parish News

On Sunday June 22, Christ Church Woodburn had a Grand picnic. We were pleased to have Christ Church Cathedral join us. The invitation was extended, after the Cathedral had welcomed our parish with Interim Pastor Canon Elaine Hooker as preacher in February.

The grounds at Christ Church Woodburn are lush and green and there is room for children to run and play and for all to worship outside. We were delighted by the number of people, about 140, half of them made the trek to Woodburn from the cathedral for the service, pot-luck lunch, and games for all ages afterwards.

The theme of this years' picnic was "Love". The Niagara Youth Band led by Jamie Barnes, gave us energy and set the tone for an uplifting experience. The children's participation in the Proclamation of the Word, readings, and stories, brought us the powerful message that God welcomes Everyone. The singing puppets reminded us to put the Love of God in our Hearts. It was the First Nations day of Prayer, and we heard the native story about how the butterfly came to be.

We celebrated the Eucharist with bread and wine administered by clergy and lay assistants from both parishes.

It was impossible to sample all the dishes at the pot-luck lunch, but most of us tried. Thanks to all who organized, setup and cleaned up. Fun and games were played by those who were young and the young at heart. Races for all ages often included getting wet. As it was a very warm day, the water was welcome.

Christ Church Woodburn would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of Christ Church Cathedral for joining us and helping us to celebrate this year's Church Picnic. This was a wonderful celebration of God's LOVE for all of us. The message that God welcomes Everyone was very apparent.

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