140 Anniversary

Several months ago Pauline realised that 2018 would be the 140th.Year of worship at Flowergate and suggested that this was a milestone that should be celebrated. Very quickly a small committee was formed and ideas for a celebratory week-end of Prayer and Praise were brought forward. With her contacts at Synod Pauline was able to pull off the scoop of the year by getting none other than the Moderator of the General Assembly and Yorkshire Synod, the Rev. Kevin Watson, to commit to coming to Whitby as our Special Guest and Keynote Speaker, for the week-end 24th/25th. March. The committee swung into action (well as much as a group of septuagenarians can swing anywhere!) and plans began to take shape. All our visiting Ministers and Lay Preachers had to be invited, along with members, friends and a few dignitaries were also invited. A Gospel Concert was suggested and with that Keith & Electra headed to Filey to one of Paul Wheater’s regular concerts. On their return they recommended that we should book Paul for our Gospel Concert. Michael and Pauline suggested that the Jelly Rolls Jazz Band could get us off to a lively start and were duly booked. Because it would be springtime when daffodils would be in bloom a theme colour of yellow was suggested with lots of lovely yellow daffodils inside and outside the church. Things then began to fall into place - Michael composed the Invitations, Keith got the posters and a banner organised, Pauline organised Hotel accommodation for the Moderator, Anne agreed to ‘spruce up’ the outside with extra plants etc, Electra contacted Ann Wheeler (Dorothy Calderley’s daughter) for the afternoon catering and Sandy volunteered to do the Coffee Morning. No trouble at all. !! Actually we soon realised that we might have a problem with numbers and so we had to limit the tickets for the Gospel Concert to eighty, which in the end worked out nicely. When We realised the 25th.March was actually Palm Sunday and we had the Moderator leading our worship we had to do something a bit special. While attending Helen Webster’s Leaving Service Keith approached Ann Bull, whose group of friends were supplying the music at that Service, and asked if she would consider coming to Flowergate for our Anniversary Service. and she said that she would put it to the others and would stay in contact. She did and they came.

On Saturday morning, 24th.March celebrations started with a Coffee Morning with a difference, when everyone was invited for coffee and biscuits and were invited to take their coffee into the sanctuary to listen and enjoy the music by the Jelly Rolls Jazz Band. After Lunch theyreturned for their second session, this time playing on the Church steps and amazingly, or perhaps not so amazingly, some passers-by stopped to listen and began dancing in the street. When do you ever see people dancing in the street outside Flowergate Church.

In the afternoon there was a Gospel Concert featuring Paul Wheater, always regarded as the British Jim Reeves. His music repertoire was wide with a ‘bit’ of Elvis in there but also included “Amazing Grace”, the Christian’s ‘National Anthem’ and along with his chat and testimony, was inspirational.

Everyone enjoyed a superb buffet afternoon Tea in the Upper Room followed by a second session of Paul Wheater.

Before calling on the Moderator to deliver his keynote speech Michael Mewis, on behalf of the Flowergate Congregation, presented the Moderator with a specially embroidered ‘stole’ to mark the occasion. This was followed by the Moderator’s inspirational and challenging ‘sermon’ on how he sees the challenge facing the church today, which he believes is as great today as that faced in the time of the Reformation.

Sunday was Palm Sunday and Morning Worship was again led by the Moderator with music by the group of “Ring-a-round friends” led by Ann Bull from Scarborough. Their music was truly wonderful and the congregation sang their hearts out with such uplifting music to inspire them. Easter Week could not have got off to a better or more inspirational start. The Moderator again challenged those attending with another Inspirational sermon and this was a great way to sign off on the celebrations of “140 years of worship in this place” Over the week-end the word most used was “inspirational” and the organisers could not have wished for more. Truly an inspirational week-end.