Letter for October 2023
Dear friends,
Over the last two years our village has become moderately well known for two things which ten years ago would have seemed very unlikely. These are first: Harry Styles heritage tours, and second: celebrations involving lots of knitting.
I am in no place to comment on the first, maybe because I am in the wrong generation. But I would like to develop the second, because St Luke’s Church has found itself happily in the middle of the Yarn Bombers’ presentation of the Woolly Queen and Knitted King. We have been glad to host the bunting and the centrepiece of these special occasions. And in the first two weeks of October, we are delighted to host the Knitted Bible Experience.
It’s not only the Jubilee and Coronation which are worth celebrating in this way. The World’s Bestselling Book is worth celebrating. The Bible is the book in most demand on our planet, most especially in the parts of the world where people’s lives are war-torn and oppressed.
From 2nd to 13th October, St Luke’s Church will be transformed, as it hosts the Knitted Bible Experience. Thirty-five scenes from the Bible are reimagined using knitted characters. Favourites from the Old Testament and New, including Noah’s Ark and Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep. And you may have already noticed the impressive bunting in the churchyard.
The Exhibition visited us in January 2022, soon after the Covid restrictions were lifted. It was the first school trip since lockdowns for all of the classes of Holmes Chapel Primary School, whose students, parents and teachers enjoyed the visit and a follow-up Assembly. Sadly, the classes of The Hermitage Primary were prevented from coming due to a large Covid outbreak in their school community, so we have arranged a follow-up visit.
In October, the classes of The Hermitage Primary School are being welcomed at St Luke’s Church, one at a time, for an hour each, to experience the Knitted Bible. And some of the Holmes Chapel Primary Classes are coming back for a top-up!
It’s important for all young people in our society to have a good grasp of the main contents of the Bible. It’s the world’s best seller and the holy book of the largest religion in the world. To have an understanding of the motivation of over a quarter of the world’s inhabitants demands that schoolchildren are able to learn something of the scriptures which have underpinned the flourishing of Western culture and transformed the faith of many communities in Asia, Africa and the Americas. The Bible has also inspired the belief of the largest faith groups in our village, the three churches which make up Churches Together in Holmes Chapel.
In the last eighteen months, our community has enjoyed the celebrations of the dear late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Coronation of King Charles, with the help of a woolly Queen and a woolly King and a lot of woolly extras. This month, if you see the woolly extras again, say another thank you to the Yarn Bombers………. And come into church, to experience the Knitted Bible.
Knitted Bible public viewing times in St Luke’s church:
Saturday 7th October 10am-1pm and 2-5pm
Sunday 8th October 2pm-5pm
Wednesday 11th October 6pm-9pm
Thursday 12th October 6pm-9pm
Yours in Christ,
Rob