Time presses on and we are nearly halfway through our
commitment at St Peter’s. We enjoy being here, but it’s a church that has gone
through a difficult time, and is still emerging from that; there are still some
conflicts, and a need for healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. But there
are some committed Christians here, and with the right leadership, and plenty
of prayer, we hope that all shall be well.
Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday; I always enjoy the
challenge of preaching on that subject – sp central to Christian faith! The
congregations at the two services weren’t huge; perhaps the excellent weather ,
and the fact that several regulars were on holiday, contributed towards that.
We’ve also started meeting with more people, and talking and praying with them;
we hope we can sow some seeds of healing while we are here. The Alpha course
after the main service on Sunday is drawing to a close. It seems to have been
quite successful, and we’ve enjoyed being able to share in the lunches and some
of the discussion.
Chantilly, as we’ve probably said before, claims to be
the capital of French horse-racing, and last weekend saw the first big race of
the season, the Prix de Jockey-Club, for three year old horses, on Sunday. The
previous day, there was a procession through the town by trainee jockeys on
thorough-breds, wearing the colours which the ‘real’ jockeys would wear for the
race. On the day we managed to see the start of the race, as the racecourse is
adjacent to the public lunch.
We’ve managed some walking every day; there is a
canal at the bottom of the road, and the hippodrome and its surrounding lawns
are nearby. We’ve visited the Abbaye Royale de Chaalis, a short drive from
here, which has picturesque ruins, and lovely formal gardens; it is also the
start of the ‘Writers’ Walk’ through the wood to Ermenonville – the writers
include J.J. Rousseau, who is buried in the park in the town. Our other day out
was to re-visit the splendid Château of Chantilly, which houses the outstanding
collection of paintings created by the Duc d’Aumale. The grounds are also fine,
including formal French gardens designed by LeNôtre, who also designed the
gardens at Versailles, a little hamlet and informal ‘English’ gardens. And one
afternoon we walked round three étangs in the forest. There is plenty of
wild-life: we heard a cuckoo for the first time in years, and have seen a coypu
and a variety of birds – Jo finally saw a kingfisher this morning.
But it’s not all holiday! Planning, leading and
preaching at one or two services a week takes time, and we are doing some
pastoral visiting and joining with others in prayer for themselves and for the
future of the church. We’re also praying over the history of the church. Its
original foundation, for British trainers jockeys
met with some opposition, but it now seems to be well integrated into the
community. But we do wonder what happened to the building during the War.
Chantilly was of course occupied by German forces, and the British population
either left for the UK, or ended up in internment camps. The RC curé was arrested by the Gestapo after he preached
against the Nazis; he eventually died in a concentration camp.
The weather continues to be kind to us (but not for the
south of France, which has suffered from hail and torrential rainstorms day
after day. Around here, the problem is very dry and cracking earth.) Today saw
more strikes and demonstrations against pension reform, but it seems likely to
be the last time, as the Assembly appears unlikely to vote to overrule the
decision – and, anyway, everyone takes a
holiday in July or August!
Please pray for us, as we continue to try to discern
the needs here, and what we can offer in the limited time remaining, And please
pray for the good people of St Peter’s, as they begin to look for a permanent
chaplain.
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