Putting Jesmond on the map!
This month sees St George’s parish busy engaging with the community through art, consultation events and celebrating its 130th birthday.
The weekend of 6th and 7th October will showcase St George’s very own EXPO 2018. This is a selling art exhibition which has been held in the church hall of St George’s every two years since the early 1980s to raise money for St Oswald’s Hospice. The brainchild of Cyril and Patricia Winskell, it promotes the talents of members of the congregation and the community of Jesmond. Opening times are 10 am till 7pm on Saturday and 10.30 am till 4.30 pm on Sunday.
On offer will be various works of art, including paintings, prints, ceramics and jewellery, with 25% of the total proceeds going to fund the work of St Oswald’s Hospice in Gosforth. Find out more about the work they do at https://www.stoswaldsuk.org/ . Art and craft made by hospice patients and volunteers will also be on display and for sale. And on both days, lunch will be available to buy and to be enjoyed while listening to live music: Robson’s Choice http://www.robsonschoice.co.uk/ the Northumbrian pipes band will be playing on Saturday. Other music planned include Westfield School Choir singing on Saturday and the North East Gospel Choir https://sites.google.com/site/northeastgospel/home singing at 3pm on Sunday.
A regular attender, I enjoy all aspects of the Expo: walking around the exhibits, exchanging opinion with other visitors and the most exciting bit, choosing to purchase something for the home. There is always time for cake, tea and coffee and chit chat with other visitors including what we will vote as our favourite Expo exhibit. But top of my list, after buying art, is attending a talk by an art expert. The Art Fund are organising a talk by Jessica Kindersley entitled ‘Framed Memories’ on the Saturday 6th October at 2pm. Here is the link to find out more about the speaker and the talk https://www.artfund.org/whats-on/events/2018/10/06/framed-memories-jessica-kindersley.
Expo ends at 4.30 pm on Sunday when the Vox Populi, the most popular work of art or craft in the exhibition as judged by visitors, will be announced. There will also be a draw: the “Art Lovers Raffle”.
It will be party time for St George’s Church on Sunday 14th October when we celebrate the 130th anniversary of the dedication of this wonderful building. We are looking forward to welcoming Bishop Mark, Suffragan Bishop of Berwick, who will preside over the 9.30 am Family Service. Bishop Mark is the second ever person to fill that role, the post has laid empty since 1572! http://www.newcastle.anglican.org/news-and-events/news-article.aspx?id=10113 It will be his first visit to St George’s Church and we look forward to offering him a warm Jesmond welcome! We are told he is fond of posting selfies with people he meets as part of his ministry and then tweeting them: photo opportunity anyone? https://twitter.com/BishopBerwick
On Saturdays 20th October and 10th November, 10 am to 1pm, we set aside time to develop St George’s vision for the future. The organisers will use a process developed over many years called ‘Leading your Church into Growth: Local’ https://www.leadingyourchurchintogrowth.org.uk/the-local-course
which has successfully grown churches in numbers, in spirituality and in service to their local communities. Everyone – young, old, regular churchgoers, newcomers – are very welcome to help develop St George’s vision, which builds on the good that has gone before and focusses our attention and energies to develop our worship, our engagement with the local community and wider world, our work with children, youngsters and young adults. Do come to both or either event and please bring lunch to share afterwards from 1pm (a Crèche will be provided).