Sunday at May Family Weekend 2025 – Love Letters
Sunday at May Family Weekend 2025 was lots of fun! We continued our sessions after a fantastic cooked breakfast – major thanks to the Purley Chase team for this. Each group was looking at something different, and the older teenagers prepared a Matins for us to share in after the break. We had a dramatic presentation of the story of Saul who was later called Paul, and heard a news broadcast about it.
The teenage group then went on to look at “fruits of the spirit” from Galatians – more about this tomorrow. The younger children learnt about how Jesus tells us to love one another through the story of the Good Samaritan. There was some thinking outside the box in the middle group, who talked about the strategy of Paul’s missions around the Roman Empire.
The middle group also created social media presentations of how Paul might have spread his message in this day and age.
The adults looked at another story in 1 Corinthians, that of faith, hope, and love, and thought about which one was most important to them. They also thought about how the Armour of God in Ephesians relates closely to Swedenborgian thought of using the Lord’s Word to protect us from spiritual attacks.
There was some serious painting done in the youngest group – we got to see their swords and shields in action in the service on Monday morning.
We had a roast dinner on for Sunday lunch (mmm!), then got ready to make the trip out to Conkers. Part of the excitement was deciding who was going in which car – there was barely a seat to spare!
Trip
When we arrived at Conkers we split up into smaller groups. For the rail enthusiasts, the trip on the little train had to be done. There was a 4D cinema – apparently the adults were hiding behind the young people in order not to get wet. Outside, some of the young people got very wet indeed in the fountains.
The ducks and geese were also a source of entertainment, particularly for one young man aged 1 year and 1 week old.
We walked on wobbly bridges, around treetop walks, and through a reed bed path. The brave took their shoes and socks off for the barefoot walk. The activity trail was enjoyed by children, teenagers and adults alike! For the more “mature” members, some of us will remember that crawling on our knees on wooden planks is something to be done only irregularly.
Back at Purley Chase
When we arrived home, we were treated to yet another delicious meal, after which some of the children watched a film in the Beech Room.
The evening ended with Vespers – a time of quiet, meditative worship in the Olive Room. We thought about how it may feel to be filled with the Holy Spirit, like the early Christians – for some, being at Purley with a wonderful group of people really brings this home. This set some of the younger children up to go to bed without complaint, while others stayed in the room a little longer to enjoy a peaceful version of Psalm 121: “I lift my eyes unto the hills; from where will my help come?” by Dan Forrest.
Monday’s instalment will follow soon – watch this space!
Participant
Participant