– So runs the chorus of the Harvest Samba, much beloved of Braunston’s schoolchildren.
Despite the rather hopeful attempts at rhyme the song works as an up beat modern harvest song that doesn’t forget about God and it certainly got the school harvest festival in church off to a toe-tapping, hip swinging start. The 210 children and over 90 parents and grandparents certainly filled the church as each year group made a contribution to the service and learned that we must thank God for what we have and share with others using a short (somewhat anodised) dramatisation of Matthew 25: 31-46. It would be great to include photos of this event but there is a risk of accidentally including children whose parents prefer them not to be photographed so you’ll just have to use your imagination! Think of a church filled with flowers and children and singing and piles of harvest gifts and you’ll get the rough idea!
In church on Sunday the Harvest family service included all the big belly-busting harvest hymns that everyone loves to sing, offerings made to God of the best of what we have grown or bought and the altar crowded with dry goods destined for the Daventry Food Bank and fresh produce ((lots of apples and courgettes this year with a surprising upward trend for pineapples) ready for auction at the harvest supper in the school hall with proceeds of £179 going to the Braunston Community car project. A fine sermon was preached by Anne, our lay worship leader, who made some sobering points about giving and a comic sketch about whether we need to thank God, Sainsbury’s or the farmer for baked beans brought an extra touch of humour to proceedings. The flower ladies excelled themselves, the October sun streamed in through the stained glass and the church looked stunning for the occasion.
The harvest supper itself was fun with diners occupied by a quiz set by somebody with a dark and devious mind and a terrible aptitude for word play. Roast pork and veg and the usual All Saints’ dazzling array of puddings made for a lovely meal and thanks must go to the small team of cooks and bottle washers! There was a poignancy to the occasion as we remembered Sheila Rowley, whose last public act before she succumbed to cancer was to pass on the lore of “how to do the harvest supper” by supervising the present team at last year’s supper.
So another year of sowing and tending and reaping for our farmers and another year of sowing, tending and reaping a different harvest for us in the church.