Roger Scoones' Monthly Dialogue
Rev Roger Scoones
Rev Roger Scoones is Rector of St Mary's Parish Church, Stockport and is a well known figure in the local community.
APRIL 2009
Easter is neither “early” nor “late” this year! It seems to be placed
just right, especially for daffodils. My garden is a picture at this
time of year, and I’m certain the flower ladies in Churches across the
land will be delighted to decorate their Churches with daffodils. St
Mary’s is such a large Church that we don’t try very hard to decorate it
with flowers, and so there are only ever two displays of flowers at the
most. Never mind, other Churches look lovely! We can’t have everything,
and I for one, as the Rector am very glad that the Churchyard is looked
after by our local authority Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, who
do a splendid job, and leave us with nothing to do. My congregation
doesn’t realise how lucky they are!
Easter, at whatever time of year it falls, always seems to “catch me
out”, and my preparations for this great Christian festival are quite
different than for Christmas, where we at St Mary’s have 3-4 weeks of
non-stop activity leading up to the “big day”. Holy Week at St Mary’s is
not full of special services and observances as it is in many Anglican
Churches but we do join up with the local Methodist Church at Tiviot
Dale in the Town Centre for a Maundy Thursday evening Communion, and on
Good Friday the Town Centre Churches hold a United Service there, and
then walk in a quiet procession of Witness through the Town Centre to St
Mary’s for another service which is always a good experience.
In recent years I have managed to get up to a local “beauty spot” Lyme
Park which is situated up in the hills above Stockport for a Sunrise
Service at 6 a.m. on Easter Day. However in 2008 it had snowed so
heavily the night before, and apart from a magical drive through the
roads of suburban Stockport at 5 a.m. in a winter wonder landscape, we
failed to reach the Service. Maybe better success this year as it is
always another heartening Ecumenical occasion.
April is the time when Churches in England elect their Councils and Lay
leaders and this will happen at the end of the month, but not before we
have welcomed members of the Coldstream Guards Association (Retired Army
personnel and their wives) to a morning service to mark St George’s Day.
Despite the fact that St George is our Patron Saint he does not get much
of a cheer in this country so, as Honorary Padré of this Association I’m
glad to give them a helping hand.
April is a month full of promise and new life, Spring is well and
truly here, and the Easter Message is amazing. But especially for me, as
I look forward then to May, which begins on May 1st with my Birthday!
Roger Scoones
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