'CHRISTMAS FAYRE' 2009
GRAND CHARITY CHRISTMAS FAYRE
Once again the congregation and friends of The Anglican Church of Paphos collected, crafted and cooked to create a Christmas Fayre like no other in the area. This long-established event in the Church Calendar is acknowledged to be the BIGGEST and the BEST, and despite the current financial climate in excess of €16,000 was raised in just four hours on Wednesday 2nd December.
Our new Chaplain, the Rev’d Father Andrew Notere, said an Opening Prayer for Stallholders before Santa Claus (with many a ‘Ho, Ho, Ho!’) opened the doors of the prestigious ‘Monte Liza’ wedding venue to the public, who were queuing four deep in places.
Stallholders used a range of ingenious ideas to decorate their stalls, and the Cup for the Best Stall was awarded to Nearly New Clothes. Together with a variety of fun games and activities, there was a Grand Raffle and many stalls offering bargains and Christmas gifts. The Catering Team provided pork rolls, sandwiches, mulled wine and mince pies, hot dogs, burgers and bacon rolls with eggs – all to be washed down with tea, coffee or soft drinks.
A popular feature this year was, ‘On the Spot’ Lucky Programme prizes. One Raffle Prize remains unclaimed. If you bought YELLOW TICKET No: 537 please contact Bob Wickens, Fayre Co-ordinator on 26 322 628 to claim your prize.
As well as being a wonderful start to Christmas, the Fayre brings together helpers from all three churches in the Chaplaincy.
Please see our Gallery Page for photographs of the Fayre.
None of the monies raised go to the church and the following charities will benefit.
Association for the Hard of Hearing Children in Paphos
Cancer Patients Support Group – Paphos
Children’s Home in Paphos (Orphans and Maltreated Children)
Cyprus Association of Parents and Friends of Children with Cardiac Diseases
Cyprus League for Chest Diseases (Paphos Branch)
Cyprus Red Cross Society (Paphos Branch) Children’s Home
Cyprus Samaritans
Friends of Paphos Hospice
Gideon International – Paphos Branch
Kivotos Foundation Fund – the Impaired Children of Paphos
Katafiyio Retreat House
Ladies Circle Paphos Branch – Drug Awareness to Schoolchildren
Mission to Seafarers
Pancyprian Organisation of the Blind
Paphos & Area Alzheimers Support Group
Paphos Association of Friends of the Poor People
Paphos General Hospital – Medical Equipment
Polis Hospital (H.O.P.E.) – Medical Equipment
Pregnancy Care Centre Nicosia
Riding for the Disabled
Flower Festival in Paphos, Cyprus
A few years ago I suggested to our Chaplain that maybe we should consider having a Flower Festival. I knew we had a number of flower arrangers within in the Anglican Community, so with his approval I put a notice in our Weekly Notice Sheet. I was inundated with offers from people who were willing to help and so our first Flower Festival took place and has since become an annual event.
For our worship we are fortunate to use a wonderful old church which stands on the Roman ruins by St Paul’s Pillar in Kato Paphos, just a few minutes walk from Paphos Harbour. The church, Ayia Kyriaki (St. Kyriaki), or A.K. as she is affectionately known, is an old Cypriot Orthodox Church which the Orthodox Bishop of Paphos, now Archbishop of Cyprus, gave permission for the Anglican Church of Paphos and the Latin Catholic Parish to use for their services a number of years ago.
A number of visitors to our Festivals said how much they would like to learn flower arranging so we set up a small flower club, not only to teach arranging but also to hold workshops to help and encourage those doing the displays at the Festivals. A number of our ladies now travel to Nicosia each month to see the demonstrations at their flower club. This means that the arrangers for our Festivals now not only come from the Anglican and Catholic Churches but also from members of the flower club. We have a wide range of skill and experience between us including one qualified demonstrator, two retired florists and a lot of enthusiastic amateurs, some of our ladies have only had a few lessons before helping with the Flower Festival. Some ladies work together as a group, others on their own.
Flower Festival 2010
This year’s Flower Festival was entitled ‘Songs of Praise’ with each of the displays depicting a hymn. Many were old favourites, Eternal Father, We Plough the Fields and Scatter, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Angel Voices Ever Singing, but we had some newer ones including The World is Full of Smelly Feet.
This is the seventh annual festival and is organised jointly with the Latin Catholics who share Ayia Kyriaki Church with us.
This year the children were involved for the first time. The Catholic Nursery made large figures of Mary & Joseph for the display for Away in a Manger. Cardboard boxes and innards of kitchen rolls were well disguised by the fabric used for the clothes. The children from the Anglican Church, who meet under the title of ‘Παιδιά Praise’ (Children Praise) filled shoes with flowers to depict One More Step Along the World I Go.
The church looked wonderful. The building is just the right size for such an event, the various displays filling it with flowers. The thousands of visitors were full of praise for the skills of the arrangers, who, apart from 2 florists, are talented enthusiasts not professionals.
The refreshments at the Windmill Restaurant, provided by the church ladies, were as usual, marvellous and very popular (well done all the cake bakers and helpers). Kris & Katia kindly let us use their premises, which is opposite the Church Hall, as we do not have a kitchen at the hall which allows us to do food.
The evening concerts were a great success with record attendances. There is no entry charge for these but there is a retiring collection. The first evening was a concert by soprano Pat Hayward accompanied by David Asater. On Thursday evening our new Director of Music, Paul Timmins, gave an organ recital to great acclaim and on Friday the joint choirs of the Latin and Anglican Churches gave a concert entitled ‘An Evening of Music & Verse’ to the biggest audience of the week.
Next year’s Flower Festival will be titled ‘Celebrations’ and, due to Easter being very late next year, will be held on 4th – 6th May.
NEWS FROM ST. LUKE'S
Parish Confirmation at St Luke’s
We were delighted to welcome Bishop Michael to St Luke’s on Sunday, 9th May to celebrate the Parish Confirmation for six members of our congregations, three of whom have worshipped regularly at St Luke’s for the past year.
The evening was very special for all concerned and a joyful service was shared by congregation members from all three of our churches. An excellent buffet was provided by members of St Luke’s and the evening’s fellowship continued for some considerable time. Many people commented favourably on the improvements made to St Luke’s and it’s social area over the past year.
Please continue to hold in your prayers: Ann Bailey, Russ Fern and Sue Fern, Bill Hale, Isobel Parker and Alan Shenton, who was also baptised by Bishop Michael during the service.
Our thanks to all who took part in the service, provided the refreshments afterwards and prepared the church for our memorable and happy occasion.
Rev’d Kay
|
