Don Dowling's Blog

Don’s Blog.

We received the sad news this week that Angela’s (our Director of Music) Dad died and she is currently with her family in Scotland. Unfortunatly he died while Angela was in transit, which made it just that little more sadder. We send our love, support and prayers to Angela and her family. We also think of Jim and the boys as they are without Angela’s presence.

You will notice an array of organists over the next week as Judy Muskett and Margaret Murdoch have put in a lot of time and energy to find replacements. As you can imagine, finding organists for Easter has been a challenge. But we are nearly there.

As we head towards our Stations of the Cross exhibition I am mindful of the many events happening during the Easter period.

Can I share some of them with you?

For those involved in volunteering for the exhibition we will have a ‘training tour’ at 3pm on Thursday 21^st March. This will give us our ‘first look’ at the artworks.

The opening of the Art exhibition is at 6pm, Friday 22^nd March with our traditional ‘Bread and Wine Supper’.

On Palm Sunday 24^th March, I have invited the Moderator, Rev Ron Larkin to preach.

At 7pm on Thursday 28^th there will be a Tenebrae and Maundy Thursday service, which includes a washing of the feet ritual, communion and the extinguishing of the candles liturgy.

At 10.00am on Good Friday we will again conduct the ‘Liturgy of the Stations of the Cross and at 5.30pm there will be a presentation of John Stainer’s, ‘the Crucifixion by the Wesley Choral.

On Easter Sunday morning, you are invited to the Dawn Service at Roe Gardens, Kings Park, usually at 6.30, or as the Sun rises. The Moderator will be the guest preacher and the Perth Fortress Salvation Army Band and the GKI (Indonesian Uniting Church) Choir will participate. I love watching the sun rise over the city and hearing the traditional words, Christ is risen, he is risen indeed”.

At 10.00am will be our Easter Sunday Service with the Brass Quintet.

Although Easter is busy, I find it a very sacred and distinctive and it will be one of the special times at Wesley that I will miss.

Tomorrow morning at 9.30am The Warehouse Café in Shenton Park will be officially opened and already they have received a great deal of support.  The opening will be tinged with a little sadness as I have compiled a list of all the original volunteers and many of them are no longer with us, but their vision lives on. On Monday, I conduct the funeral for Peg Oliver, who was one of those unique volunteers.

I seem to be doing ‘last things’ at the moment. My last Baptism, my last Wedding is this Sunday, and my last funeral on Monday. No doubt in the future people will ask me to ‘hatch, match and dispatch’ but they might be slightly different as I wont be a minster in placement. So whilst I am enjoying these last few weeks of full time ministry, I am just a little nostalgic.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing you soon.

From your minister

Don

Sunday 17^th March 2013

8.30am    Discussion Group

10.00am   Morning Worship: Our Annual ‘Crossroads Service’

Sunday 24^th March 2013

8.30am    Discussion Group

10.00am   Morning Worship – Guest Preacher, The Moderator, Synod of WA, Rev Ron Larkin.