For those eager weather-watchers, who love to keep an eye on the latest forecast from the Met. Office, ‘thundery showers’ seemed a distinct possibility on the first Sunday in September. And indeed, there was drizzle over Stalmine, but curiously, in the grounds of St. James’ church, it appeared to be ‘raining cats and dogs’! Were we in for some ‘woof’ weather? Apparently so!
The ever-popular, much-anticipated, annual Pet Service attracted a range of canine friends, a cricket, a tarantula spider (plastic), bears, rabbits, ducks and cats (soft toy variety), all lovingly held onto by well-behaved humans.
Pam, Elaine and Sara led the service, themed around the story of Noah and his family who built the famous Ark. By way of introduction, some suitably animal-themed and Biblically-related jokes were shared:
What kind of lights were on the Ark?
Floodlights
Which animal could Noah not trust?
The cheetah
Why did Noah have to discipline the chickens?
Because of all the fowl language
Favourite hymns, such as ‘All things bright and beautiful’, ‘Be Happy’ and ‘How great Thou art’ were sung by humans with the addition of some interesting canine harmonies. It was barking mad! Even two seagulls stood to attention on the church roof, surveying the chaos below with bemusement.
A scavenger hunt sent children flying off in all directions to retrieve soft toy animals and cards which were used to help tell the narrative of Noah.
While all ‘paws’-ed for thought, prayers were offered for the community, the world and the sick.
Creator of all life,
We thank You for the animals who walk, fly, swim and crawl across this earth.
For the joy they bring, the lessons they teach and the balance they keep.
May we be gentle stewards of their lives,
Protecting their homes, honouring their instincts,
And never forgetting that they too, are part of Your sacred design.
As the service drew to a close, each pet was awarded their own rosette, for the ‘best in church’ category. Dog-collars have rarely looked so stylish!
Humans were led away by their fur-ever friends, having enjoyed a paw-some time. Had the rain cur-tail-ed the fun? That was im-paws-ible!
