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The World is a Stage

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Your family life is hectic with everyone on the run and it is getting harder to get the whole family together, even a meal. How did your parents ever do it?

Remember when Sundays were a time when you went to church and had dinners at home together? It was a time to reflect and appreciate life and family. But life isn’t the same anymore. It has gotten a lot messier. You’d like to take the family to church so the kids can get some good moral foundations and renew yourself, but Sunday just doesn’t work.

How about this? A place where you can take the whole family, meet others have a fun time, something to eat, and perhaps find a little peace in your life. You would be looking at going to a Messy Church! No, the church isn’t a mess and you aren’t going to sit through a service either. You don’t have to get ‘dressed up’ because you are going to have fun and you might even get messy!

Messy Church is a reinventing of church that involves creativity, celebration and hospitality. It allows a creative time when you would perhaps do a craft, play games, hear stories, sing some songs and eat. The best thing... it's not just for kids! Finally, a time when adults who can’t sit still long enough to get through a service (I have ADD) can do something fun and learn at the same time! Yes!

St. Paul’s United Church, 88 Bidwell Street, is holding its first Messy Church Saturday, Feb. 17, then the 3rd Saturday each month afterwards, all from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. (noon), and you don’t have to arrive on the dot! That is the idea, they know with kids or older seniors it can be hard to be right on time.

The theme is The Things We Love on Feb. 17. You will have a chance to play games or make a bird feeder which will go home with you (with bird seed) or if you prefer, learn to do some fresh flower arranging. Loraine and Burt Winterbon will provide fun music and the wonderful new minister Rev. Karlene Palmer Brown will be leading the time of celebration with a folk tale or story. All of this with your whole family or just by yourself, with wonderful hot lunch to boot, for free!

Here is a great explanation. “Messy Church is an all-age fresh expression of church that offers counter-cultural transformation of family life through families coming together to be, to make, to eat, and to celebrate God.”

New Topic. If you happened to go to Annandale National Historical Site in January, you would have found the museum closed for repairs. There was water damage that created havoc. Thank goodness it was not in the historic home, but alas, it was in the office area, and although no artifacts were damaged it did stop the museum from being open to the public while work was being done. Repairs, clean up, new dry wall, fresh coat of paint and all is looking better than ever.

The girls are getting caught up, and they have the first exhibit in the Pratt Gallery for 2018, From Soldier to Civilian: Oxford’s Own Goes To War Exhibit, set up and open for you. This WWI exhibit will be looking at what happened when the men and women who served came home, the challenges and the changes they faced integrating back into the county. This is the fifth exhibit in a series of five to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of WWI. It is a travelling exhibit with some great Tillsonburg artifacts and photos. It was produced by the Woodstock Museum.

Alas, the Feb. 9 Historic Valentine Workshop was cancelled, however the amazing Post Card Power Point presentation is on and will include Tillsonburg buildings and the cancelled January presentation of Tillsonburg Street Views, all in one. It is Thursday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m. by donation.

Feb. 19 is Family Day at the Museum. The popular I Spy Game and other fun runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is an annual favourite for families and very affordable. It's free!

Don’t forget the very popular Lunch and Learn Series which starts this month Feb. 22-23 with Rooms To Let - Tillsonburg’s Early Hotels, presented by curator Patricia Phelps. Cost is $25. If you do the complete series of four, the pass is only $80! March 22-23 is Reapers, Street Cars & Bicycles - Tillsonburg Manufacturing in the 1880s & 90s, by Patricia Phelps; April 26-27 And They’re Off - The Story of Early Horse Racing in Tillsonburg presented by Joan Weston; May 24-25 But You’re A Woman - Tillsonburg’s First Woman Doctor and Dentist presented by me, Laurel A. Beechey.

For more information call Annandale NHS at 519-842-2294. 

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