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“Just for a couple of hours on New Year’s Day our church was transformed into a famous concert hall in Vienna to herald the beginning of our 300th Anniversary Year. Bedecked with flowers, we welcomed an excited audience to listen and participate in a very special concert. Rev Dr Rupert Jeffcoat, formerly an organist at Coventry Cathedral, organised the programme and played our wonderful church organ as it had probably never been played before. The Radetzky by March Johann Strauss, the Blue Danube Waltz, the Thunder and Lightening,a Vivaldi concerto and several Polkas delighted the audience. But more unusual items were still to come. There was Concerto in D by Richard Mudge, the Rector of Bedworth soon after our church was built and a version of Hark the Herald Angels Sing with music by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. The Absolutely Average Brass Sextet, a group of friends appearing together for their debut performance added some different sounds with Christmas Carols and brass band classics and joined Rupert for some of the Strauss classics. A stirring performance of Auld Lang Syne by all the musicians and with audience participation brought the concert to a fitting close. Our morning worship on the first Sunday of our special year was led by Rev Helga Cornell our former minister in a church still decorated with flowers. Our 300th Anniversary continues with our traditional Pancake Monday offering on 16 February and a performance of Olivet to Calvary, an Easter cantata, in late March. We would be delighted to welcome singers from local URC to churches to join our augmented choir. Our special commemoration of the building of our church will be on Sunday 31 May at 3pm and in the words of the hymn ‘All are welcome, All are welcome, All are Welcome in this Church’. Please contact me for further details and offers of help on 07707093335 or lyndakburton@gmail.com“ Lynda Burton, Old Meeting Church Secretary |