So we arrived safely at our destination – according to Jane on the Sat Nav! St Margaret’s Church in East Glenrothes. Just slightly earlier than the 4pm we’d predicted but welcomed nevertheless by a bright & breezy Beth, welcoming us to her church on this crisp and frosty afternoon. Unloading was a challenge as night fell and the temperature was following suit. We only needed some of the gear for this gentle introduction to Taste and so digging out small cases from under the pile of baggage, speakers and other gear that we weren’t using was pretty time-consuming when we just wanted to get on and set up! We’d been invited to do 3 songs as part of the worship for these dear people who have been praying for the youth of Glenrothes and planning this week for two years! And we were looking forward to meeting these committed Christians of the area, worshipping and praying together!
Eventually we were ready, three acoustic guitars a djembe and 4 harmonies sounded superb, am I allowed to compliment my own team? We had been asked to sing ‘Be Thou my Vision’ as well as two from our own repertoire, so we included Give Thanks and Light of the World, with opportunities to share about our work, introduce the band members, pray and excite the congregation about the week.
Finally it was time to meet our hosts and head to different homes. Lovely people and beautiful homes to stay in but the briefest of conversations before bed and a very early morning!
What a shock to the system after our lovely Christmas break; this morning was our earliest start for a while getting up at 4.15 ready to pick up the team and be at Auchmuty High by 6.15. The reason for our early start was that our set up and sound check time currently stands at just under three hours but this week we’re working with Foolproof theatre company who also needed time to set up and rehearse. After some difficulty accessing the hall we eventually found the stage covered with chairs, music stands and equipment which after clearing and then unloading only allowed enough time to set up the basic sound and visual system, no lighting and blackout curtains.
Still the assembly went well, an hour with the S1 year group setting the scene for our week with them titled ‘It’s My Life’, today’s theme looking at ‘Who Am I?’ Then it was off to classrooms for them and setting up the lights and blackout for us. Some classes then came down to us for lessons on ‘Does God Exist?’ and ‘Looking at Life’ (an art based lesson which included the pupils designing a personal ‘logo’ that represented their own life). The day finished all together again and our friend Gordon Roy from SU summing things up with a brilliant activity getting the kids to identify with Jesus by choosing one of a series of images, then drawing a picture of themselves and placing it alongside the one of Jesus that meant the most to them. Not an easy task for an 11 or 12 year old but some good discussion in small (ish) groups. A crazy day but looking forward to a slightly later start and another opportunity to meet these lovely, lively young Scots and share a little bit more with them.
Exellent band, i’m a true fan!