The band in the box pew are in full swing. Susanna plays the violin, AJ the accordion, and I’m singing “We plough the fields and scatter …” for the fourth time in as many weeks. Harvest is a busy time of year for a vicar with five churches in his benefice. This one, St Mary’s in Tyberton, is lit with bright candles and bedecked with branches. Lyn, one of our church wardens, has made a harvest loaf for communion, a symbol of divine generosity.
During the first hymn, the children, with their gifts, head up to the altar rail. They step into the chancel slowly, with trepidation, then race back to the pews, holding hands and heads held high. The sanctuary soon becomes covered with donations – dried pasta, potatoes, tins of rice pudding. Rural poverty is still a very hidden problem and these food parcels will in the holidays go to local children who receive free school meals in term time.
