Patronal Festival!

Last Sunday was a special day for Easingwold Parish Church as it was the occasion of the celebration of the birth of St John the Baptist, our patron saint.  We were joined by our friends from the Methodist church for the morning Eucharist service. The service was led by the vicar, Canon John Harrison, who introduced a special guest, the Right Reverend Gordon Bates, former Bishop of Whitby.  Reverend Harrison in his introduction pointed out that our predecessors have left us a particularly rich treasure in our patrons, as Easingwold Church is not only dedicated to St John the Baptist, but also to “All Saints”, while our sister church at Raskelf is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary!  This gave the scope for some particularly appropriate choices of hymns, including “On Jordan’s Bank” and “For All the Saints”!A packed congregation heard the Bishop, in his address, recalling his early life at Mexborough church, where he imagined the rather wild character of John the Baptist immersing people in the murky River Don!  John and Jesus, although related by family, were completely different characters, Judean and Galilean, but were alike in their humility.  Christians nowadays are encouraged and challenged by these two contrasting persons, while still having faith in their own way. There is no such thing as a typical Christian – some people live by giving a gentle example, while others are noisier in their profession of faith.   The Prayers of Intercession were led by Reverend Ruth Duck, and, after Communion, the blessing was given by Bishop Gordon the service concluding with the rousing hymn “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones” After the service, many people stayed for refreshments and there were lively discussions   M.W..


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