It's been good to be back in Dorchester this week - even though beautiful weather is always slightly frustrating when you just get home from holiday - all of you who have gone back to school and work will be feeling the same I know.

Her in Dorchester Festival Fever is ratcheting up quite nicely now!!
One of the highlights of my week has been the two Jospeph rehearsals - you can read Caroline's Joseph Blog too and check out the Facebook page of Joseph himself

If it hadn't crossed your mind to come and watch us (I'm in the back row of the chorus!!) then do start thinking now - the more I rehearse the more excited I am about the production - the Brothers are SOOOooo much fun!!!

Another 'not to be missed' Festival event (as far as I'm concerned anyway!!) is the Festival Cafe service on Sunday 3rd May. We're really lucky to have John Hardwick - an internationally famous worship leader to come and lead this for us and our (almost) own but equally internationally famous David Winter too. Dorchester Abbey choir will sing (they're working towards international fame at present but locally - they're the best!!!). If you've sung "God's people aren't super brave super heroes" that's one of John's songs as is A Band of Angels!!
Two conversations in the last twenty four hours reminded me of somthing important which very few people understand and that is that all the exciting things that happen in Dorchester Abbey rely on volunteeers to organise them - and yes that DOES include the Festiaval. If you haven't met Steph and Nick Forman you probably couldn't undersatnd how this is possibl!! Steph is a one woman Dynamo (she has a day job in London as well!) and Nick is the essential right hand man (except that he's often a left hand too) - not to mention being a bit of a dynamo himself. But Steph and Nick aren't are only Abbey volunteers - there's a positive army of them - from our wonderful gardenening team led by Eileen Olleson and Frank Norman to the stewards who will be in the Abbey and Museum every weekend in the summer. It's a great team here and it goes without saying that new members are always welcome!!



But of course the Rector's week is not all Festival (or not yet at any rate!) The Team Clergy meet regularly on Wednesday mornings and this week we decided to go to H's Cafe at the Berinsfield roundabout. There's good coffee on tap and friendly bikers and other travellers stop for refreshment. (Incidentally the bacon baps are lovely!!) This week, as we left one of the Biker's stopped Nigel (Hawkes - one of our Team Vicars) to ask advice about his mum - she's up north and he's worried about her. In theological colleges they call this the ministry of presence - sometimes it feels like just hanging about .. but it's also about something I think we all need some more opportunities for - a chance to "be as well as to do" and then just to see what comes our way as a result.

We missed Anne (Ilsley another vicar!!)at the Team meeting - just in case you haven't heard she fell and broke her leg really badly on Easter morning in Culham Church. She finally came home from hospital on Wednesday night and we wish her well!!

Well - that's all for now - and apologies in advance for any typo's that I missed when I checked this - there's always one!!