WHEN St Philip’s Church, Penn Fields, in Wolverhampton, decided on a celebration weekend to mark its 150th anniversary, it turned out to be the most memorable of occasions.
First off was a trip down memory lane with St Philips transformed into an informative visual and interactive history exhibition with 12 stations covering all aspects of the life of the church and the Penn Fields community from 1859 to 2009, closely followed by a dedication service and ‘St Philip’s Has Talent’ – when church members put their reputations on the line to entertain a captive audience.
By the time the Saturday Birthday Festival got underway visitors were already in a festive mood and eagerly awaiting the 20+ acts lined up for their entertainment – everything from Ukulele players to youth bands; from Elvis to a Christian illusionist; from organ recitals and a 1859 style-service to funny sketches. For children there was face painting, a bouncy castle, clown, football cage and plenty more. In the evening there was a disco and hog roast.
An open-air Anniversary Celebration Service on Sunday morning, followed by a picnic, brought the proceedings to a close.
‘Never have we rearranged furniture so many times in such a short amount of time in order to accommodate so many different activities,’ said vicar’s wife Julie Oakley. ‘But it was so worthwhile.
‘We wanted the weekend to be a time for the church to celebrate, looking back on what had been achieved in 150 years, while at the same time looking forward with confidence. We also wanted to give the local community something they would enjoy.
‘The weekend was only possible due to the large number of people who gave their time for free to entertain us and the local community; to those who provided technical support; and everyone in the church who laboured hard to make it an enjoyable time. Our thanks go out to each and everyone who took part in making it a very memorable occasion'.