An evening at a local Bowling Club on 17 October came as a refreshing and welcome change for the parishioners of St Mary’s Church in Guildford.
A total of 48 parishioners together with friends and family, gathered at the Bowling Club in the spirit of communion and companionship in what rapidly became an evening of entertainment and friendly exchange.
The event began with a prayer and a blessing of the Green – a special moment in which the Bowling Club members were also present to celebrate their kick-off of the bowling season.
Numerous members of the St Mary’s group then formed into teams to try their hand at bowling until daylight gave out.
This enjoyable time of friendly competition was then followed by a sausage sizzle under the club veranda.
Bowling, however, was not only activity organised for the evening as in-between party games such as “Tailing the Donkey,” “Egg and Spoon Race” and “Passing the Balloon” were on offer for the enjoyment of guests and, in the words of parish priest Fr Blasco Fonseca, “to simply have a laugh.”
The success of the gathering discloses a deeper meaning than just a group of people meeting to enjoy themselves and play a social game.
It comes as a reminder of how important it is for parishes to organise social get-togethers such as this.
In catching up with old friends, meeting other churchgoers and making new friends, the entire occasion clearly strengthened the sense of union within the parish, highlighting a fundamental aspect of what it means to be a Christian community.