Bethel Baptist Church - Macclesfield

Events

Harvest Thanksgiving and Flower Festival, October 2004

Harvest Thanksgiving took place during the over weekend of October. For the Saturday, the ladies of the church together with some friends organised a flower festival depicting the life and times of Macclesfield. On the Sunday, the congregations of Bethel Baptist Church and St Georges Street Baptist Church held a joint Harvest Thanksgiving service at Bethel; followed by a "bring and share" lunch. During the course of the weekend, a total of £874 was raised for our harvest charity: the East Cheshire Hospice.

If you came to the flower festival, the first arrangement you would find would depict a Victorian Schoolroom. What was your school like? Macclesfield was the first town to have a purpose-built Sunday School. Opened in April 1814, Roe Street School was a non-denominational Sunday School for the education of the children of Macclesfield. They held three sessions each Sunday: 9:30-12:00, 1:00-4:00, and 5:00-7:30. They had 2,500 children on the rolls, and 200 teachers. Class sizes were often about 60 and strictly segregated. Only boys could do maths, and they had to come on Saturday evenings for that lesson. We give thanks for the vision to educate the children of our town.

The second arrangement depicts the silk heritage of Macclesfield. A lot of the older houses in our town have three storeys. The top storey is often distinctive because of the full width windows that are set just below the roof line. These buildings point to the silk history of our town. This peculiar arrangement is an indication of the first silk factories, where individual weavers combined to work together in specially built lofts. Our town's heritage and prosperity is built on the energy of these original silk weavers. We give thanks for their industry.

The third arrangement depicts outdoor recreation. On the edge of the Peak District National Park, we are fortunate to be surrounded by some wonderful wild landscape. Rising out of the Cheshire Plain, we have some of the most beautiful managed countryside on our doorstep. There are canals and rivers to explore, all sorts of outdoor activities available close by. We give thanks for every opportunity we have to enjoy the great outdoors.

The fourth arrangement depicts the harvest:

Honour the Lord by making Him an offering from the best of all that your land produces. (Proverbs 3 verse 9)

Once a year, we remember our debt to God for all the good gifts He gives us. We have moved a long way from the time when our land was wholly agricultural. Now we rely on professionals and agribusiness for the food we enjoy, but it is still fed and watered by God's almighty hand. We give thanks for the prosperity of our town, and for the blessings of a temperate climate and productive fields.

The final arrangement depicts parks and gardens. Some of the greatest houses in the country are close by, and have opened their grounds to all. Our town has three very different parks that provide a place of peace and quiet, that can be enjoyed in the middle of a busy day. There are all sorts of amenities for children and adults to relax on a fine day. People work hard in these places to maintain a sense of colour and texture that delights the senses. Lots of people take care in their own gardens to present a bright face to the world. We give thanks for the skills that provide such enjoyment in our parks and gardens.