Seasonal Family Events
Held the last Saturday before Advent over 3 evening sessions. The Advent Spiral is a quiet, reverential way to enter the Advent season – far away from the commercial bustle of usual Christmas preparations. The event includes beautiful light with story telling about the coming of the light; followed by the children ‘building’ a labyrinth of candle-light. Always a beautiful hand-made gift is included. Entrance is by donation. Please contact Jasmin, the Community Life minister, or phone the parish office to register.
Star Sunday
A much-loved event for many families in Fernwood, Star Sunday is our festive community Christmas crafting event, held every Second Sunday of Advent. To learn more, see our Star Sunday page.
Not your ordinary Christmas Pageant! We write and direct our own plays, helping the children to understand the birth of Jesus in the context of the Prophets and the whole of salvation history. But no matter how the story is told year to year, we always end up with all gathered around the Christ-child in the manger! If your kids would like to take part in the Nativity Play, please contact Jasmin, the Community Life minister, or phone the office.
Palm Cross Workshop
Held the Saturday before Palm Sunday. We prepare large and colourful Palm Crosses for the children to carry during the outdoor procession on Palm Sunday, and prepare the children for Holy Week, building a model of Golgotha, the tomb, and the Easter garden. Afterwards, we share a meal together.
Following the Maundy Thursday liturgy, when the sacrament is processed from the high altar to the altar of repose in the Garden of Gethsemane, we obey Christ’s words to his disciples on the night of his arrest, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake” (Mark 14:24). The youth also take part in this vigil, each taking a turn throughout the night to stay with Christ in watchfulness and prayer. They share a meal in the parish hall, and sleep overnight there, waking one another as their turn comes up to be on vigil.
A community-building event to help the elders and the young people get to know one another better. Some children bring their own grandparents, some grandparents bring their own grandchildren. But children without grandparents, and elders without grandkids, are matched together and adopt one another. And so relationships are nourished – all around a delicious, home-made high-tea and entertainment offered by our talented youth!
A weekend in tents by the lake! Hiking, swimming, fishing, canoing, youth-lead morning and evening prayer, camp-fires and smores, Sunday Eucharist on the beach, the sound of many frogs…
Parish Camp
The last weekend of August we gather at the rector’s family summer home in beautiful Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast for three days of swimming and sand-castle building, hiking and mushroom picking, tennis, worship and singing, eating, learning, and lots of laughter. Everyone is most welcome. Beds are limited and reserved for those who most need them – so bring a tent and sleeping bag! Please contact the office to find out details and arrangements for car-pooling.
November 11th is St Martin’s Day. St Martin was a fourth-century Roman soldier (and patron saint of soldiers, hence November 11 is also Remembrance Day). After shearing his army cloak in two to share with a poor man he found freezing to death, Martin had a vision of Christ and converted to Christianity. The local villagers, hearing of his goodness, desired to make him their bishop. Humble, he hid in a goose stall to avoid them. When the villagers went out looking for him, lanterns in hand, the geese began squawking, giving Martin’s hiding place away. And so, because of the geese, he became bishop after all!
Marking St Martin’s Day with a play recounting the saint’s life, a lantern walk, singing, and a pretzel feast, is a German tradition which we join together with the local German community joyfully to celebrate!