The Thorngumbald Scarecrow Trail and Village Show weekend took place over the 6th and 7th July, and didn’t just raise money for the church and other village charities, but was also used by the local church as an opportunity for mission.

The usual lunches and teas well provided by the church members in the Community Institute also gave people a chance to catch up and chat, with the added bonuses of spotting the wonderful scarecrows around the village. The weekend also provided a real mission opportunity as well, with the church jumping headfirst into the festivities with its own quota of mini scarecrows.

There were a fantastic variety of scarecrows in the churchyard, including a mighty figure of Moses complete with the 10 commandments. However, what really lured people into church, many for the first time, were the depictions of Bible stories in puppet or scarecrow form. These included Adam and Eve, Jonah and an imposing whale, Samson pulling down the pillars of the Temple, David and Goliath, the good Samaritan, Jesus walking on water and the nativity scene. Our own national patron saint got into the picture as well with a puppet St George facing a huge dragon.

People were then invited to a specially written Scarecrow service on the Sunday which featured hymns containing extra verses mentioning scarecrows and a scarecrow sketch. The Vicar had put a Mother Teresa Scarecrow outside the Vicarage along with a small basket of prayers cards printed with a prayer of Mother Teresa’s. She had to replenish the basket with prayers several times!