June is a busy month – open gardens, charity walks, fundraisers, fetes, Big Green Week, Pride month –
organised by lots of different people for lots of different reasons. Many are about fund raising for charities
– schools, hospices – and many are also about creating community spirit or raising awareness of issues. All
require a great deal of organisation which usually is done by volunteers.
I have been involved in many of these over the years, and there is always much to consider: has the right
time of year and the right location been chosen or are we clashing with many other events? How do we
advertise to reach the people who would support us? For fundraisers, what is the weigh up between the
work involved and the potential profit?
There are a few things that I have learned: one is that, if I am being honest, there are some occasions when
I would rather just give a lump sum than spend many weeks organising or a long day running stalls. The
second is that it is always the same people who volunteer. The third is that one of the most difficult
decisions can be to not hold an event – “but we have always done that” is not a reason to continue.
We all have our own particular charities and organisations that we like to support, and if money is tight,
then we have to make decisions about which ones we do not support. But we can always help and promote in other ways – by telling other people about events, by talking about them, and by acknowledging
that even if we can only give a small amount, it is better than nothing.
31st of May this year is Trinity Sunday, when we try to understand the complex nature of God as Father,
Son and Holy Spirit – how do they relate to each other and how do we relate to them. We then enter into
what is called Ordinary time, when there are no major festivals such as Easter or Pentecost. Once again, it
can feel like the rhythm of the church’s year is not always in sync with the secular world, but it is also a
good reminder that our faith is the basis for all that we do, and church can also be the place that we go for
rejuvenation when the rest of life is so busy.
May all your events go well, and may we all support each other.
