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| The Parish of All Saints |
| The Anglican Church in the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago |
The wonderful group of ladies who always ensure the Church is properly decorated for special
services seemed to have made an extra effort for our Harvest Thanksgiving Festival. There was also
a new altar cloth, donated by Barbara Johnson.
Their intention was a very special Harvest Thanks-giving, in recognition of all the blessings God has
bestowed on us, blessings we choose to celebrate every year at this time. But, in an urban parish, in
a country where agriculture long ceased to sustain the economy and where agricultural labour is not
accorded the status it deserves, harvest may seem a difficult concept. However, we all must eat and
most of what we eat is the fruit of harvests else-where, the work of labourers in different vineyards. It
is good that we take time to give thanks to God for His abundance and their labour – and we did,
indeed, have a very special service of celebration.
The Rev’d Canon Dr. Knolly Clarke was our guest preacher. His thesis was that harvest can be seen
as a parable of triune relationships:
1. DIVINE – HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
God calls us to be in relationship with him, to share His divine creativity and to work for the well-being
of His creation. Together, God and man work for the harvest; without each, there would be no harvest.
2. HUMAN – HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Quoting the African concept of ‘Mbuntu’, made known through the work of Archbishop Emeritus,
Desmond Tutu – ‘you cannot be fully human unless you allow others also to be human’ – Dr Clarke
noted that our Harvest thanksgiving is, in part, about reaching out to the less fortunate, who receive
the harvest gifts we bring to the altar, a reminder of our social responsibility. In a country with wealth
and resources such as we have been blessed with, the existence of real poverty makes it clear that
something is seriously wrong with our relationships with each other; we need to see poverty and
inequity in the context of ‘Mbuntu’. But harvest is also a community festival, a celebration in which the
gifts of the harvest are shared within and beyond the community, as in the early Church. Our bringing
of the gifts of the harvest symbolises this but, while Dr. Clarke did not say so, one might ask ‘is
symbolism enough’? Another aspect of human relationships clarified by our Harvest Festival is very
simple – we must work hard together for a good harvest. But here in T&T, we know that our work ethic
is a problem; the harvest suffers, and so do all of God’s people.
services seemed to have made an extra effort for our Harvest Thanksgiving Festival. There was also
a new altar cloth, donated by Barbara Johnson.
Their intention was a very special Harvest Thanks-giving, in recognition of all the blessings God has
bestowed on us, blessings we choose to celebrate every year at this time. But, in an urban parish, in
a country where agriculture long ceased to sustain the economy and where agricultural labour is not
accorded the status it deserves, harvest may seem a difficult concept. However, we all must eat and
most of what we eat is the fruit of harvests else-where, the work of labourers in different vineyards. It
is good that we take time to give thanks to God for His abundance and their labour – and we did,
indeed, have a very special service of celebration.
The Rev’d Canon Dr. Knolly Clarke was our guest preacher. His thesis was that harvest can be seen
as a parable of triune relationships:
1. DIVINE – HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
God calls us to be in relationship with him, to share His divine creativity and to work for the well-being
of His creation. Together, God and man work for the harvest; without each, there would be no harvest.
2. HUMAN – HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Quoting the African concept of ‘Mbuntu’, made known through the work of Archbishop Emeritus,
Desmond Tutu – ‘you cannot be fully human unless you allow others also to be human’ – Dr Clarke
noted that our Harvest thanksgiving is, in part, about reaching out to the less fortunate, who receive
the harvest gifts we bring to the altar, a reminder of our social responsibility. In a country with wealth
and resources such as we have been blessed with, the existence of real poverty makes it clear that
something is seriously wrong with our relationships with each other; we need to see poverty and
inequity in the context of ‘Mbuntu’. But harvest is also a community festival, a celebration in which the
gifts of the harvest are shared within and beyond the community, as in the early Church. Our bringing
of the gifts of the harvest symbolises this but, while Dr. Clarke did not say so, one might ask ‘is
symbolism enough’? Another aspect of human relationships clarified by our Harvest Festival is very
simple – we must work hard together for a good harvest. But here in T&T, we know that our work ethic
is a problem; the harvest suffers, and so do all of God’s people.
All Saints Harvest Thanksgiving Service 2007
3. HUMAN – GOD’S EARTH RELATIONSHIPS
‘If you hurt the tree, you hurt yourself’ is an African proverb, the truth of which is nowhere more clear than in Haiti, where floods and mudflows costing
hundreds of lives are the inevitable consequence of heavy rain. In Genesis 1, God gave us a stewardship duty; we are to care for His earth. In modern
terms, this means we must use it sustainably, or we will suffer the consequences. A glance at our own hill-sides reveals that this aspect of the triune
relation-ship is in need of attention here, too. Dr Clarke holds that we should not need environmentalists to tell us how to treat the earth, how not to hurt
the trees; God told us, millennia ago, that we are to care for His earth. A good harvest comes from good caring; the converse is equally true. This, Dr
Clarke said is ‘a twenty first century challenge’.
That the Church must play its part in ensuring the responsible use of God’s creation was a part of the charge of our Bishop at Synod; he asked what are
we, as God’s stewards, going to do about climate change? While he did not say so, Dr Clarke might have responded ‘The answer, my friend, is blowing
in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind’. Dr Clarke left us much food for thought, a fact recognised in the applause he received. The question now,
in terms popularised in our election campaigns, is how do we move to the next level?
Our Canon brought visitors, further to enhance our worship. One of his Bishop Anstey young ladies, Lu Ann Cabralis, a star of the school’s much-
travelled and award-winning choir, sang very beautifully for us. Later, during the Greeting of Peace, we were introduced to some of his friends and family,
the Tobago Ole Time Jammers, whose singing was much enjoyed. They further entertained us in the Hall after the service, demonstrating the many
musical genres in which they perform. We hope to see and hear them again! Generous refreshments were, as always, provided after the service.
As parishioners, we must recognise, appreciate and be eternally grateful for the work of the small group of ladies, who continue to provide for us. They
prepare the Church and the Chapel for all services, with special decorations when needed; they provide and serve food when this is called for and the do
all the cleaning up, when everyone else has gone home. Their efforts are, too often, taken for granted. They are not as young as they used to be and they
need help from other parishioners, not excluding the other gender. We suspect that God does not separate work in His service into male and female
categories. Men can, and should, help, too!
And so, we sincerely thank the hardworking ladies of All Saints and the Chapel of Ease, upon whom so much depends. Thank you and may God bless
you!
Article taken from Saints Alive! Vol.2 No. 12 (Read more on Chapel of Ease Harvest Thanksgiving)
‘If you hurt the tree, you hurt yourself’ is an African proverb, the truth of which is nowhere more clear than in Haiti, where floods and mudflows costing
hundreds of lives are the inevitable consequence of heavy rain. In Genesis 1, God gave us a stewardship duty; we are to care for His earth. In modern
terms, this means we must use it sustainably, or we will suffer the consequences. A glance at our own hill-sides reveals that this aspect of the triune
relation-ship is in need of attention here, too. Dr Clarke holds that we should not need environmentalists to tell us how to treat the earth, how not to hurt
the trees; God told us, millennia ago, that we are to care for His earth. A good harvest comes from good caring; the converse is equally true. This, Dr
Clarke said is ‘a twenty first century challenge’.
That the Church must play its part in ensuring the responsible use of God’s creation was a part of the charge of our Bishop at Synod; he asked what are
we, as God’s stewards, going to do about climate change? While he did not say so, Dr Clarke might have responded ‘The answer, my friend, is blowing
in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind’. Dr Clarke left us much food for thought, a fact recognised in the applause he received. The question now,
in terms popularised in our election campaigns, is how do we move to the next level?
Our Canon brought visitors, further to enhance our worship. One of his Bishop Anstey young ladies, Lu Ann Cabralis, a star of the school’s much-
travelled and award-winning choir, sang very beautifully for us. Later, during the Greeting of Peace, we were introduced to some of his friends and family,
the Tobago Ole Time Jammers, whose singing was much enjoyed. They further entertained us in the Hall after the service, demonstrating the many
musical genres in which they perform. We hope to see and hear them again! Generous refreshments were, as always, provided after the service.
As parishioners, we must recognise, appreciate and be eternally grateful for the work of the small group of ladies, who continue to provide for us. They
prepare the Church and the Chapel for all services, with special decorations when needed; they provide and serve food when this is called for and the do
all the cleaning up, when everyone else has gone home. Their efforts are, too often, taken for granted. They are not as young as they used to be and they
need help from other parishioners, not excluding the other gender. We suspect that God does not separate work in His service into male and female
categories. Men can, and should, help, too!
And so, we sincerely thank the hardworking ladies of All Saints and the Chapel of Ease, upon whom so much depends. Thank you and may God bless
you!
Article taken from Saints Alive! Vol.2 No. 12 (Read more on Chapel of Ease Harvest Thanksgiving)
