What an evening!

Cheeses and wine, pavlova, cherry and amaretti cheesecake, lemon posset, chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake, poached peaches… and yes- we tried them all!

The ‘Companions’ liturgy was poignant, with memories of sharing those words with Frances and Charlotte in times past… but most moving of all were the words accompanying a Welsh love spoon written by Steve:

With this spoon we grant you the freedom of Third Space! You were there at its inception and in so many ways have nurtured and developed who we have become. Thank you for sharing yourselves and your gifts and your lives.

Spoons are for stirring and sampling, for tasting and creating.

This spoon is Trinity-hewn and eternity-endowed

because it comes with our love and God is love

and it comes with our hope firmly nailed to the cross of CHRIST who

renews all things, reunites all and reconciles all in Him.

You have JOURNEYED with us,

built our COMMUNITY,

broken bread and shared wine in our CELEBRATION together;

you have acted JUSTLY,

shown us the way of SERVICE

and demonstrated CONNECTEDNESS.

And so we commission you with this blessing:

May you know the rootedness of Christ the Protector,

be infused by the wild indwelling of the Holy Spirit

and be steeped in God-shaped hope all your days.

May all your stirring and sampling and tasting and creating be exuberant!

AMEN!

So hard saying goodbye. We love you guys. Always part of us, held in prayer and a constant source of reason to give thanks to God.