People today often say that we don’t have the sense of community that we used to, and it certainly is true that it is increasingly hard to find people to serve on committees and even to be local councillors. However, since I have been taking a more active interest in such things, I have been amazed at how, from time to time, a real sense of community manifests itself .
The communal tree planting in Great Waldingfield in February was one such event, and the Mayor of Sudbury’s Civic Service that was held yesterday, followed by tea in the Town Hall, was certainly another. St. Gregory’s Church in Sudbury was absolutely packed, and there was standing room only for the delicious spread in the Town Hall!
John Sayers, the Mayor this year, looked very fine in his chain and robes of office. He was accompanied by Mayors from other towns in Suffolk, also wearing their robes , plus a couple of macebearers and the Town Clerk in full bewigged splendour. Some people don’t like this ‘dressing up’, but I for one am all for maintaining tradition. Without such displays it is easy to lose the special distinctiveness of life in England, and a sense of continuity with the past. I also enjoyed singing God Save the Queen...I can’t remember the last time I actually did that!
Colin was telling me that recently he attended an event that was the successor to the traditional Harvest Festival celebration. It is now called something completely unmemorable, dignitaries and officers no longer wear their robes and references to God and the spiritual were noticeable by their absence. How pointless is that? One may as well not bother to hold such an event in my view. I am not a particularly energetic churchgoer, but I find the propensity these days to concentrate on the purely secular (mainly I suspect for politically correct reasons) literally leaches the ‘spirit’ out of community events.
To my mind yesterday was memorable because members of the community all joined together and looked beyond themselves for spiritual help and support . I don’t think it matters whether one sees this as a direct appeal to God, or simply as an expression of a shared sense of community spirit, there was definitely some sort of spirit abroad in Sudbury yesterday.
