St.Machar’s Ranfurly Parish Church of Scotland

Scottish Charity Number

    SCO 03766

Chancel Centenary Celebrations

Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th September 2010

For three days in early September, St Machar’s Ranfurly Church will celebrate

100 Years of Worship

… in flowers, music and pictures

Flowers will fill the Church with scent and colour as flower arrangers, from the congregation and organisations, mark the 100th Anniversary of the Chancel with floral tributes.

Music will be played periodically, reminding us of the prime part it has always played in the worship of the congregation. The Choir hope to be able to record a programme of favourite hymns and anthems.

Pictures - a medley of slides, running periodically throughout Friday and Saturday will highlight the planning and building of our Church from the 1870s. Eyewitness accounts from local press re-live Victorian Sabbath School Picnics, Edwardian Soirees and the special service held to mark the death of Queen Victoria .while more recent memories of parish life will be screened, using the many personal accounts and photos contributed to the ill-fated Millennium Book.

Our Programme will guide you around the Church, drawing attention to the floral art – but also to the story lying ehind each commemorative window, each piece of furniture, picture or wall-hanging.

The Tearoom will offer refreshments & home baking, and soup at lunchtime on the Friday.

The WHY & HOW of the Chancel Extension were spelled out to visitors to theFundraising Bazaar, held at Paisley Town Hall, on 14 - 16 October 1909.The Bazaar opened from 2.30 till 10 pm, Admission ranged from 1s. to 6d.

Sunday Morning Worship on 5th Sept will be a Service of Praise & Celebration

Oberammergau - The Passion Play

The beautiful Bavarian village of Oberammergau has performed this play since 1634. It first started when the village elders promised to perform the “Play of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ” when they were spared from the Plague. My wife Mary and myself were privileged to attend one of the performances and find it difficult to explain how moving the whole experience was. I will attempt to give a short synopsis below.

The play is performed every 10 years and since its first performance has only been cancelled twice: in 1770 and 1940. In 2010, it runs from May to October five times per week. Only people born in Oberammergau or have been resident there for twenty years are allowed to participate.

For a year before the play starts, all participants let their hair and beards grow without any trimming. The play is performed in a theatre where the stage is open air and with about 4500 in the audience (see above photos). It lasts about 5.5 hours with a break for dinner in the middle.

The play starts with the entry of Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (below). It is complete with live donkey and over 300 actors of all ages on the stage. There are many spectacular scenes including the expulsion of the temple merchants, the last supper (bottom left), his betrayal and arrest on Mount Olive. Interspersed throughout the play, were a number of “Living Images” which consisted of actors in motionless scenes from the Old Testament. These have been introduced to ensure that the play has no anti- Semitic tendencies. We then had our break for dinner and while walking back to our hotel, it was obvious that this was a village activity as we could see various bearded and hairy performers cycling back to their own homes for their own meals. When we resumed at 8.00 p.m. we were into the interrogations of Jesus, his trial before the High Priests and then Pilate. After that we had the scourging of Jesus, being mocked by the soldiers(below right), and the condemnation by Pilot. The remorse of both Peter and Judas were also portrayed in different but highly moving ways. The way to the crucifixion was frightening, the crucifixion itself spectacular and highly moving, and the portrayal of the resurrection extremely well done.

Dennis Taylor

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