Sunday 8th June - Holy Trinity Cannes

Finally getting round to writing this up! It was great to be back in a service led by Peter Anderson who was my training vicar and a great inspiration to me in many ways.

First you are struck by how many people there are! They normally have around 160 to Sunday services, 30 of these are visitors, staying in the area and the rest more regular, though many go back home to where ever they come from at times through the year. And it has not always been like this. There are some who remember when the congregation had dwindled to about 30, the previous chaplain revived the fortunes and Peter has seen continued growth.

As you would imagine the average age is rather senior - with so many coming to live in the area in retirement, but there are also a good number of younger families with children and they have recently attracted a number who are in their early twenties.

So what is the secret of their success? It is a complex interrelation of a warm caring fellowship, the desire of English speakers to get together, tremendous energy love and care injected by Peter and the workings of God in their midst. Even in his sixties Peter works at a tremendous pace, every week he produces in effect a little magazine which is part notice sheet, part introduction to the service, part collection to wise sayings and jokes. It is called the Opener, the Cannes Opener (as the French don't pronounce the last letter of the word, this is very much a 'Peter' a joke in its self!). He preaches with vigor and passion and has an encyclopedic memory of all various people's needs and spends a lot of time chatting to people on the phone.

People commute some distances to come to church, quite a few will live about an hour's drive away, some further - up in the tranquil hills above Cannes where the property prices are more realistic! There are four home groups, one in Cannes and three out nearer to where people live. On Wednesdays the church is open for a painting club, a pretty large library of English books, as well as newspapers and lunch. Everything in France revolves around food! The home groups all meet to eat first, and on Sunday nearly thirty of us went down to a beach side restaurant for lunch after the service - and great fun it was too.

The service was Communion, following more or less the pattern we are used to in Common Worship, though the liturgy was more sparingly (and appropriately) used. We had just one bible reading - which was the one peter preached about, and, as in Dubai, a children's talk before they went out to their classes. Our singing was led by grand piano and flute by very competent musicians and their was a good volume from the congregation's singing!

Afterward the service there was coffee, cold drinks or wine to drink (well it is France!), then some of us went down to The Rado, a beach side restaurant where tables were pushed together for getting on for thirty people to have lunch. It was lovely getting to know people in this relaxed atmosphere with wonderful views across the sea to the mountains the other side of the bay. What a difference from the grey clouds I can see from my window back home today!!