Saturday 7 September was a beautiful early Spring day with warm weather. It was an ideal day for the Family Garden Tea.

A special feature of this Family Garden Tea was the table puppet show of The Shoemaker and the Elves presented by Ludmilla Hogerzeil-King with Chandré Wertheim Aymès.

Second-hand goods for sale

The church table and the sale of Anthroposophical books

The Tea Garden

The day dawned cold as the first tendrils of a cold front could be felt. The hosepipe would not give its water as the residual of the previous day lay frozen along its inner length.

Undeterred the preparations were set in motion for a Family Garden Tea. The all important tea and coffee table with cakes and quiche was set up. The tables where the coffee and tea guests would sit for warming conversations were readied. Susan Goslett set up for Spinal Screenings. The contents of the All-Year-Round Fundraising Cupboard were brought out. A new stock of second hand books was displayed.

The sun shone warm from a deep azure sky and as the morning progressed jackets and jerseys were removed.

The few visitors who arrived commented on the pleasure of enjoying the beauty of the day and being able to relax for a while in pleasant surroundings with warm-hearted conversations.

​Winter is a special time of year in any garden. While most of the plants rest in winter there are a few that use this season of rest to flower and show off their splendour.

On Sunday 30 June the children gathered to hear the story of the sun-bird that longed for the return of the sun in winter time. To remind him of the sun the aloe offer to bloom in winter offering bright red blowers filled with nectar to the sun-bird.

After the story of the sunbird the St John's fire was lit. from the light of fire each child was able to light a lantern.

The wheatgrass that the children had planted on Palm Sunday had sprouted and was growing strongly. Hidden in the wheatgrass each child found a red dyed egg.

This was not the only surprise for the children; the Easter bunny had hidden chocolate eggs all around the back garden of the church. A diligent seach found enough eggs so that each child could take five eggs home with them.

Not all the children who planted wheatgrass on Palm Sunday were able to come to the Easter festival on Easter Sunday, 31 March, and so a second festival was held on Sunday 7 April.

by John-Peter Gernaat

Sunday 10 March marked the 50th anniversary of the day of the Ordination of Rev. Reingard Knausenberger. The day also marked her stepping back from carrying the responsibilities of a community and entering her retirement as a priest. Our Lenker, Rev. Oliver Steinrueck, was here to celebrate the occasion with Reingard and the community.

The celebrations were held in the Community Garden with coffee, tea and a wide selection of sweet and savoury treats. Reingard received gifts from the community; and from her colleagues; and from the other communities in the Region where she had served as Lenker for 17 years.

The photos show the handing over of gifts and accompanying speeches.

A few special moments captured

Crafting for Easter

The stalls with good on sale

Caught in the moment

​A camp was held a Moorfield from 8 to 13 December 2023 for grades 5, 6 and 7.

​by John-Peter Gernaat

​On 25 November we held this year’s edition of the Advent Fair. The community pulled together to form a craft group to produce angels and stars while other individuals also worked at home to create and assemble a wonderful table of crafts. Many community members produced homemade edibles for the Deli stall that displayed Christmas cakes, Christmas biscuits, gingerbread houses, tomato confit, piccalilli, stollen, lemon cordial and more. These offerings were supplemented with specialty gifts, outside traders with eggs, vegetables, bottled foods, health products and cosmetics, hats, bags, aprons and small gifts. The White Elephant was stocked with pre-loved goods and a wide range of second-hand books were available.

Children were well catered for with a puppet show, making Advent Gardens, Candle Dipping, Metal Forging, Light Boats and a Magic Cave where they met an Angel.

The Food Court provided pleasant entertainment in the form of a group of singers with a guitar, a classical flute quartet and a clarinet quartet, and a display by a school of Capoeira practitioners.

Visitors and stall holders were well catered for with bacon and egg rolls, Frankfurter rolls, a range of delicious home-made cakes, tea and coffee, including cappuccinos, and lunch of beef or chicken potjiekos with rice and salads and vegetarian options of quiche and mac-and-cheese.

A lot of work went into the setting up and dismantling of the Advent Fair and the participation of everyone, those who made, worked and participated is greatly appreciated.

The photos are from various photographers who are individually credited and provide an overview of what was on offer.

Tea Garden (photo T Holtz)

Cakes on sale with coffee and tea (photo T Holtz)

Pancakes (photo T Holtz)

Members of the Rand Symphony Orchestra playing as a clarinet quartet (video J Kirigin)

Capoeira Volente (video J Kirigin)

Puppet Show of Mary's Donkey (photos M Merle)