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The Rev Grant Barclay, minister at Giffnock: Orchardhill
“I have fond memories of a Sunday School picnic which my friend’s church were organising, and he invited me along.
“We met in a church building I hadn’t been in before and that was, to an elevenyear-old, a bit strange.
“We spent the day in Grangemouth, and it was great!
“There was football, we played on the swings, chutes and roundabouts and I vaguely recall table tennis, too.
“I think we caught the rhythm of the three-legged race early on and stormed to a glorious victory!
“And the lunch came in a paper bag from the local baker’s shop with a serious sausage roll – none of these cocktail-sized pretenders – and an iced bun as well as a packet of crisps and an apple which I think I was able to give away, fruit not really being my thing then.
“Forty years on, I still remember the day.
“Not because the weather was great, nor that the surroundings were exotic or the activities out of this world.
“I recall a strong sense of being welcomed, accepted and part of the group.
“Faith was there, too – someone said grace before we started on the lunch bags.
“My sense as a youngster about what it meant to be connected somehow to Jesus was strengthened that outing by a deep sense that I belonged there, and might even be in the right place among God’s people. It helped my faith journey.”
Mark Evans, Deacon and Head of Spiritual Care, Bereavement Led, NHS Fife
“One of the highlights of growing up in Pilton was the annual Sunday School picnic.
“Maybe it’s wishful thinking but I always remember sunny summer days spent in such exotic locations as Peebles, North Berwick and Penicuik and the excitement of getting your paper bag with a sandwich, crisps and drink and rummaging to find out what sticky bun you had been given.
“One year we went to Carberry Tower – and I remember my amazement as the bus went up the drive.
“Here was a bunch of kids from Pilton getting to play in a real castle for one day!
“Tables and chairs were set up as our Sunday School teachers started a game of rounders whilst I sneaked off to investigate.
“To this day I remember standing in the Beacon Room, staring up at the minstrels’ gallery.
“I just couldn’t believe that Carberry was ‘owned’ by the same people who ‘owned’ the Old Kirk!
“The rest of the day was spent exploring the grounds, eating our picnic and playing games before we gathered in the chapel looking out at the cross set in the garden.
“Over 40 years later, I am surprised by the impact these picnics had on me and my own ministry.
“Yet the biggest influence wasn’t the laughter or the sunny locations, it wasn’t even the sticky buns – but it was the care, acceptance and love shown by our Sunday School teachers to a noisy, unruly bunch of kids from Pilton.”
Fraser Ellis, Elder at Glasgow: Gorbals
Karen Gillon, Associate Secretary of The Church of Scotland Guild
The Rev Dr Derek Brown, Lead Chaplain, NHS Highland
“Ah the joys of Sunday School picnics.
“The sun, sea and sand of a, normally, very windy Ayr springs to mind when I look fondly back to those days.
“I was fortunate to go to two Sunday School trips a year – my own church’s, Gorbals, and Ibrox where my grandma and aunt go.
“I always remember Ibrox’s trips the most not because of where we were going each year but the fun we would have on the bus.
“I distinctly remember one year when we were on a double decker bus and we all started to sing ‘Oh you cannae shove your Granny aff a bus’.
“The older Sunday School teachers weren’t impressed but managed to get their own back with a glamorous rendition of ‘The Wheels on the Bus’.
“It was times like that which were my favourite –not the place we were going but how we were getting there.
“Nowadays when I remember those times, I think about Proverbs 3: 23–26
‘You’ll travel safely, you’ll neither tire nor trip. You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry, you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep.
‘No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner
‘Because God will be right there with you; he’ll keep you safe and sound’, as going on a journey with friends and in fellowship always kept me safe.” “Growing up in the Borders in the 1970s meant Sunday school picnics were a highlight of my year.
“For weeks the excitement would build and then the day came and your first action that morning was to sneak a peak through the bedroom curtains to see if the sun was out! I’ve had wet days I am sure but in my head it was always sunny that day. We would all meet at the church hall, laden with a picnic, a ball and of course a towel! Then onto the bus, complete with streamers out the windows. On the bus there was always singing and a great sense of expectation. When we caught our first glimpse of the sea the excitement levels reached bursting point. And then we were there –Spittal, a small east coast town next to Berwick.
“We poured off the bus and onto the beach, mums set out the area with towels while we all played rounders and had races along the beach. The picnic of sandy sandwiches and bottles of diluting juice. And then it was time, time for us to run as fast as we could into the sea! You had to run fast, it was so cold that if you hadn’t you wouldn’t have gone in! There was laughter, fun, a sense of community.
“The day would end in the local church hall with singing and prayers. Then back on the bus for the long journey home.
“I still take my kids to Spittal and we go through the same rituals! And now I take my church to a beach to do the same things, a chance to be together, have fun and make memories!” “It must be my age, but I can’t remember anything about Sunday School picnics from when I was wee.
“I have to fast forward to my late teens when I was a Sunday School teacher to recall the annual outing with any clarity.
“One such trip took us in our double decker bus from Penicuik North Church to Carberry Tower near Musselburgh, East Lothian, on a glorious summer’s day.
“I remember the bus having to stop when we’d hardly got to the edge of town because a child felt sick, such was the excitement that an event like this could engender in even the most worldly wise child of the time.
“What a setting for a picnic!
“There were woods to explore and hide in; a large pond with real ducks on it who were most put out by all the shouting and laughter.
“There were acres of grass to perform the obligatory races – sack, egg and spoon and wheelbarrow to name a few.
“That day, no rain spoiled the sandwiches or made the sausage rolls soggy.
“The jelly and ice cream was in mortal danger of melting.
“And there wasn’t one tube of sunscreen to be seen, although I’m pretty sure there would have been plenty of calamine lotion applications later.
“A perfect day ended with singing rousing choruses and giving thanks for all God’s good gifts.”