The venue chosen was Finchcocks Georgian Manor house in Kent where we had all met for the first time last year. We went for the weekend together, and on the Saturday night, we each performed our piece of music. There were seven of us altogether and although nobody’s performance was completely flawless, we all managed to make a reasonable stab at our difficult pieces.

At the end of the weekend when we were sadly bidding each other farewell, our host for the weekend commented that we had been a lovely group to have because everyone supported and encouraged one another and no one was in tears in the corner because their playing was so much worse than everyone else’s! I wasn’t aware that other piano courses had people in tears in the corner but I suppose that, like so many things in life, even amateur piano playing can become competitive!

However, that is absolutely not what the piano group I am involved in is about. It is about encouraging one another, discussing repertoire, passing on tips for learning, or helpful books to read about piano playing. Since we are a geographically scattered group, most of our meetings have to be done by Zoom. Although it is not a Christian group, I would like to think that it encapsulates Christian values of help, support and encouragement.

The Church should be a place where people find help, support and encouragement. But that shouldn’t stop at the Church door. When we carry the Bible out of the door at the end of a service on Sunday morning, we are taking the word of God out into the world, and our Christian faith should be a part of everything that we do during the week.

Wishing you God’s blessing

Val