By Elli Kohnert
The annual picnic of the Church of St Paul in Barriere was held on Sunday, June 23. The event continues a long-standing tradition of this yearly gathering. The first picnics originally took place in the Anglican Church, which since 2010 has now become part of a Shared Ministry.
The Church of St Paul (there is no period after “St”, as the name is an acronym for Serving Together as a Parish of Anglicans, United and Lutherans) was officially formed in Barriere when the Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the United Church of Canada joined together to form the Shared Ministry on May 23, 2010.
For many years, the Congregation of the United Church of Clearwater (which joined the Anglican Church in that community) had exchanged the organization and local of the yearly picnic gathering, but during recent years the picnic has consistently been held in Barriere.
This year the weather was unpredictable, but everyone decided to carry on in holding the service outside on the lawn and near the trees. However, since clouds started moving in as it got closer to meal time it was deemed best to move inside for the eating part of the picnic. All attendees agreed that it would have been a shame if rain spoiled the delicious food that members of the Congregation had provided.
Once inside, the activity room of the Church was filled with cheerful people of all ages. Those waiting in line to fill their plate with the great food being offered visited with each other and had plenty to talk about as they waited their turn.
The event provided another enjoyable occasion for parishioners to share tasty food and good company, and all expressed the hope that the yearly “Church Picnic” in Barriere will be continuing for many more years to come.