The "Craft girls" cleaned out their cupboard today. Of course I said I didn't want anything. It contained a lot of books, patterns, bits and pieces we had brought in over a couple of years. One of our ladies said she'd box the leftovers and take them to the OP Shop over at the other church. She took six large boxes and we all took at least a shopping bag full home. None of us "wanted" anything but somehow you just know that jar of "tinkle bells" or card of buttons will come in handy some day.

We also washed the cups we'll need for the closing day tea, pulled down the posters for the family services we've held once a month for so long. We looked back at the empty walls and the empty chairs and it all looked so hollow. In theory all the furniture and fittings will be removed from the church and housed somewhere else. In theory. But in fact it will probably sit in some old dusty, cobwebby garage and after a while someone will come along and ask:"Why are we keeping this old junk?" and someone, not aware of where it all came from will reply:"I don't know, why don't we just throw it all out?" and they will.

While we were there the husband of one of our local ministers came to take the old upright freezer to their place to be used as food storage for the Samaritans Food Chest. It will be used for a while and then be thrown away, as all second hand me downs are eventually. I like to think of old ladies being handed apple pies and icecream stored it there. And youth group leaders looking for the hamburger or the BBQ sausages, and the kiddie time helpers looking for more fish fingers. A new life for an old appliance.

We will all be recycled too, the craft group "girls" will find other uses for their hands, knitting rugs for the nursing homes or tiny garments for the premmie babies at the hospital. The willing workers will work for another charity or find a niche in the kitchen of their "new" churches. We will all be okay. We are all strong women especially these widows. Most of them have been carers too, for aged parents, brother-in-laws,nieces and nephews, a dying husband and in some cases several others. They have the strength built of caring and the wisdom born of pain. And Ray will miss being the spoiled darling of them all.

So looking at the empty chairs I imagined the congregation members, past and present sitting there, not as they are now, but as they were when last saw them. Chatting groups of men up the back, looking at wifes while they described the hole on the ninth, the last bowl on end eleven, the mechanic and what he said was wrong with the carburettor. I imagined the Sunday school children running in to show off the work to Mum and running back to be in the line for cool drinks and whatever the delicious plates of goodies held. It is not the beginning of the service I was imagining but the end, the slowly moving out, the emptying of the chairs.

Just as today we took home our little bits and pieces so in less than two weeks we will take home our memories. And like the bits and pieces we will just take them out from time to time to see where they fit into what we are doing now.