The Stone Bandwagon

A month ago I reported on the decorated stones I'd found at the porch of the church and which turned out to be part of quite a widespread game which is being played across the county and beyond. I thought it was a rather lovely, simple way of brightening the world up a tiny bit. When we met to put together the Family Service order last time one of our number, whose Rainbow troop had joined in by decorating its own stones and hiding them around the area, suggested the church do the same. So I bought a big bag of pebbles from the garden centre and a selection of indelible markers from WHSmith and we gave a stone to everyone as they came into the church on Sunday. When the time came for intercessions everyone marked their stone with a cross or some other symbol (or an appropriate pious sentiment, though it had to be a short one) and they were held up to be blessed before being taken away to be hidden. I was delighted as it ticked all the bishop's boxes - outreach and use of social media in terms of reporting it on the relevant LiberFaciorum page - and mine as it is, in the broadest sense of using physical things to signify spiritual realities, sacramental. Although I forgot to do the final step and take a copy of the photo below to the Clergy Conference this week to add to the collage that was being assembled of all the wacky evangelistic things the parishes are doing. However I never heard anything about said collage so I wonder whether it happened at all. 

There were many more stones than this!