CHURCH NEWS - REV. JULIE GITTOES WRITES:

Who do you think you are?

The popularity of the BBC's 'Who do you think you are?' reflects our concern for identity and meaning: particularly in relation to our own personal and family histories. There is the intrigue of exploring half-remembered stories; the fascination of knowing where we come from. We glimpse in ourselves personality traits or gifts that reflect our ancestors. In understanding our family background, we gain a fresh perspective on our own lives.

What is true of our personal stories is also true of our local history. Hampton has changed a great deal over the last 100 years, and many of those developments are within living memory. Our community is made up of those who have lived here for generations, but has also become home to new families.

The area of Hampton that was once used for growing produce has become the focus for the community in different ways. It is where many of us live, work and shop. Residential care and education are provided side by side, along with the facilities at the White House, Youth Project, community police and the Shooting Star hospice. The buildings that have grown up on what was nursery land reflect the needs and resources of our shared life in Hampton.

All Saints' Church is part of that network of community. As a building, it is a sacred space set aside within our community; a place dedicated to God; a place of prayer and worship. Each day the porch is left open, so that passers-by can pause and reflect.

On Saturday 21st June All Saints' will be holding its centenary summer fete. This year, as well as refreshments and stalls, there will be an exhibition in church which illustrates the history of Hampton. There will be displays charting the development of the community – telling the story of our local area. There will also be displays which tell something of our own stories: of weddings and baptisms, of the life of the church now and in the past, of our memories and our future hopes.

All Saints’ is not just a building. It is a living and active community. Week by week people gather to worship God and to learn more of his love for us. Together we share in the Christian story. A story that helps us to understand who we are.

God made human beings in his image. God loved us so much that he sent his Son Jesus Christ to teach us how to live life more fully. Through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus opens for us a way into a new relationship with God. He calls us to live in love: loving God and all those with whom we live, those who are our neighbours.

Come and join us to discover more about who you are: as members of this community and as children of God.