Albox Aljambra, 2020

[Camarotes]

Unable of course to be able to meet today due to COVID-19 restrictions, but we've received this wonderful, uplifting story from one of our Church members:

Lockdown: Senses

I went for a walk today.  I’m lucky.  I can do that - because I have a dog.
A walk.  A one-foot-in-front-of-the-other positive step at a comfortable pace;
   simple freedom from the ‘around-the-home shuffle’ of confinement.
Bliss.
It was raining.  It didn’t matter.
The soft, gentle drizzle feeling like a moist kiss brushing my cheek.
I met no-one; saw no vehicles; encountered no movement.
And then I heard it - and was momentarily startled !
Silence.
I heard the silence. Pure ,unadulterated silence. 
I paused my step, selfishly allowing myself to be embraced by it for a few
   indulgent seconds.
My nostrils twitched almost instantly.  What was that smell? 
Orange blossom !  Hanging over the fence of a garden.  Beautiful !
I stood for a moment,staring at the star-shaped petals; the moist air glazing them
  such that they glistened in the gloomy daylight, almost in competition with their
  night-time friends.
Fragmented extracts of long-forgotten poems nudged my memory “....what is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare....”
Then I looked down at the verges lining the single strip of tarmac road along
   which I’d walked, and saw the glowing bright yellow of the daisies and shamrocks, their
   faces turned upward, seeming to implore the life-giving water to fall on them alone, to
  quench their individual thirsts.
Suddenly my ears were alerted â€" noise?  Noise in this silence?  What..? Where..?
Up there !  There on the cable wires.! A row of tweeting birds, ruffling their feathers, taking a refreshing shower in this long-awaited free gift from the heavens. !
“We’re still here” they seemed to tell me, “all but drowned in the noise of your life, yet we’re still here”.
And so it was that, feeling fulfilled by creation; my inner-self calmed by silence; my body naturally-anointed ; and with childhood tunes touching my tongue “...each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings...” ,...... the dog and I walked home.

[Camarotes]

Notification has just been received from FEREDE, the organisation that officially communicates with Churches on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Justice, that in view of the special measures necessitated by the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, there are to be no Church services or other meetings held during the next 15 days.  The Anglican Church accepts this requirement, as a result of which the Churches in Mojacar, Llanos del Peral and Aljambra will remain closed at least until Sunday 29th March.

[Camarotes]

The next service will be Holy Communion at 11:00 am on Thursday 12th March, at which we will be collecting gifts to be taken to the South American Church in Albox for distribution to the poor.

[Camarotes]

Services at Aljambra follow a pattern of Evensong at 6.00 pm on the 2nd Sunday of each month, with Communion Services at 11.00 am on the 2nd and last Thursdays of each month, with a lunch usually being served after the Service on the last Thursday.

So in fact there is a service tomorrow morning, 13th February, at 11.00 am at which we collect donations of food and other necessities, which are taken after the service to the South American Church in Albox for them to distribute amongst the needy of the area.

For services at other times, there is a service of Holy Eucharist most Sundays at 11.00 am in both Mojacar and Llanos del Peral.

To get to Aljambra drive up Av Lepanto from the traffic lights opposite the BP Garage in Albox on dual carriageway, past Campo de Futball on right and Mercadona on left.  In 600 yards the road narrows and a short distance later when faced with a No Entry sign (suicide corner), turn RIGHT, then keep STRAIGHT ahead at next junction.  Keep on this road forking LEFT at The Corner Shop, then crossing Rambla Hortichuela, past some new houses, and fork LEFT immediately after crossing Rambla Honda, following street lights and signs for Aljambra.  Mind the speed hump!  Aljambra Chapel/Community Centre is about half a mile on the left, with a car park just past it.

[Camarotes]

Now we at Aljambra certainly seem to be starting 2020 with a flourish, particularly as we return there, as mentioned earlier for the foreseeable future.  No reconstruction work has been carried out, so the floor is still a bit uneven, requiring a level of care, but the roof has been repaired and working parties have patched and painted the cracks in the ceiling and cleaned and tidied the entire building, so that once again it looks like the Church it is, fully suited to our continuing worship there.

So we start with a service of Holy Communion on Thursday 9th January (this coming Thursday at 11 am), which will be followed, in addition to the customary coffee/tea and biscuits, with a celebratory mince pie and/or shortbread, washed down by a glass of Cava, for those who wish.  We should also remember that, being our first service of the month, we will also be bringing gifts, particularly of food, for those members of the South American Community, who are in need, at their Church in Albox.

Then on Sunday Evening, 12th January at 6 pm we will be celebrating a Service of Evensong, also at Aljambra.


We do hope we may see you at one or both of these Services.