Impact0420

A lesson in hot cross buns
West Runton Holidays has
been operating since 1919
aiming to make Jesus
known to young people through
Christian adventure holidays and
activity camps. Here David Allen
looks back on one Easter working
with the charity, out on the Norfolk
Broads.
West Runton’s Broads
Adventure is out
in the wilds of the
Norfolk Broads
and it’s Maundy
Thursday evening – the day
before Good Friday.
The five-sailing cruiser crews
have settled down on this dark
mooring. Each skipper creeps
out and goes to the
boat America for the
evening skippers’
meeting. All bar
one are scratching
their heads
because they have
been asked to bring
a baking tray, a bowl
and wooden spoon.
It’s down to business,
talking of how the day
has gone – I’ve forgotten
if any of the boats had found
themselves in the reeds having
a ‘tea and biscuits break’ or have
any of them had too much sail up
etc. Then comes the reaction to
the evening’s other news, worship
and talk about being a Christian.
Discussion moves on and we
talk about how the crew members
are getting on with each other etc.
All this lubricated with tea/coffee/
chocolate and cake! Then all this
is put to one side.
The bowls are brought out and
put on the table, then all eyes
swing to me as I produce some
bags, one for each skipper.
Thanks to all the homework done
by my wife Ann, each bag has the
correct amount of flour, yeast etc
in it for the crew size of each boat
– some with eight people, others
five or four. The egg is beaten
and added to the flour followed by
milk to get the texture just right.
The baking trays are greased
and buns are shaped – one for
each person on a skipper’s boat.
This done, the crosses comes
next. Marzipan is rolled into a rod
and applied to each bun to make
a cross.
Back to their boats go all the
skippers, each carefully carrying
their tray of dough in the dark to
put into the oven with a
damp tea towel over
their tray to be left
overnight to rise.
Trust is involved
here. Is the oven to
be warm enough
for that wonder to
happen?
Next morning
skippers peer in and,
to their amazement, the
dough has risen! They’re
whipped out of the oven, up
goes the temperature and in they
go. As the sleepy crew awake,
their noses are assaulted by the
aroma of cinnamon, all spice,
nutmeg and ginger.
What a way to celebrate Good
Friday! The hot cross buns give
a great focus for each crew with
their skipper gather round the
Bible to consider how the God
of love can let something like
this happen! Trying to travel in
time with the disciples is so hard
because we know how God’s love
works out on Easter Sunday.
David Allen
St Chad’s Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats
Church Office: Linden Avenue, Sheffield S8 0GA
Tel: (0114) 274 5086
Page 8
email: office@stchads.org
website: www.stchads.org