Oh yes they did! Fratton church puts on a panto

Some of us at St Mary’s Church are suffering from ‘ear worms’ at the moment – those songs and tunes that get stuck in your head, that you find yourself humming or singing constantly.

They can be annoying, both to the individual and to those who live or work around them.

But these ear worms are all in a good cause – it is parish pantomime time and these are the songs we’re trying to learn, with just a week to go before the performances.

Once again the St Mary’s Panto Players will tread the boards at St Wilfrid’s Church in George Street in Fratton.

The performances are 2.30pm and 7.30pm on March 2, and tickets are available at the

door.

The panto seems an odd thing for us to do and some wonder what it has to do with us being a church.

The simple answer is that we enjoy doing it and having fun. But there’s more to it.

The panto brings together many different members of our three churches and helps us to get to know each other better and discover our different gifts and talents.

It reminds us that we all need each other and our various gifts.

It is always amazing to see people’s hidden talents – those who can sew and create costumes; others who can master the technology and provide lights and sound effects; the versatility of our director of music (who not only provides the musical accompaniment to the ear worms, but also plays a leading role); and the enthusiasm and confidence of our young people and the acting skills of the ‘older generation’.

It is only when all of these come together that we can entertain. It reflects our understanding of the life of the Christian community, which needs each person to discover their God-given gift and use it alongside others to serve Him and others.

Our life as a parish is enriched by this working together, and we hope that our life as part of the community of Fratton is similarly enriched by our working with others.

So come along and let us entertain you. Do think about what gifts and skills you have been given and how you can share them with others for the common good.

Hope to see you there – just watch out for the Dame!

St Mary's Church is in Fratton Road, Fratton. Go to portseaparish.co.uk