Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The baptism of a child is a joyful event, a time for celebration, and so it was on Sunday 5th August when Odette and Lee Mould brought baby Joseph to Stony Stratford Methodist Church. Yet, as friends, godparents and family, including Joseph's older brother and sister, joined together with the regular congregation and Rev. David Moore and Mrs. Jane Wass, who were leading the service, there was an awareness that somebody who should have been there was missing.

Joseph's sister Jessica was there with the rest of the family. She had been born a twin but in 2009, when she was just five and a half, her twin brother Harry died. Harry was missing from the service but was remembered and acknowledged in the midst of the celebration. David, who had baptised all of Odette and Lee's children and was leading his last service, prayed to the "God of us all, of the living and the dead."

In the first part of his reflection Rev. Moore described how Joseph's parents were not strangers to the church, but rather "near neighbours, local companions, friends and co-workers with Christ through their work in supporting children who had been bereaved." He continued, "This man and woman dug deep into their personal darkness and found ways of not being defeated by death! They somehow found themselves doing things that once they most probably would never have dreamed of doing."

He was making reference to Harry's Rainbow, the charity that Odette and Lee formed in 2011. Harry's Rainbow supports bereaved children and their families in Milton Keynes and the surrounding area. They offer resources, group activities, trips and outings to children affected by the death of a significant family member, such as a parent or sibling. There is also a monthly ‘Rainbow group’ for the children and their families.

Within his reflection on the story of the feeding of the five thousand, which was illustrated on the screen by Eularia Clarke's 1962 contemporary picture (which is part of the Methodist Art Collection), David spoke of the way in which Odette and Lee find it hard to attribute universal significance to modest personal deeds. He continued that by being part of the story of struggle, defeat and victory, they stand tall in God's estimation. He referred to the way Harry's Rainbow testifies that the unimagined can occur - support, hope and new life can bubble to the surface.

The service ended with a moving musical meditation, which was very meaningful to baby Joseph's family and friends, who included members of the Harry's Rainbow core team. The meditation was Judy Garland singing the timeless words of ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’. .The poignancy in those simple words reflected the mixed feelings of celebration and emotion within the service. At the end of the song, the Reverend Moore simply said "the end” which was his code for ‘after 60 years of preaching this is my last time conducting a Sunday service’.

If you wish to support Harry's Rainbow full details can be found on their website: http://www.harrysrainbow.co.ukhttp://www.harrysrainbow.co.uk/ .

Photo by Derek Beaumont

My note just for this blog: I was asked by David to go to the service and write it up to distribute a report on afterwards. This was a great honour and I felt very blessed to be able to witness this service. I have distributed the article above in various directions.....but please share if you feel appropriate. Thanks to Derek for providing me with several images. I include another picture which to me sums up the spirit of the occasion.