A part of Tenby could have looked like 'Little Israel beyond Wales' as Rev. Peter Richmond led an all-day Christian conference examining the autumn festivals that are described in the Old Testament and celebrated by Jews throughout the ages. Falling somewhere between Jewish New Year - the feast of Trumpets, and Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement, the teaching day, which was held in Augustus Place Community Centre, completed a two-part series of seminars. Following the success and enthusiasm in spring, when the first of these days was held in the De Valence Pavilion, it was a shame to see how few people had come from outside the area. Organisations were only represented by their literature, and the subject which had caught so many people's imaginations on the previous occasion was this time only enjoyed by some 20 people. A lively worship session was led by keyboardist Patrick Ovenden, with help from vocalist Deborah Fiddy, flautist Lynda Richmond and guitarist Jonathan Fiddy. Songs focussed on Jesus, the promised Messiah, whose coming 2000 years ago and anticipated glorious return are both predicted symbolically in the ancient Biblical festivals. Brian Haddon, from Narberth, was ideally qualified to help explain the significance of these festivals to a Christian audience, because he was an orthodox Jew who had found faith in Yeshua (Jesus). The sound of his shofar (ram's horn trumpet) was heard during the meeting, and the Aaronic blessing was pronounced in Hebrew and English. Having travelled to Tenby for the conference, Rob Woolnough argued that from his point of view he considered the church to be too centred on Rome, and not enough on the Bible. He pointed out that celebrations like Easter and Christmas are simply adaptations of old pagan festivals, whereas the church largely ignores the Biblical ones that Jesus himself celebrated. Rev. Peter Richmond urged people to check the Bible for themselves and test everything that they had heard that day. A non-conformist minister in Tenby since 1989, Mr. Richmond has pastored the small independent church known as Hesed Christian Fellowship for nearly eight years. He has spent much of that time discovering for himself the treasury of insight and blessing that most Christians miss out on because they do not understand the relevance of Old Testament festivals. The Bible claims they were established by God, but they are now widely viewed as only part of Judaism, not Christianity. At last, this year, he was able to set the record straight, and bring others to this fresh understanding. "In the Jewish calendar, this time of year is traditional for cleansing and getting right with God," he said. "A perfect time for baptisms"- welcome information for Emmanuel pastor, Jonathan Fiddy. Refreshments for the day included some homemade honey cake and challah bread with raisins: sweet things to celebrate the 'new year'.
