A not-so Misty Morning

by Jeremy Blunden, visiting Tofino

The sea-mist was a good omen; all the signs for an anonymous morning were there. I picked my way through the little streets and eventually found the building. There were a few people milling about and we greeted each other politely. Whilst I waited I looked around the building noticing the scorch marks on the timber ceiling. St Columba, the photograph said, was built in 1913. The first coincidence of the day?

Shortly before the service started the vicar burst in and announced that he would have to leave promptly as he had to lead another service, in another church. I sat towards the back, in my holiday clothes and sang the hymns, listened to the sermon and worshipped God. At the end of the service, just as I was preparing to slip out of the church with a nod of thanks to the vicar, a lady announced that she was about to embark on a trip to the city of Rangoon, Burma. I felt I had to have a quick chat with her since my Grandfather grew up in that city and we ended up talking about the political situation there.

Another lady, who had been providing the music, joined our conversation and began asking me a series of rapid-fire questions about where I was from and whether I attended a church there. She was very persistent and in the end she outed me as a vicar in disguise! Enough, I thought and then a couple who were visiting from Virginia verbally dragged me back into the building and told me that they had just been in England and had also visited a school in Wales. I asked them which school and to my amazement it was my old school, Yale (yes that Yale) after Elihu Yale the Welsh merchant.

I finally left St Columba's and drove back to the wonderful Middle-Beach Lodge, shaking my head in amazement as to how my hoped-for, anonymous morning had been turned completely on its head. We adored our holiday last August and hope to visit Tofino again in 2008. We all fell in love with your town, your country and you the people.

Thank you.

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The Reverend Jeremy Blunden, The Church of The Holy Spirit, Clapham, London (Built 1913!) vicar@holyspirit-clapham.org.uk