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Norton sub Hamdon South Somerset, England
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| St Mary's Church Updated 26th February 2010 MARCH CHURCH SERVICES SUNDAY 7th 6.30pm Compline SUNDAY 14th 9.30am Family Communion (CW) SUNDAY 21st 11.15am Matins (BCP) SUNDAY 28th
8.00am Holy Communion (BCP) Benefice Choir Practices:
Tuesday, 2nd March at 8.00pm in Norton
Church, Fridays, 12th, 19th,
26th March at 8.00pm in West Chinnock
Church. Short Norton Church Choir Practice:
Friday, 12th March after Benefice Choir Practice Special Services over Easter: School Service - You are very welcome to attend the Easter School service in church on Thursday, April 1st at 2.00pm. April 1st, Maundy Thursday, marks the evening of the Last Supper, when Jesus ‘created’ the Communion Service. Our 7.00pm said Prayer Book service at Norton will look at that evening on which Jesus spoke to his disciples about his coming death, washed their feet and shared a Passover meal with them. April 2nd, Good Friday, brings opportunities at Norton, Middle Chinnock and Chiselborough, for reflecting on the events of the day when Jesus died and its significance for us. We also have the privilege of joining together (by kind permission of the Holloways) at 3.00pm on top of Gawler’s Hill (accessed from the Phoenix Path off Chiselborough Common). Before this there are some craft events for all the family at the Village Hall in Chiselborough (details elsewhere in magazine) - we start at 12.00 noon and conclude with a shared lunch together (please bring a picnic) before climbing the hill. After the service on Gawler’s you are warmly invited back to the Rectory for a hot-cross bun. On Easter Day, each of our churches has a Communion service; that at 8.00am at Chiselborough will be from the Book of Common Prayer, that at Middle Chinnock at 9.30am, and at 6.30pm at West Chinnock will be from the Common Worship Service Book, and the Communion service at 11.15am at Norton, also Common Worship, will be more informal. I am always happy to take
communion to those who are housebound if they are unable to come to these Easter
services - please let me know if you would like this ministry.
Peter
The Benefice Choir
Left to Right Chris Denman (organ/piano/ choirmaster), Liz Denman, Marie Wheatley, Diane Waters CHURCH NEWSLove for the Future - Diocesan Course for Lent 2010. What can we find within ourselves to develop family and community life, respond to the environmental crises and achieve a sustainable world? We need respect, compassion, justice, simplicity, repentance and hope. Love for the Future, our course for Lent 2010, explores these six themes and the ways we can allow God to develop these in us, drawing on insights from the church community, including the Bishops. The course and supporting study material will tackle many of the issues that we face as a society and as a planet, with particular emphasis on responding to the ecological crisis. These six sessions will be held at the Rectory at 8.00pm on Wednesday, February 17th (Ash Wednesday), Thursdays March 4th, 11th,
18th, 25th and April 1st
(Maundy Thursday). Do come and think about these important topics. LIGHTEN OUR DARKNESS.
Many thanks to those who have already donated a lamp for the church. The
lamps have been purchased with a loan from the PCC and on the 23rd
January the ‘Flag Officers’ will be cleaning all the light shades and
fitting the new lamps. Our grateful thanks to them and to Matt Orchard for
the loan of his ladders. OTHER DATES FOR YOUR DIARY!
Coffee Pot - 10.30am - 12.00noon, Reading Room,
Norton - Tuesdays 2nd and 16th
February. Special Honey Pot Continental breakfast Saturday,
February 6th 9.00am - 11.00am
with a collection for Haiti at The Rectory, Chiselborough. MISSING ITEMS. A box containing 48 wine glasses has gone missing from the church. This was revealed when preparing for the mulled wine after the Carol Service. Will the person or persons who borrowed these please return them. Thank you. Secondly, the PCC purchased two bags of salt for path clearing. These two bags were left in the porch for ease of use. Unfortunately, one went missing. If the remover reads this, would you kindly put £5.00 into the wall safe (just inside the church, on the left). Thank you. Brian Frosdick - Church
Warden FRIENDS OF NORTON CHURCH
REPORT FOR 2009. This year it has not been necessary for the
Friends of Norton Church to undertake any big projects, but to prepare for the
Quinquennial inspection of the church of St. Mary the Virgin this autumn and
Roger Webb is thanked very much for his detailed survey and report on the church
windows. There has been the usual run of relatively minor, nevertheless
important, issues to deal with. These include oiling the West Doors to
preserve the superb decoration, installing a safety rope up the tower staircase,
securing heating system pipes and installing a new heating time switch.
The largest project was the modification and renovation of the weathervane and
there is an illustrated report on the Norton website: www.nortonsubhamdon.org.uk
Special thanks to Peter Callaghan, Dennis Hawkins and Andy Holm.
As well as considerable efforts on the part of everyone involved, all this does
cost money and particularly to come are some major items listed in the report of
the Quinquennial inspection. The most regular fund raising is by the
successful FNC Wine Club, due to the dedication of Roger Webb, John Ashton and
Peter Callaghan. At the Flower Show, Lorna Noble ran her stall of artistic
and other goods and a visiting Cazzjazz band played in the church with a BBQ run
by Liz and Stuart Maunder to celebrate Tower Day. The last event of the
year was the village carol singing led by Cilla Caswell with superb playing on
her flute (even with cold and wet fingers) - with participation by a
large ‘choir’, despite some heavy rain. The singers were rewarded by
Cilla and Bill with mulled cider and by Lynn Orchard with mince pies. Half of
the proceeds went to ‘Hope and Homes’, a charity for war orphans. Very
many thanks indeed to all who work so hard in many ways to support our beautiful
church. Malcolm Reid, FNC Chairman
"Peter Callaghan, who had a leading role in the previous weathervane refurbishment some years ago, took the initiative to do this work again. Of course, this is not a simple painting task and required the lowering of the complete assembly. The mast is in two parts, but they and the component joining them together were rusted solid, so the lowering had to be done in a single stage. Malcolm Reid assembled a team of FNC members and others to undertake this difficult task and the carrying down all the tower steps of all the component parts, some of which are very heavy. This team, with Peter and Malcolm, comprised Andy Holm, David Parkinson, Dennis Hawkins and Neil Chapillon. In parallel with Peter repainting the Weathervane and the NSWE letters, to a specification to withstand the weather (gold is especially difficult), Malcolm and Dennis designed and made a modification to the mast to make much easier the re-assembly and subsequent re-painting in years to come. This modification allows a swivelling action of the upper mast. The final phase was to carry the heavy components and necessary equipment up the tower staircase and then re-erecting the whole assembly. This was acheived by Andy Holm and two equally tall and strong friends, Phil and Tristan. They were assisted by Malcolm, Dennis and David Robins. On behalf of the PCC, congratulations and many thanks are expressed to all those who participated in this church fabric project. Rev. Peter Thomas." Norton Church floodlighting
Bearing in mind the need to reduce any unnecessary carbon footprint it has been
decided by the Norton PCC to turn on the floodlighting between Advent Sunday and
Epiphany (early December through to early January). NORTON CHURCHYARD.
The suggestion has been put to the Parochial Church Council that an area of the Churchyard should be set aside as a ‘Wild Garden’. This does not simply mean not mowing one section. Such a garden needs to be maintained, and advice is available on this. The PCC has identified an area where this might be done - to the north of the church where no burials are known over the past 100 years. If you would be interested in maintaining such an area could you please let Denis Cannon or Peter Thomas know. “More than 6,000 British churchyards run their small plots of land as sacred eco-systems - without pesticides, and mowing the grass only once a year, ensuring that birds, reptiles, insects and flowers can thrive.
The scheme has been outstandingly successful for several reasons. Firstly because it immediately makes sense, secondly because it is simple to execute, thirdly because it is theologically sound, and fourthly because it enables people to be involved in a manageable environmental project” - Quote from the Living Churchyard Scheme. BURIALS IN THE CHURCHYARD.
During the summer I have prepared charts for the churchyards in Chiselborough and Norton based mainly on work done by Sir Melvyn Mendlycott around 2000. These charts, together with a book containing various documents including photographs of headstones, will be kept in the churches. However, I have discovered that there are a large number of unmarked burials in both churchyards. Some of these have small flower pots, some with flowers in, but no names. If anyone is aware of the location of any unmarked burials, including those of cremated remains, can they please let me know so that records can be updated . Church burial registers have not, until now, had any record of locations.
Peter Thomas. WEDDINGS IN CHURCH. You may know that the regulations about who can marry in a Church of England Church building are just about to change. In July 2007, the General Synod overwhelmingly passed the Church of England Marriage Measure and it received the Royal Assent on the 22nd May. The Archbishops have now signed an instrument bringing all the provisions of the Measure into force from 1st October 2008. The measure seeks to respond to changing social conditions and in particular to the increasing mobility of our society today. It does not affect the existing right of parishioners. A couple continue to have the right to be married in the parish church of a parish where one or both of them are resident or entered on the electoral roll (The present regulations). However, some people would like to marry in a church because it has special significance for them, even though it is not where they live. This measure enables a church to offer the same welcome to a couple who wish to marry there and who can demonstrate a straightforward connection with the parish as it does to those who live in the parish itself, without the couple having to apply for a special licence. A person has a Qualifying Connection with a parish if that person: was baptised in the parish, or had his or her confirmation entered in a church register book of a church or chapel in the parish, or has at any time had his or her usual place of residence in the parish for at least six months, or has at any time habitually attended public worship in the parish for at least six months, or a Parent of that person has at any time during that person’s lifetime: had his or her usual place of residence in the parish for at least six months, or habitually attended public worship in the parish for at least six months, or a Parent or Grandparent of that person was married in the parish. In all cases involving church services, i.e. coming to/going to/attending normal church services, baptism, confirmation or marriage - this applies only to Church of England services. More information can be gained from the church website www.nortonchurch .org.uk |