NEWS
The four Candles of Advent were lit on successive Sundays leading up to Christmas, each candle representing a different aspect of the Advent season – the Prophesy Candle symbolising hope, the Bethlehem Candle peace, the Shepherd’s Candle joy, and the Angel Candle love. Finally, the Christ Candle was lit on Christmas morning, celebrating the arrival of Christ.
The Festival of Seven Lessons and Nine Carols on the evening of 18th December was attended by a congregation of 62 people. Lit only by the 18 flickering candles of the great brass candelabra in the nave, Cheryl’s solo first verse of Once in Royal set the tone for an atmospheric service. It was uplifting to hear again the familiar words of the readings, and the choir’s sparkling descants soared majestically above the enthusiastic singing of the congregation. Further treats followed in the form of mince pies and mulled wine, sausage rolls and spiced apple juice, and the drawing of the Christmas raffle, which raised a splendid £250. Very many thanks to those who contributed to the Christmas hampers for the raffle, to Jean Cooksley for the splendid Christmas cake, and to those who decorated the church so beautifully with flowers and candles.
The setting up of the crib heightened expectation of Christmas and you may have noticed in church over the Christmas period the figurines of the three wise men making their journey towards the crib, one windowsill at a time from the window beside the main door to the crib, arriving there at Epiphany – the Feast of the Three Wise Men – on 6th January. This celebrates the visit of the Magi to the new-born Jesus, having been led by the star to Bethlehem (picture, front cover).
We were delighted to welcome as our visiting preacher on Sunday 1st January, the Archdeacon of Suffolk, the Ven Jeanette Gosney.
On Sunday 29th January morning sung Eucharist will be followed by a Benefice bring-and-share lunch in Barsham Village Hall at 1pm, for those who wish to attend. Please contact Josh to let him know what food you can bring so that some coordination can be managed. A Benefice Evensong service will follow at Barsham at 5.30pm.
Wednesday Matins will resume on a weekly basis at 8.45am from 1st February.
152 items were donated to the Foodbank in December, bringing our total contribution for the year to 2,352 donations – a tremendous outcome, much valued by the Waveney Foodbank and its beneficiaries.
FORWARD PLANNING
The Spring Equinox falls on Monday 20th March and, assuming bright and sunny weather, the ‘Equinox Event’ in the church may be seen late afternoon on that day and on one day either side. Refreshments are served beforehand.
The Choir of St Edmundsbury Cathedral will sing Choral Evensong at Barsham at 3.30pm on Sunday 5th March.
SNIPPETS – The Visitors Book 2022
Holy Trinity Barsham receives several hundred occasional visitors each year. Only a relatively small proportion, I suspect, stop to sign the visitors book, but a survey of entries for 2022 sheds some light on the purpose of their visits and how far they have travelled.
There are 83 separate entries in the visitors book for the year 2022, representing 131 named people. Overseas visitors included people from Germany, Canada, Australia and four states of the USA – Iowa, Maryland, Virginia and California. Unsurprisingly, the majority of UK visitors – 63% – came from the Eastern counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. Indeed, a quarter of visitors came from Beccles, Lowestoft, Norwich and nearby rural parishes. But London and 15 other English counties are also represented, being Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire in the south; Rutland, Lincolnshire and Warwickshire in the Midlands; Somerset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire further west; and in the north Manchester, Cheshire and Lancashire. Our furthest UK visitors came from Shetland.
Some occasional visitors, of course, are drawn here for Sunday service or for weddings, funerals and memorial services; and others are attracted by special events such as the Lindley Light Show, the Equinox events or Ride and Stride; while some come with study groups, perhaps with the U3A or the Round Tower Churches Society. There are those too who come to remember: a pilgrimage to an old familiar place, or to pay their respects at a family grave.
A good proportion of visitors come out of interest in the history of the building, or for its beauty. With good reason, Holy Trinity Barsham is written up enthusiastically in most gazetteers of Suffolk churches. One of the visitors this year was Simon Knott, whose well-known website Churches of East Anglia includes an account of our church.
Some visitors come on ancestral pilgrimage. A party of 18 came from North America, all of them descended from Elizabeth Blennerhassett (c1537-c1608) of Barsham Hall and her husband Sir Lionel Throckmorton (1525-1599), who married at Holy Trinity Barsham in June 1561. Two other entries, unrelated, recorded in the visitors book their Suckling kinship.
A pilgrim of a different kind signed the book in June. Our first visitor on the Church Walking Pilgrimages scheme took overnight sanctuary in the church and came to Matins the following morning. She was walking the first section of the Via Beata pilgrimage route from Lowestoft to St Davids in Pembrokeshire.
Amongst the brief comments most frequently committed to the visitors book are expressions of thanks for being open (a legacy of Covid lockdowns perhaps) and remarks about the beauty and peacefulness of the church – a reminder, if any were needed – of how fortunate we are in our special surroundings.
FEBRUARY DIARY
Sunday 29th January – Candlemas (Presentation of Christ in the Temple). 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Rev Jonathan Olanczuk.
Sunday 29th January – 5.30pm Benefice Evensong at Barsham. Rev Josh Bailey.
Sunday 5th February – Third Sunday before Lent. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevJonathan Olanczuk.
Sunday 12th February – Second Sunday before Lent. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Rev Canon John Fellows.
Sunday 19th February – Sunday before Lent. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Rev Josh Bailey.
Wednesday 22nd February – Ash Wednesday. 10am Holy Communion, Holy Trinity, Bungay. Rev Josh Bailey. 7pm Holy Communion, All Saints, Mettingham. Rev Josh Bailey.
Sunday 26th February – First Sunday of Lent. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Rev Josh Bailey.
Every Wednesday at 8.45am – Matins at Barsham.
Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, [email protected]