NEWSWe are very sorry to report the recent deaths of two faithful members of our congregation, Nony Ollerenshaw and Alan Bartram, both of whom enjoyed a long association with Barsham Church. Nony continued to read the lesson in church until just before her 100th birthday, the celebration of which she shared with her friends in church. She was much missed when she moved north to be near her daughter. For many years Alan was our organist and then a member of the choir. He sat on the PCC and worked tirelessly behind the scenes. He took a particular pride in keeping the brasses shining. He was always ready to take on extra jobs or to help colleagues and he too will be much missed. With the long-awaited relaxation of Covid restrictions, masks need not be worn in church, congregational singing has been restored, Communion is offered in two kinds, and refreshments are once again served after services. Seating is available in the north chapel for those who prefer to maintain social distancing. The Christmas Love Box Scheme will be operating again this year. The Love Box Wrapping Team will meet in the church at 2pm on Tuesday 31 August to prepare this year’s shoe boxes. The scheme will launch on Sunday 5 September and run until late October, excluding Harvest Festival Sunday. This is the final year Margaret will be the organiser. Please speak to her or one of the Church Wardens if you are interested in taking on this worthwhile job. Food Bank donations in July numbered 195 items. Thank you as always for your kind contributions.Sunday collections in June amounted to £825 in total.The Summer Lunch was enjoyed by over 60 guests and raised the record sum of £925. Special thanks to our hosts Jenny and Nick Caddick for their hospitality at St Bartholomew’s, Shipmeadow and a big thanks to everyone who cooked and helped with the practical arrangements, as well as to all who supported the event by attending. Some of the masonry on the south side of the church is being repointed by Theo Wells of Limeworks East Anglia, who specialise in Listed building repair. Do feel free to say ‘hello’ to Theo, who is from Mettingham. New volunteers for the cleaning rota would be appreciated. If you can help, please contact one of the Churchwardens.FORWARD PLANNINGSunday 5 September: the Sales Table will be open after the service for the sale of second-hand books, plants and food products.Saturday 11 September: Suffolk Historic Churches Trust RIDE AND STRIDE, 9am to 5pm. Helpers are needed for signing-in duties at the church on the day and more cyclists would be appreciated to enable us to raise as much sponsorship money as possible: it would be lovely to beat last year’s tremendous effort! Cheryl is looking for someone to succeed her as Area Organiser of Ride and Stride. Please contact her on 07788971211 or 01502 714655 if you would like to find out more about becoming the new Area Organiser or if you can be a helper on the day. Sunday 19 September 5.30pm: HARVEST EVENSONG (not 6.30pm as previously advertised). The Rt Rev Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough, will preach and join us afterwards at our Harvest Supper in Barsham Village Hall. HARVEST SUPPER for ticket-holders is at 7 for 7.30pm.Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 September at 5.50pm: Autumn EQUINOX EVENT with a church tour afterwards for anyone interested. Refreshmentswill be served from 30 minutes beforehand. Weather permitting, the spectacle is best on the middle day, Wednesday 22 September.
We are looking forward to welcoming our new incumbent, Rev’d Josh Bailey, and his family to their new home in June. They will move in on 13 June, with a couple of weeks to settle in before Rev’d Josh is licenced on Monday 28 June. The licencing will be limited to those officially invited, in church or civil positions. There will be ample opportunity for us all to meet Josh and his family at subsequent events. One such event will be the Summer Lunch, on Wednesday 21 July. Nick and Jenny Caddick have kindly offered us the opportunity to hold the lunch at Shipmeadow church again this year. The venue is outdoors, and so we pray for good weather! Tickets will be on sale from the beginning of July, from Bridget Westmacott, 01502 713465. The APCM was held in the church on 20 May, and the appointments were as follows: Diana Rawlinson will take over as Churchwarden from Cheryl. Bridget will continue in her Churchwarden post. Dominique Bacon will be Church Secretary, in place of Diana. We welcome Dominique, not only to this position but also as Patron, Minutes Secretary and a new member of the PCC. Robert Bacon will be joining the PCC, and we appreciate his commitment to the church. The PCC members are as follows: Dominique Bacon (Church Secretary); Robert Bacon; Malcolm Bardsley (Fabric Officer); Alan Bartram; Colin Harris (Church Treasurer); John Randall; Diana Rawlinson, (Churchwarden); Bridget Westmacott, (Churchwarden, Vice Chair PCC). Grateful thanks to all of them for volunteering their time and energy. “Love the earth and the sun and the animals. Despise riches; give alms to everyone that asks. Stand up for the stupid and crazy. Devote your income and labour to others.” (From “This Is What You Shall Do”, by Walt Whitman, American poet, 1819-1892.) “Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower, but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf; so Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.” (Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost, American Poet, 1874-1963.) April collections totalled £1,232. Food Bank donations numbered 165 in April. Diana and Cheryl baked Pavlovas and cakes to raise money for Christian Aid Week, and Sarah Jane sold jellies and chutney: £250 was sent in total to Christian Aid. Thanks to all who bought cakes or donated to the envelope scheme. The “A Church Near You” website, which Bev kindly updates, has attracted 156 “hits” in the last week, and 772 last month. It is a valuable form of communication. FUNDRAISING and FORWARD PLANNING: Orchid Walk at Mardelle, Clarke’s Lane, Barsham: Pat and Neville Smith have kindly offered to open their orchid meadows again, to view these special wild flowers. Because of the unusually cold spring, a date has not yet been set. When the orchids are ready there will be an announcement in church notices. Please contact Cheryl on 07788971211/01502 714655 for more details. Monday 28 June: Licensing of Rev’d Josh Bailey at Holy Trinity Church, Bungay. Wednesday 21 July 12.30pm: SUMMER LUNCH at Shipmeadow Church, by kind invitation of Jenny and Nick Caddick. Sunday 19 September 6.30pm: HARVEST EVENSONG with The Bishop of Richborough, Rt Rev’d Norman Banks. Followed by HARVEST SUPPER in the Village Hall. “There is only one good: knowledge, and one evil: ignorance.” (Socrates). Church correspondent: Cheryl Coutts 01502 714655/cherylcoutts468@btinternet.com
Good news has arrived! Rev’d Josh Bailey has been appointed as our new Priest in Charge of the Bungay Benefice, and will take up his post at the end of June. By way of introduction, he has kindly written the following message: As you read this, my family and I will be filling boxes in earnest, as we prepare for our move to Bungay! My wife Pippy and I are very much looking forward to getting to know the different communities within the benefice, and discovering all the connections of faith and friendship with the surrounding towns and villages. After a short while working in a media agency, I was ordained in the Diocese of Leicester, serving my title post in the village of Rothley. We began my curacy with two children, and moved on to an Associate Vicar post in Great Chesham with four: Elijah (8), Mary (7), Phoebe (5) and Jonah (3). For the last three years, I have served in a parish of first six and then seven churches. The seventh arose from a pioneering group from one of the other churches, revitalising a dwindling congregation in a local council estate. My role has been focused on the larger church of St Mary’s, though I have often led services or come together for festive occasions with other churches. The other churches cover a broad spectrum of traditions within the Church of England. We have had a parish liturgical service of foot-washing annually, on Maundy Thursday, alongside a new contemporary evening service at St Mary’s with young people taking an active role. Throughout our marriage, Pippy and I have had many opportunities to see Jesus at work in all kinds of people, drawing them to fellowship with Him through local church families. To know the father through Jesus in the power of the Spirit is eternal life (John 17:3)-and the availability of this life to anyone and everyone is the best news in the world! We look forward, alongside the three congregations, to discovering all Jesus’ purposes for us in the coming years. Please pray for us; that the timing of our arrival, as the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions appear to be subsiding, would prove to be a great moment of opportunity. Pray we would have wisdom and courage to be obedient to Jesus’ calling. Pray for Christ-like love and service towards all we meet from the first, and for our children particularly to make some strong friendships. Love in Jesus, Revd. Josh Bailey. We look forward to welcoming Josh, Pippy and their family to Barsham, and wish them well with the move. March collections totalled £1,072. At Easter Diana took orders for Pavlovas, and Cheryl made Simnel cakes and other sweet treats. £150 was raised and sent to the Bishop’s Lent Appeal for Kagera. Food Bank donations numbered 155 in March. Diana would like to thank all those who donated money to the Easter Lily fund. The church looked splendid and smelt divine! Thanks to Rev’d Canon John Fellows for leading the Good Friday Devotions, and Rev’d Tony Norton for taking the Easter Sunday service. Rev’d Roy Wormald continues to lead our worship on the third Sunday of the month, for which we are most grateful. Having returned to our Sung Eucharist, the choir is singing responses, albeit limited to the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei for the time being, to allow the congregation to join in with the Creed and Gloria. Bob McNeil-Watson continues to charm us with his musical interludes on the organ. Thank you, Bob! FUNDRAISING and FORWARD PLANNING: Thursday 20 May at 2pm in the church: APCM. All welcome. Sunday 30 May 6.30pm: TRINITY EVENSONG with The Bishop of Richborough, Rt Rev’d Norman Banks. Followed by refreshments. Wednesday 21 July 12.30pm: SUMMER LUNCH at Shipmeadow Church, by kind invitation of Jenny and Nick Caddick. Sunday 19 September 6.30pm: HARVEST EVENSONG with The Bishop of Richborough, Rt Rev’d Norman Banks. Followed by HARVEST SUPPER in the Village Hall. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matthew 25:21) Remembering HRH Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021. Church correspondent: Cheryl Coutts 01502 714655/cherylcoutts468@btinternet.com
