News & Features

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Our year of worship got off to a wonderful start on Sunday when Bishop Alan joined us for our Epiphany service and Daniel and Rebecca were Confirmed.  It was a very special morning.  Thank you to all those who made it possible.

Due to the current restrictions and the increasing infection rate that the new strain of Covid-19 has brought us we may need to make changes to our usual pattern of services at short notice.  We intend to go on using Zoom for our main Sunday services (and others where appropriate) so you will always find us there and it may be that some services take place in church for those who like to attend in person.  Please keep an eye on this web-site and look out for our weekly e-mail bulletins so that you have the most up to date information about what is happening.  

I'm sure that you will join me in continuing to pray for those who have Covid and for those who care for them, along with those who are alone or fearful and those whose jobs and livelihoods are threatened by the pandemic.  I hope, as well, that you will join me in seeking to remain hopeful, in looking for the many positive things that are happening in our local setting as well as wider afield and in attempting to care for each other in the coming days.

May 2021 bring you many blessings,

Lynn

Sending Christmas Greetings to all.

This Christmas may you be filled with the light and hope that the Christchild brings and may you know the peace of which the angels sang.

With blessings for this season and the year to come.

Advent is the season that opens a new church year. It offers us the opportunity to pause and to prepare ourselves for the forthcoming feast of Christmas.  Often, in the midst of all the practical things that need to be done, we neglect to prepare spiritually.  There are many things that can help us with this but two have been especially provided this year for us by the Diocese of Norwich, of which our Benefice is part.

At 9pm every Tuesday and Thursday until Tuesday 22nd December you can join our Bishop (and others in the Diocese) for the service of Compline, a beautiful, reflective way to draw the day to a close in prayer.  You can download and/or print an order of service here:  Compline Order of Service
There doesn't appear to be a direct Zoom link, but the other Zoom details (every time) are:  Meeting ID 819 7861 5511  Password:  771181     Telephone:  0203 481 5237

Alternatively......
It's still not too late to sign up for the electronic Diocesan Advent Calendar, which arrives as an e-mail each morning, offering the opportunity to pause and think Advent thoughts amidst everything else that's going on.  This link will take you to the page you need, where you enter your e-mail address and name to register:  Advent Calendar Sign Up Page

I hope that you will use these opportunities as encouaragment to deeped your relationship with God as we begin another year of church life.

May your Advent be blessed and help you to welcome the Christ-child once more into your heart this Christmas.

If you have a favourite poem, why not come and share it (and perhaps the reason it is a favourite) on Saturday 21^st November at our zoom Poetry Evening.  This will start at 7pm, it is a fund raising event for the Benefice and the cost to take part is £5.  Please email or telephone me if you would like to take part and put £5 either through my door (22, Brecon Road, Brooke) or Lynn's (The Vicarage, Brooke).  You will be given the zoom code on Friday the 20^th.  I look forward to seeing you there.  John Ash, 01508 550116 johnrvash@gmail.com

November brings us an opportunity to remember.

On the 1st of November we remember all the saints, those who have lived their lives within the Christian faith.  We remember those whose stories have made them famous, some handed through generations, and those whose quiet faith is known only to God.  We give thanks for thier example and remember that we are the saints of our generation.

The 2nd November is All Souls Day when we remember all those who have died.  This year we've moved our remembering to the afternoon and evening of 1st November to make it possible for as many people as possible to join in.  With so many people affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic it seems more important than ever to offer opportunities to remember those we love who have died in very personal ways.  St Peter's Church at Brooke will be open in the afternoon for people to use as a space to come and remember and then, in the evening, there will be a special on-line service of Commemoration.  There are more details in the events section of the web-site.

Our annual Remembrance Service will take place on Remembrance Sunday, 8th November, but for safety reasons we've made the decision that it will take place only on-line this year.  The details are in the events section of the web-site.  We know that many people will be disappointed by this but we have worked hard to make sure that all our villages are included and we will live in hope that we can gather at our war memorials again next year.

Everything that we plan at the moment has to be subject to change, so do keep an eye on our web-site as a way for us to let you know of any changes.  If you subscribe you can receive e-mail notifications when new content has been added.

As the days begin to get shorter and the restrictions become more restrictive....the Benefice Council put their minds to what we might do to create some social opportunties for our community.  Meeting up together is unlikely to be possible in the coming weeks (and perhaps months) so we thought we'd turn our attention to the possibilities that technology is offering us.

Following the success of the weekly coffee morning during the main lockdown time, we have decided to experiment with holding a virtual Afternoon Tea.  You will, unfortnately, need to supply your own tea and cake, but you are most welcome to come along, to see friends, and to have a chat.

Our first attempt will be on Wednesday 14th October from 2.30pm in the afternoon.  You don't have to be there at the beginning, guests can drop in at any time, and leave when they are ready too.  We will continue to use Zoom as our chosen platform.

You'll find all that you need to join in on the events pages of our web-site.

I look forward to seeing some of you there,

Lynn

A huge "Well Done" to all those who took part in Saturday's Cycle Ride.

Liz, Gwyneth, Carrie and Martin set off on their bikes and rode 19 miles, visiting 13 churches along the way.

Travelling by car John and Stephanie visited 26 churches all over South Norfolk.

Daniel (and Dad, Robert) started in Wymondham and cycled all the way to Brooke, covering 26 miles and visiting 27 churches.

All reported how much they enjoyed the day - and the fortunately wonderful weather.

At the moment sponsorship has raised about £800 to be shared between the Norfolk Churches Trust and parishes in our Benefice.  It's not too late to donate - you can contact any of the participants if you would like to make a contribution.

Daniel sent the following:

Thank you so much to everyone who sponsored me for the Norfolk Churches Trust sponsored bike ride. I aimed to cycle to 15 churches covering 15 miles and set a goal of raising £100. I was so happy to have raised over £400 more than the original target I had set myself. On the day, I cycled to 27 churches and covered 26 miles. So far, I have raised £575 for the Norfolk Churches Trust and the Brooke Benefice. Thank you so much again to everyone who generously sponsored me!

A big "Thank You" to those who took part and to all those who sponsored them.

12th September this year is the date for the annual Norfolk Churches Trust Cycle Ride.  People from across the diocese will  be taking to their bicycles (and cars and walking boots) to spend the day visiting as many churches as they can.  Sponsored by friends, family and kind benefactors, they will raise money for the ongoing work of the Norfolk Churches Trust - and for their parish churches.

The Norfolk Churches Trust helps parishes to maintain their historic church buildings.  They care for some "redunant" churches and offer grants to others for building projects and repairs.  The parishes of our benefice are all members of the Trust and have benefited over the years from generous gifts.  The annual Cycle Ride offers the opportunity to make a contribution back to the Trust and to raise some money for our churches too.

This year, amongst others, we have a new rider in Daniel.  Once he found out about the event he decided that he could combine his love of cycling with his interest in churches and raise some funds for the Benefice along the way.  He plans to cycle from his home in Wymondham to his "second home" in Brooke on the day, hoping to visit at least fifteen churches along the way.  The route is about fifteen miles.  We are all hoping for good weather and looking forward to meeting him when he arrives at St Peter's.  

If you would like to sponsor Daniel you can do so by:

Visiting his JustGiving page, where you can make and on-line donation:  Sponsor Daniel 

or

Contacting Lynn (01508 558479, chapman.lynn@btinternet.com) and asking to be added to a paper sponsorship form being kept at the Vicarage.  You will be asked to deliver your sponsorship money, in cash or by cheque to the Vicarage (or the Vicar) after the event.

Thank you for your support and "thank you" Daniel (and others) for your support of this special event.

Following some cleaning and lots of guidance reading and risk assessing, St Margaret's Church at Seething is now ready to be opened for private prayer.  The church will be open from 12pm to 4pm on Sundays and from 10am to 4pm on Thursdays.  There are instructions in the porch so that all hygiene precautions are taken, in an attempt to make the building "Covid secure".

We know that some people have been missing being able to pop in on their daily walks and so we are delighted that they will now have the opportunity to enjoy the hallowed quietness of Seething's beautiful church once more.

The last few weeks have been a steep and exciting learning curve as we have opened St Peter's Church at Brooke for private prayer and for Sunday Worship following its closure in March.  Extensive risk assessments have been carried out and procedures and policies have been drafted and published.  Lots of soft furnishings and books and papers have been removed from the church to make it easy to keep clean and access to some areas has been closed off for the same purpose.  We are extremely grateful to Liza our lovely cleaner who has been so accommodating and has floors and pews gleaming in the sunshine again.

Twice each week the church is open for people to visit and make their own private prayers.  There are clear signs about what to do and people have been coming along for a few minutes, or a little while, to enjoy the peace and quiet of the church.  It's not quite the same as being able to wander in just when you want to and just at the moment you can't light a candle or leave a prayer card, but it's good to know that those who wish have access to St Peter's once again.

We've had three Sunday services in church now too.  The screen is up at the front and the gift of mobile broadband has made it possible to join up with those who are worshipping at home, via Zoom.  There have been some hairy moments, but we are beginning to get the hang of it and everyone agrees that it's probably the best we can do until we are all able to be in church again.  Huge thanks go to Brian and team who have been recording hymns and music to add to our services.  Those in church find it very hard not to be able to sing a long, but we look forward to the day when this will be possible again.  We have now removed the booking system for services as we feel able to cope with the numbers of people who wish to attend and so far we haven't had to turn anyone away.

Sunday services are planned throughout August so, if you're ready to come back to church, do come along to St Peter's and join in.  Zoom will continue too for the time being - the link and joining details are on the web-site.  We hope that in the coming weeks we can work on opening another of the churches in our benefice - so look out for news of that soon.