News & Features

The next four Sundays mark out for us the period of Advent, a time of preparation before the feast of Christmas.  As we get ready to remember the coming of Jesus as a tiny baby, we also look ahead to his promised return.  This is a time of longing and yearning, a time of hoping and trusting.  With so much strife in our world this Advent may help us to remember again God's promise of peace on earth, made possible through Jesus.

There is so much to do at this time of the year.  Much to look forward to, but much planning and business too.  Our Advent worship will remind us to take time out to listen to God's word, through the generations and to renew our hope that God's Kingdom will come.

November: A Month of Remembering

As the year draws towards its end and the darkness falls sooner each day, November offers us a time to contemplate and remember.  Around All Souls Day on 2nd November we remember all those who have died, and especially those who have touched our lives and remain precious to us.  There will be two opportunities to come to church to remember loved ones this year:

Sunday 5th November :           3.00pm : Hempnall Church

                                                 6.00pm : Brooke Church

In a reflective atmosphere we will gather together to remember those who have died before us, to give thanks for all they mean to us and to be reassured once more of God’s promise of eternal life.  No matter how long ago your bereavement took place, you are welcome to come and share in these special acts of worship.

Remembrance Sunday is on the 12th November this year, as the nation gives thanks for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our armed forces, and through the two World Wars and other conflicts.  There will be services across the whole benefice, and details are available in the events pages of our web-site.

As we celebrate the Harvest this year we have been remembering the contribution that farmers and those who work with them make to our lives.  At our Harvest services we have collected gifts of money to give to YANA.  This is a local charity which supports the farming community, especially with mental health.  You can find out more about their work at : YANA Website

God promises us that all we need will be provided for us and harvest reminds us to give thanks for all that we have.  In these times of reduced means, as many struggle to put food on the table, harvest time offers us the opportunity to recognise how much we do have and to look for ways to share with others.  We can also think about the wonderful world that God has created and the ways that we can respect and heal it.

"Count your blessings" may be an old adage, but this is certainly a time of the year when we might encourage one another to see the abundance of God's provision for us.

Our new benefice has a new name:

The Langhale Benefice.

Langhale is one of Norfolk's "lost" villages and became part of present day Kirstead in the eighteenth century.  It appears in the Domesday book and we know that it had its own church, dedicated to St Christopher.  In 1421 the "living" of Langhale was combined with that of Kirstead and one rector served both churches.  Over time the Langhale bit of "Kirstead with Langhale" has fallen out of use.

The name was chosen for our new benefice, bringing together the Brooke Benefice and the Hempnall Group of Churches, as name is local but does not belong to any one of the thirteen villages that make up the group.  Also, geographically, the site of Langhale is the joining point of the two benefices.

It will still be some time before the name becomes part of our legal identity but it will begin to be used in the coming months.