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All our churches are open daily.
Many thanks for your interest, we hope to see you soon.
HELLO FROM JEREMY
Dear Friends,
I hope you all had a good Christmas and a Happy New year and that 2025 has been good for you so far. Can I take this opportunity to thank you for your cards and good wishes over Christmas, and to say how it was lovely to see so many of you at the various services over the Christmas period, capturing something of the real meaning of Christmas.
If the commentators are to be believed 2025 is going to be a time of uncertainty in the world, with a new and unpredictable president in the White House, the war continues to rage in the Ukraine, and continuing uncertainties about Britain’s place in the world and its continuing relationship with Europe and America.
But just how any of these events and many others in our world map out waits to be seen.
However, in a world of change it is always comforting to know there is always the changelessness of God, which we see in the life of Jesus, and learn about Sunday by Sunday at church.
A cartoon I once saw portrayed Moses on the top of Mount Sinai holding the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them looking up into the sky. A speech bubble comes from Moses mouth, “They tend to lose interest rather quickly Lord. Could we have a one-liner instead?”.
I suppose if we were to put a one-liner into God’s mouth, in the light of the Ten Commandments it could be “Relationships matter”.
But Jesus put it better when he told us “to love God and our neighbour as ourselves.”
One-liners are easy to remember and memory being what it is they are at times a God-send. So in the Ten Commandments God is saying something like this: ‘Be this kind of people and you will be my kind of people’.
John Connally, the Texas Governor wounded when President Kennedy was assassinated said about the incident ‘it inevitably brought into sharper focus what’s really important in life….we try not to participate in things that are shallow or in the long run meaningless’.
The gospel commands are neither ‘shallow or in the long run meaningless’, so if we want to be God’s kind of people we need to love God and our neighbour as ourselves. And if we try to do this, our lives will be made all the richer, whatever befalls in the world in 2025.
In the church calendar this year we take a breathing space between Christmas and the start of Lent as Ash Wednesday isn’t until 5th March, however, as we have in previous years, I am planning again to hold a Lent Group at the Rectory. This year it will take place on the Monday afternoons in Lent, beginning on 10th March and we will be following a course written by Hilary Brand, based on the writing of C. S. Lewis, called “Not a Tame Lion”.
If you are interested in coming to the course please let me know. Copies of the course book can either be bought from Amazon or can be found second-hand on eBay or from World of Books.
With all good wishes for the rest 2025.
My love and blessing,
Let us pray:
Lord God,
you called us to find friendship with one another in your Church
and together to serve our world.
Bless our fellowship with your Spirit,
that we may be strengthened through the example and the encouragement of others,
and open our eyes once again to the needs of this world,
that through prayer, hospitality and works of practical service
we may bring your love to all those who need it most,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
PRAYER CORNER
In a world filled with chaos, we pray because prayer is the antidote to anxiety.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.
Philippians 4: 6-7.
Please pray--
BISHOP’S LENT APPEAL 2025
The Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2025 aims to raise money for YANA to help fund its telephone helpline.
YANA provides rural mental health support for those involved in agriculture and other rural businesses affected by stress and depression. YANA’s mission is to improve mental health in agriculture and rural businesses in East Anglia.
YANA means ‘You Are Not Alone’ and it was launched as a project in 2008 by the Norfolk farming charity, the Clan Trust and became a charity in its own right in 2020.
Working in agriculture and the countryside is usually a good way of life but it can be a demanding and stressful occupation. So it’s not surprising that many people involved can feel isolated, depressed or unable to cope as well as normal. That’s where YANA can help.
The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher says:
“YANA is doing vital work by being alongside people working in farming and rural businesses and offering help and hope to those struggling with stress or depression. Those living and working in rural areas are often facing increasing challenges and I have been very impressed by all YANA does to care for people.”
As well as a confidential helpline, YANA is also investing in mental health training and suicide prevention. In fact, YANA is providing funding for clergy and lay ministers across the Diocese who wish to attend a two day Mental Health First Aiders course, and this is something which Fr Jeremy has attended.
In 2023 YANA had a 20% increase in the requests for help made to the helpline. The telephone helpline 0300 323 0400 is available for confidential support every Monday to Friday between 10.00am to 1.00pm. Outside of these hours, people can leave a message and receive a callback or they can email [email protected].
Any money raised from the Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2025 will go towards funding YANA’s telephone helpline, offering confidential support to those in need.
ELECTION OF CHURCHWARDENS
The office of Churchwarden has a long history, dating back to the thirteenth century, so those undertaking this office are part of a tradition of lay ministry within the Church going back some eight centuries! Some aspects of the role date from these earliest days, although the Parochial Church Council and the Diocesan Board of Finance also now share responsibilities.
Churchwardens are chosen annually by a meeting of parishioners and the dates on which these meetings will take place are as follows--
The Runtons
Sunday 9th February 2025
Aylmerton
Sunday 9th February 2025
Beeston Regis
Sunday 16th February 2025
Gresham
Sunday 2nd March 2025
Candidates should be nominated and seconded in writing by persons entitled to attend the meeting. Those entitled to attend the meeting include all those whose names are on the electoral roll of the parish and those residing in the parish whose names appear on the local government register of electors.
Nomination forms are now available from Jeremy.
ELECTORAL ROLL
The Church Representation Rules require that every Parochial Church Council (“PCC”) maintains an Electoral Roll and makes it available for inspection by bona fide inquirers.
The Rules require that in 2025 and in every sixth year thereafter, a completely new Roll should be prepared.
A lay person is entitled to have his or her name entered on the Roll of a parish if that person
In the Quintet Benefice it is proposed that the preparation of the Electoral Roll is undertaken electronically (as approved in January 2023 by the Bishop’s Council provided that the application form is completed in accordance with the Church Representation Rules and the applicant inserts characters which are clearly intended to be his or her signature and the date of signing, in the places indicated on the form.)
If you wish to have your name entered on the new Electoral Roll (even though you may be on the current Roll) you MUST apply for enrolment by completing the application Form.
In tandem with creating the new Electoral Roll we are also planning to renew our Data Protection records.
Details regarding how to complete the online application Form will be made available shortly together with a link to the Form.
Not on email? Not a problem, copies of the application Form will be made available at the back of each church in the Quintet Benefice or from the Rector.
SAFEGUARDING, HELP AND ADVICE
Safeguarding means protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of children and adults at risk of, or experiencing, emotional, psychological, physical or spiritual harm and/or neglect.
Safeguarding means enabling those who are affected to live safely, free from any kind of abuse or neglect. It is about people and organizations working together to prevent and reduce both the risks and actual experience of abuse in all of its forms.
We take safeguarding very seriously, at all of the Benefice Churches and care about all those we seek to serve within our churches and our communities.
We conform to the policy of Norwich Diocese which can be found at https://www.dioceseofnorwich.org/about/safeguarding
If you believe that either yourself or someone you know may be at risk of harm or neglect, please contact the Benefice Safeguarding Officer Rev. Paul Yeomans 07437203535 to discuss your concerns and what the next steps might be.
Alternatively, you may contact the Norwich Diocese Safeguarding Team by email at [email protected] or by telephone on: 01603 882345.
If you yourself or someone you know is in immediate danger of being harmed then please call 999 to be advised by the emergency services.