If you’ve wondered what happened to the magical wardrobe that allowed four children to slip into the wonderful land of Narnia, well, it has been found - in St Andrew’s Church, Saxthorpe! And just in time for the Half Term Holidays!To mark this astonishing discovery, Saxthorpe Church is preparing for a Chronicles of Narnia adventure. On Saturday 21st February The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe story will be told through props, story-telling and crafts. And it’s free!Families can wander through Narnia’s winter wonderland and actually climb through a wardrobe as they learn more about the story and its meaning. There will be painting, paper crafts and ‘snow’ suitable for all ages. The White Witch may even entice you with her sweets!This is bound to be a popular Half Term event, so two sessions are being offered:10am - 12 midday1pm - 3pmNote to parents and grandparents: it might be an idea to watch the film or read the book before your arrival so to be familiar with the whole story.Although for many it will be an old favourite! Please book your FREE ticket Here
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Nearly forty people gathered for Coffee and Croissants on Sunday the 17th December in Hempstead village hall for a wonderful community event. A reading and some prayers were intertwined with much chat and laughter for our very relaxed advent service. We looked at John the Baptist though a short play read out by a some of us there - and had a discussion of what was written about him. Very informative.
On November 29th at 6pm, 70 people gathered in Hempstead Village Hall for a talk by Revd Canon David Longe and Colonel Tom Fitzalan Howard CBE.This was an opportunity for everyone to ask any questions about the current situation in the Holy Land. Leading the discussions were Colonel Tom Fitzalan Howard CBE and The Reverend Canon David Longe.Hempstead PCC invited Tom and David to speak following a conversation after the Remembrance Sunday Service at Hempstead, when several of the congregation mentioned that they didn’t understand enough about the historical situation in the Middle East and therefore were struggling to comprehend what is currently going on.Colonel Tom Fitzalan Howard CBE was a soldier for 36 years and served all over the world including Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He lived in The Holy Land from 2000 – 2003 during the Palestinian 2nd Intifada (Uprising) working with both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). He has visited Israel and Palestine several times and has extensive knowledge of the region. Our own vicar, The Reverend Canon David Longe was chaplain to the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem from 2015-2018 before becoming Rector of the Matlaske Benefice. He has recently visited the region including the Anglican Hospital in Gaza. He is a trustee of three charities involved with the Holy Land, including, Friends of the Holy Land for which a retiring collection raised £400. This money will go towards the work of the Anglican Al Ahli Hospital and financial aid on the ground. At the time of writing, the Hospital is one of the few operating hospitals in Northern Gaza and is in dire need. The talk was extremely interesting and informative with slides and maps, with many personal anecdotes and stories illustrating each point. There were so many questions that they had to be stopped at 8pm after two hours! Everyone came away feeling much better educated and informed and it was a very happy social and educational evening. Wine and home made apple juice were available and many people kindly donated nibbles for everyone to enjoy.
