Dates for Your DiaryThere are lots of lovely events taking place at Nicholforest Church and Village Hall over the coming months. Please put these dates in your diary and, where you can, please come along and support our church and village community.🌾 Harvest FestivalSaturday 17th October – Church DecorationsFrom 2pm at Nicholforest Church.We will be decorating the church ready for the Harvest Festival service. Anyone who would like to help is very welcome.This year we will be collecting for the Longtown Pop-up Pantry. Donations of canned and dry goods can be brought along to the church.Those wishing to decorate one of the church windows with flowers, vegetables and fruit are especially welcome.Sunday 18th October – Harvest Festival Service 11am at Nicholforest Church.Friday 23rd October – Harvest Festival DinnerNicholforest Village HallBar opens: 5pmDinner: 6.30pm£12 per personChildren under 16: £5There will be a raffle on the door, followed by an auction after dinner and dessert.🌺 Remembrance DaySaturday 7th November – Church DecorationsFrom 2pm at Nicholforest Church.Come along and help us prepare the church for our Remembrance service.Sunday 8th November – Remembrance Service10am at Nicholforest ChurchPlease note the earlier start time.💕 Thanking Our Church VolunteersSunday 6th December – 11amA special service at Nicholforest Church to give thanks for all our wonderful church volunteers and the time, care and support they give throughout the year.🎄 ChristmasSaturday 12th December – Christmas DecorationsFrom 2pm at Nicholforest Church.Come and help us decorate the church ready for our Christmas services. Everyone is welcome, whether you can stay for the afternoon or simply pop in to lend a hand.Sunday 13th December – Christmas Carol Service4pm at Nicholforest ChurchCome and join us for an afternoon of Christmas carols and festive celebration.Saturday 19th December – Christmas ConcertAt Nicholforest ChurchTime to be confirmedMore details will follow nearer the time.Thursday 24th December – Christingle Service4pm at Nicholforest ChurchThe Christingle service will be led by Val Tyler.🌿 Come and Help Us Decorate!Over the coming months there will be several opportunities to help decorate Nicholforest Church for our Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas services.Whether you are a regular helper or have never decorated the church before, you will be very welcome. Come along to one Saturday — or all three!Harvest: Saturday 17th October, 2pmRemembrance: Saturday 7th November, 2pmChristmas: Saturday 12th December, 2pmIt is always lovely to see the church transformed by the colours, flowers and creativity of our community. We look forward to seeing you!
Our lovely Church will be opening to visitors this July and August.Come and enjoy the quiet rural setting and the peace to be found here.Take time to reflect and enjoy the surroundings.Our opening dates for July are as follows:Saturday 4th July, Sunday 5th JulySaturday 11th July, Sunday 12th JulySaturday 18th July, Sunday 19th JulySaturday 25th July, Sunday 26th JulyKeep an eye out for our August opening dates - coming soon… Wayne Burrows
April can feel like a gentle change. The earth that lay quiet through winter now begins to show its transformation. Blossom appears on branches that seemed lifeless only weeks ago. Gardens brighten. The light grows stronger. We see more colour in nature around us now.Creation speaks clearly in April: renewal is possible.And April, as a month, holds deep spiritual significance. We journey through remembrance and rejoicing … reflecting on sacrifice, and celebrating resurrection hope. The message at the heart of our faith is written in Scripture and we feel it too, in the rhythm of the seasons: what appears finished is not always the end.There are times in life when we stand before what feels like a sealed tomb … unanswered prayers, personal struggles, uncertainty about the future. April gently reminds us that God’s work is often happening beyond the stone we cannot move ourselves.Resurrection follows surrender. It follows trust. Perhaps this month we might quietly consider:Where do I need to trust God with something that feels closed or hopeless?What new beginnings might He be shaping, even if I cannot yet see them?April reveals its message slowly in blossom, in birdsong, in longer evenings filled with light.May we enter this month attentive to the signs of new life around us, and open to the renewing work of Christ within us. For the same Lord who brings spring from winter is always at work bringing hope from sorrow, and life from what seemed lost.
🌿 1st March – A New Month in God’s Faithfulness As we step into the first day of March, we find ourselves in an in-between season. The sharpness of winter is beginning to soften, yet spring has not fully arrived. The days are slowly lengthening. The light is returning. Creation itself seems to preach a sermon of hope. … Beneath the soil, roots are strengthening. Buds are forming long before they are visible. Life is at work in hidden places. Is this not often how God works in us? There are seasons when we cannot see much fruit. Prayers seem slow in their answering. Growth feels subtle. But Scripture reminds us that the Lord is always at work even when the evidence is not yet visible to us. The first of March can be a gentle invitation to trust in quiet faithfulness. Perhaps we might ask ourselves: Where has God been sustaining me through winter, even if I did not notice at the time? What small signs of new life can I thank Him for today? Am I willing to let Him prepare my heart before He brings visible change? We do not need to force the season. We do not need to rush ahead of God’s timing. Just as the earth responds to increasing light, we respond to His steady presence. As this new month begins, may we rest in the assurance that the same God who tends the hidden roots is tending our lives with care. And in His perfect time, what has been forming in secret will come into bloom.photograph: Jane Rutherford
