The Christening (or Baptism) of a child is always a very joyful occasion. You can find out much more about Baptism here.Whilst it is always good to have the opportunity to welcome a child into the church family at the regular Sunday service we appreciate that 9am on a Sunday morning won't work for everyone, especially if family and friends are traveling to join you. We will work with you to find the time that works best in your situation.Please complete the Baptism application form which you can find here.Older children and adults are normally Confirmed following their Baptism as they have made the Baptismal promises for themselves. In this special service the Bishop recognizes the newly Baptized as part of the church family.What is it all about?Asking to have a child christened of baptized (another name for the same occasion) demonstrates that you want God to have a real influence in the child’s life – not just on Christening Day, but for ever. At Baptism, God pours his Spirit into us (demonstrated by the ‘washing’ with water)and we become truly his (symbolized by being ‘signed’ with a cross).So the person being christened becomes Christ’s and a member of Christ’s family, the Church. Being part of the church and sharing in its worship, learning and service over many years means that we grow in understanding about what it means to be a Christian and are strengthened in our witness and service. What we hope for is to be close to God – now and in Heaven, once this earthly life is over.How can I arrange this?Contact the Vicar, The Reverend Helen O’Sullivan (01665 712002) to talk things through in plenty of time in advance. Normally you must live within the parish of Shilbottle, or attend worship here regularly or have had some contact with the church in the past. We will invite you to come and worship with us, invite you and the godparents to a preparation session and have given you options of when the service can take place.A child being christened, usually has godparents – perhaps up to three, but at least one. Godparents have themselves to have been baptised.What happens after the service?We hope that you will continue to bring your children to worship with us and play a full part as members of the Church family.We can baptize people of any age, though by the age of 12 on-wards, we’d expect this to be followed by Confirmation, usually at the same ceremony.For further information about Baptism, see the Church of England’s website – www.churchofengland.christenings.orgWe will do our best to make this a joyful and memorable day for you and your family and friends!
Every person from the parish of Acklington or with a connection to it (whether regular churchgoers or not) has the option of having a service in church either prior to, or following a burial or cremation.The churchyard cemetery at Acklington is open to parishioners and is a beautiful resting place.Funerals taken by a minister of the Church of England provide an opportunity for thanksgiving and the celebration of a life and also, just as important to us, is the care and consolation of those who have been bereaved. Not simply on the day of the funeral but also in preparation for it, and in the months following it.When someone is close to death we can support you with our prayer and practical help. Those who are sick may appreciate being remembered by name in our prayers, you can choose to receive Holy Communion at home or in hospital and you might even perhaps want to make preparations for your funeral service when the time comes. The sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) can also be helpful for some.When someone dies we work closely with your chosen Funeral Directors to ensure that the service meets your needs. Please give them clear direction about where the service is to be held and who should be asked to preside at it.Prior to cremation or burial (traditional or ‘woodland’), a service can be held at St Lawrence or at a Crematorium, led by a minister of your choice. Occasionally families have asked for a brief service at the Crematorium, followed by a Thanksgiving Service for all friends and neighbours in Church. All of these arrangements can be made between the Funeral Director and the officiating minister.The Minister will meet with the closest family and is more than willing to offer and receive suggestions about the funeral service itself.Bereavement is a process that can stretch over some years. The Church wants to offer its support and to encourage the bereaved to use this as a time for renewing their own relationship with God. We can offer friendship as well as pastoral support and spiritual comfort.All Souls, each year, at the beginning of November, we invite bereaved families to a Memorial Service at which those who have died in the past year are remembered by name. Anyone can add names to the list of those to be remembered whether or not their funeral was held in church.You can also ask that the name of someone who has died be entered in the Memorial Book in Church.Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord, and may light perpetual shine upon them.See also: https://churchofenglandfunerals.org/
Offering our times and giftsAll the time we need our members and friends to ‘get involved’, in all sorts of ways. Here are examples of the areas in which we would welcome offers of help:WORSHIPWelcomer'sAltar ServersReaders and IntercessorsHelp with refreshmentsADMINISTRATIONSecretarial and admin supportPUBLICITYGraphic design skills‘The Pelican’ writers, editors. assemblers and distributorsMAINTENANCERegular cleaning on rotaOccasional maintenance jobsChurchyard gardeningFlowers for decorationCOMMUNITYInvolvements with local organizations and charitiesLocal support for national charitiesVolunteering for helping agencies locallyHelp with organizing church/community social eventsPASTORAL WORKCaring for neighboursVISITINGWhat are your particular skills? Contact Rev Helen O'Sullivan to discuss these and other possibilities.Offering our Money for God’s workAll that we have comes from God and part of our Christian commitment must be to return a portion of it in support for the Church’s work locally and nationally. The Church of England invites its members to work towards giving 5% of our incomes for this purpose (and hopes that a further 5% will be offered to other charities etc you want to support) . Because of ‘Gift Aid’, if you are a tax payer, your gift can be enhanced by a further 25% through the church being able to reclaim the tax you have paid on what you give. What St Lawrence's needs is to know what income it can expect and to be receiving it regularly through the year. Please will you ‘share responsibility’?Friends of St John the DivineA company of ‘Friends’ has been formed to provide extra financial support for ongoing maintenance and repair work that the church will require in years to come. This will be of special interest to those who have Shilbottle links but perhaps don’t live here anymore. You can have individual or joint membership on an annual or lifetime basis.
St John'sThe Parish Church of St John the Divine in Acklington was built in 1860. It was designed by James Deason, for the Duke of Northumberland and is a Grade II Listed building. The Lych Gate to the church was built to commemorate those in the parish who were lost in the First World War and unveiled on 8th October 1921.The Lych GateThe oak framed lych gate to St John the Divine's Church in Ackington was built to commemorate those in the parish who were lost in the First World War. It was unveiled on the 8th of October 1921 in a ceremony attended by the Duke of Northumberland. A plaque was also installed in the church. The lych gate was renovated in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2015, with funding from the War Memorials Trust, the lych gate was restored for the First World War centenary.The VillageThe parish of Acklington has a variety of archaeological remains from prehistoric times through to 20th century structures from World War II, so there is something to interest everyone.The earliest evidence of human occupation in Acklington parish consists of some human bones found in a field near Barnhill. Such finds are typical of Bronze Age burials and it is possible that other burials may have once existed nearby to form a larger cemetery. As with so many other discoveries from long ago, there is no record of what happened to these remains and no accurate record of their discovery.A prehistoric settlement at Chester House could possibly date to the Bronze Age in its earliest form, but it is more likely to date to the Iron Age, when such sites were quite common in Northumberland. This site was occupied over hundreds of years and changed from isolated farmsteads to groups of smaller buildings set within an enclosure. Interestingly, the site was overlain by broad ridge and furrow, which may belong to a later farmstead at Chester House Farm. This farm is mainly 19th century, but there are clues to an earlier building. Just how much earlier might it be? It would be stretching the evidence too far to say that the Chester House area has been continuously farmed for 3000 years, but the prehistoric settlement was certainly occupied until the Roman period and the later farmhouse may have been occupied since medieval times.There were a number of small settlements in the Acklington area in medieval times. The village of Guyzance was in existence since 1242, and the surrounding land was enclosed in 1685. In 1147, a priory was founded at Brainshaugh for nuns who belonged to the Premonstratensian Order. The chapel ruins are still visible, but all other buildings survive only as buried foundations.The archaeology of more recent times has left its mark on Acklington parish too. A number of farms still have boiler house chimneys reminding us of days when farms were powered by coal and steam.The Acklington Park Ironwork's brings us to a time of increasing industrialization in Northumberland. These ironworks were built in 1176. At the same time a dam was constructed to feed water into the millrace that was to supply the power for the foundry. This dam is now considered to be the finest 18th century dam in England! It is a magnificent horseshoe shape with an unusual vertical downstream face. The ironwork's were too far away from their market and by 1791 the mill was being used to manufacture woolen cloth instead. Today the mill is private housing.As well as its magnificent dam, the River Coquet boats an historic bridge at Brainshaugh and an historic viaduct built to carry trains on the east coast main line. Another example if railway architecture is Acklington Railway Station and Goods Shed built between 1847-9 in a mock Tudor style by Benjamin Green. The station is now a private house.Disused buildings and structures associated with both world wars are now considered to be of archaeological interest. In Acklington parish, a World War II anti-aircraft artillery site survives which was built to protect RAF Acklington. The gun has of course long gone.Although the Acklington area has been occupied by people for thousands of years, the architecture of the area is predominantly 19th century in appearance and the countryside a mixture of an immature landscape created by open cast coal mining and a more traditional 18th enclosure landscape with dry stone walls surrounding large square fields.Acklington, a township and a parish in Northumberland. The township lies on the N.E.R. and the river Coquet, 12 miles N of Morpeth, and has a station on the railway, and a head post office. The parish also comprises the townships of Acklington- Park and Guyzance, and the hamlet of Brains-haugh. Acreage, 2122; population of the civil parish, 235; of the ecclesiastical, 474. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Newcastle; net value, £225 with residence. Patron, the Duke of Northumberland, who is also lord of the manor and sole landowner. The church is in the Early English style, and was erected in 1861, after designs by Deason, at the Duke of Northumberland's expense.
