NEWS
After Sunday service on 3rd September, we were delighted to join Dick and Molly in celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary. Bubbly and a spread of tasty delights were served and a toast to Dick and Molly was proposed by Chris Lambert, their best man of 60 years ago.
The magnificent Organ Recital given by Liz Vennard (photo, front cover) on Saturday afternoon 19th August attracted an audience of some 60 people. The programme included a wide variety of pieces in a range of moods, amongst them some light-hearted works by Liz herself; Mendelssohn’s stately Adagio from his Sonata No.1; Bach’s well-known Fugue in G Minor, and his fiendish Gigue Fugue, played mostly on the pedals. Marcel Dupré’s Placare Christe Servulis was my favourite, and Liz brought the recital to a triumphant close with the exuberant Sortie in Eb by Louis Lefébure-Wély. The recital was much enhanced by the entertaining and fascinating insights provided by Liz before each set of pieces. Liz very generously made no charge for the recital, enabling all £260 of donations to benefit the church. It was a great pleasure to welcome Liz back to Barsham and we hope very much that she will return again. Grateful thanks to those who prepared the delicious tea, served it and cleared up afterwards.
In early September Chris Lambert launched this year’s Mustard Seed Relief Mission ‘Love in a Box’ campaign with a moving film of love boxes being opened by children in a hospital and an orphanage in Moldova. Some 600 organisations, including Holy Trinity Barsham, contribute 42,000 gifts to this Christmas campaign. Pre-wrapped boxes with instructions and starter items are now available at the back of the church for our use. There is no need to make a £5 donation towards the cost of transport as Beccles Lions have generously agreed to pay for carriage.
The annual Ride and Stride event took place on Saturday 9th September. Many thanks to those who manned the church during the day, receiving 19 riders/striders; and special appreciation and thanks to cyclists Cheryl and Amy, to Sarah Jane, who walked, and Dick who also raised sponsorship. The total raised for the Suffolk Historic Churches Trust and Barsham Church (half each) was more than £700 – details to be confirmed next month.
11 members of the congregation visited St Edmundsbury Cathedral on Sunday 10thSeptember. The visit began with a Reflective Pilgrimage around the Cathedral, led by our guide James, who drew our attention to significant points of interest. Prayers at the font, the Edmund Gates, the quire, and the crossing were led by Diana. Choral Evensong afterwards in the quire included the installation of vicars choral, scholars, and choristers. The beautiful singing was led by a choir of all ages from the Cathedral and Morden College. For some of the youngsters it was their very first formal service in the Cathedral Choir. Bridget read the Old Testament reading. After the service we were entertained to tea in the Cathedral Centre.
On Monday 11th September a party from the Beccles Morning WI enjoyed a visit to explore the history of the church which included a walk-and-talk with Robert, entitled ‘Hidden Treasures of Barsham’, and refreshments.
Through October Josh will be accompanied around the Benefice by a placement curate, Revd Diane Elkins Powell from the Sancroft Benefice. Diane will sometimes be observing and sometimes participating. We welcome her to Barsham.
The August sales table organised by Bridget raised a very useful £85. Barsham PCC gratefully acknowledges a donation of £500.
Very many thanks, as always, for the 202 items we sent to the Foodbank in August.
FORWARD PLANNING
Choral Evensong for Harvest Festival will be celebrated with The Right Revd Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough at 5.30pm on Sunday 8th October, followed by Harvest Supper in the village hall at 7pm. Tickets for the supper cost £10 and are available from Bridget.
All Saints Day will be marked with a celebration of Holy Communion at 10am on Wednesday 1st November at Holy Trinity, Bungay. All welcome.
The Commemoration of St Martin will be marked by the celebration of Holy Communion with the Community of All Hallows at 9am on Saturday 11th November at 23 Trinity Street, Bungay. All welcome.
SNIPPETS – The Church Organ
Like other visiting organists before her, Liz Vennard spoke well of the quality of the Barsham organ. It was designed and built in 1877 by William Hill & Son, one of the leading organ-makers of the day and installed in its current location when the vestry and organ chamber were constructed in 1880. This was in preference to an earlier plan in 1860 to place an organ at the back of the church, where the small window in the north-west corner of the nave was cut to bring light to the area.
Our Hill organ was built to accommodate two manuals, but only one was installed initially, perhaps to contain the cost. A second manual was eventually added 127
years later in 2004/5, when the organ was completely refurbished as a Trafalgar Bicentennial Commemoration project. This was financed by an appeal launched under Lady Beecham, widow of celebrated conductor and impresario Sir Thomas Beecham. The new keyboard was constructed using oak that had been afloat on HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and where restoration of the old organ required replacement parts, genuine Hill parts were sourced and installed.
William Hill & Son supplied organs for town halls, churches and cathedrals all over England, including Birmingham Town Hall (1832), the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge (1834), Westminster Abbey (1848), Worcester Cathedral (1875) and Peterborough Cathedral (1894). Further afield, Hill organs were installed at St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town and St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney; and the town halls of Melbourne (1872), Adelaide (1877) and Sydney (1890), the last being the largest organ in the world at the time.
OCTOBER DIARY
Sunday 1st October – Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Jonathan Olanczuk.
Sunday 8th October – Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity. Harvest Festival. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Jonathan Olanczuk.
Sunday 8th October – 5.30pm Harvest Festival Choral Evensong. Revd Josh Bailey withThe Right Revd Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough.
Sunday 15th October – Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Josh Bailey.
Sunday 22nd October – Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Josh Bailey.
Sunday 29th October – Last Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.
Sunday 29th October – 5.30pm Benefice Choral Evensong at Barsham. Revd Josh Bailey.
Sunday 5th November – All Saints. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Jonathan Olanczuk.
Wednesdays at 8.45am – Matins at Barsham, but not 4th October.
Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, [email protected]