NEWS
Following the death of the Queen on Thursday 8th September, special prayers and a Collect for the Queen were said at Sunday service on the 11th, and Rev Jonathan Olanczuk’s sermon was crafted around snippets taken from the Queen’s 90th Birthday Book, in which she discussed her views on faith. At the end of the service the National Anthem was sung for our new king, Charles III, who succeeds the Queen as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
It is with great sadness that we record the death of Bob McNeil-Watson, our faithful organist of some years.
Almost fifty church goers attended the last Eucharist celebrated by the Reverend Roy Wormald on Sunday 18th September and all enjoyed tea or coffee and cakes afterwards. Bridget spoke eloquently of Roy’s sterling service over the last twelve years and presented him with a card and cheque, whilst Margaret bestowed Audrey with a colourful bouquet of flowers.
The annual Suffolk Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride event went ahead on Saturday 10th September. For many participants the day out gave them an opportunity to reflect on what the Queen’s life and reign meant to them and the country. Thanks go to the riders and striders who represented Barsham, and to their generous sponsors, as well as to the volunteers who greeted and signed in the riders and striders at Barsham and other churches, and to Dick our local organiser. The sum raised for the upkeep of Suffolk’s beautiful churches, and ours in particular, will be announced in due course.
The re-thatching of the lychgate roof was completed on schedule at the end of August and looks splendid (front cover photo). Some repairs to the flintwork of the lychgate wall have also been carried out.
Many thanks to the five volunteers – Bridget, Sarah Jane, Reverend Roy, Dick and Colin, who attended for the annual brass cleaning. Between them they cleaned or polished the chandeliers, the pascal candle and various pieces of brass furniture.
On the day of the Equinox the bright sunshine that had promised so much in the late afternoon was swamped by cloud at the critical moment and there was no ‘light show’. Nonetheless there was tea and talk for the small gathering of visitors who attended.
As part of the church’s Health and Safety Policy, we are required to have a named and qualified First Aider: this is Malcolm Bardsley.
The beehive in the churchyard will shortly be removed. The lime honey (some say the ‘king of honeys’) from its bees will be sold by auction at Harvest supper.
Warmest thanks to Amy for continuing to manage our Foodbank donations, and to all who contributed to August’s 180 gifts. The current need is particularly for tinned meat, pasta, instant mash, rice puddings and microwavable puddings.
The August sales table organised by Cherry yielded £120 and Sarah Jane’s splendid efforts to sell the legacy teddy bears have added another £111 to the cumulative total, which now stands at £1,893.
FORWARD PLANNING
Harvest Festival is to be celebrated with Evensong at 5.30pm on Sunday 2nd October, and with Harvest Supper at the village hall afterwards at 7pm. Tickets are available from Bridget and Diana.
A date for the winter diary: Will Lindley will be presenting another Light Show in Barsham Church on the evenings of Friday 18th and Saturday 19th November.
SNIPPETS – Waveney Foodbank
Every week Amy collects our donations from church and delivers them to the Waveney Foodbank, which hugely appreciates our commitment to support them. The Waveney Foodbank is part of a nationwide network of 428 foodbanks supported by The Trussell Trust, which aims to combat poverty and hunger in the UK. The Trust provides an Area Manager for the 11 centres of the Waveney Foodbank, each of which is individually organised. Beccles has two foodbanks, at St Luke’s Church and Hungate Church, both under the organisation of Pam Bayliss, assisted by some 28 volunteers.
Donations are collected at supermarkets and direct donations are received from a range of charities, individuals and organisations, including churches, schools and businesses. Donations are sent to a warehouse, where volunteers check ‘use by’ dates, sort and pack up boxes of provisions. These usually comprise a three days’ minimum emergency supply of healthy and balanced meals, and are made up for single, couple or family use. A food box might contain breakfast cereals, soup, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, tinned foods – beans, meat, vegetables, fruit – as well as tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits, and snacks. Each foodbank centre then requests supplies from the warehouse.
At Beccles there are farmers who donate sausages, bacon and eggs, and the two foodbank centres can issue vouchers for the purchase of fresh vegetables at Field2Fork in Blyburgate. The Beccles foodbanks go well beyond the provision of food, supplying
toiletries, laundry powder and cleaning products, bedding and clothing for all sizes and ages (new and good quality second-hand – particularly hoodies and jogging bottoms); and to help reduce energy costs, they are now providing slow cookers. Beccles also provides sleeping bags and tents for homeless people and makes up special ‘kettle boxes’ of foods that only need hot water added.
People in crisis can access support from the foodbanks via vouchers issued by agencies including Citizens Advice, doctors, health visitors, social workers, the Police, children’s centres and so on. These agencies can also identify the cause of the crisis and offer guidance and signposting to further agencies that can provide help and support.
OCTOBER DIARY
Sunday 25th September – Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Rev Josh Bailey.
Sunday 2nd October – Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevJonathan Olanczuk.
Sunday 2nd October – 5.30pm Harvest Evensong. Rev Josh Bailey.
Sunday 9th October – Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Rev Canon John Fellows.
Sunday 16th October – Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevJosh Bailey.
Sunday 23rd October – Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Rev Canon John Fellows.
Sunday 30th October – All Saints. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Rev Josh Bailey.
Sunday 30th October – All Saints. 6.30pm Benefice Choral Evensong, Holy Trinity, Bungay. Rev Josh Bailey.
Sunday 6th November – Third Sunday before Advent. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevJonathan Olanczuk.
Every Wednesday at 8.45am – Matins at Barsham
Every Wednesday at 10am – Holy Communion (CW) at Holy Trinity, Bungay.
Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, [email protected]