NEWSThe churchyard looks splendid following the annual Haymaking, which took place on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 August. Nearly 20 people were involved across the two days and worked hard to clear summer growth. The picture on the cover page shows some of the Friday haymakers. Several wasp spiders were discovered during the haymaking. Colin reports that this spider was first found in the south of England in 1922 and has been steadily advancing northwards, now being recorded in both Suffolk and Norfolk. They are apparently ‘all show and no venom’!Wrapped Love Boxes and starter contents will be available every Sunday (excluding Harvest) up until 17 October. Please return them filled by, or on, Sunday 24 October, when they will be blessed by Canon John Fellows at the commencement of the service. This is the final year Margaret will be the organiser of the Christmas Love Box Scheme. Please speak to her or one of the Church Wardens if you are interested in taking on this worthwhile job. The PCC met at the beginning of September to conduct routine business. At the meeting Malcolm (Fabrics Officer) was able to report that the lime mortar repointing repairs to the south wall and the porch are now complete. The church was full for the funeral of Alan Bartram on 23 August and he would certainly have appreciated the powerful singing. A congregation of more than 40 people was welcomed to Barsham for the Benefice Service on Sunday 30 August. Food Bank donations in August numbered 163 items. Grateful thanks to those who contribute.Sunday collections in August amounted to the fine sum of £1,504. Separately, thanks are also due to Doreen Springall, whose farmgate stall of garden produce has yielded a wonderful £165 so far this year. The visitors’ guidebook to Barsham Church, written by the Rev John Buchanan in 2005 and revised by him in 2016, is currently under a new revision and is being updated with additional information prior to reprinting later this year. FORWARD PLANNINGMonday 25 September at 3pm: Memorial Service for Nony Ollerenshaw.Sunday 26 September and Sunday 24 October: returning to pre-pandemic routine, the Sales Table will be open after the service every fourth Sunday of the month for the sale of second-hand books, plants and produce. Please do bring – and buy!Friday 22 October: The annual Friends of All Saints, Mettingham Inter-Church Quiz will take place at 7pm on Friday 22 October at Mettingham Village Hall. Teams of four people are welcome to enter at £10 per team. If you would like to enter a ready-made team, please contact one of the church wardens (contact details on front cover), or if you would like to take part but don’t already have a team, please contact one of the church wardens, who will do their best to make up some teams.
Congratulations to our new Priest in Charge, Rev’d Josh Bailey, who was Licensed by Bishop Mike on 28 June at Holy Trinity, Bungay. We were delighted that he took his first service at Barsham on 11 July. The PCC welcomed Rev’d Josh Bailey to his first full PCC meeting on 1 July and further PCC meetings were held on 8 July and 15 July to agree practical arrangements for the Summer Lunch at Shipmeadow Church.The congregation showed its appreciation to Rev’d Tony Norton on 4 July when he took his final service at Barsham after 14 years serving on the team of priests who so kindly take our Sunday services. We wish him a happy ‘retirement’. Numbers in the choir are currently low and new members are warmly welcomed. Further information may be obtained from Bridget or Diana, Churchwardens (contact details on the front cover). More volunteers are needed for the cleaning rota. If you can help, please contact one of the Churchwardens.Having been assessed as a hazard, the lime tree adjacent to the lych gate and the disabled parking area was topped by a tree surgeon on 8 July. While the top was dying, the lower portion of the tree seems sound and healthy.Waveney Beekeepers have once again installed beehives in the churchyard, this time in the south-east corner. The four hives will be present for about a month and the aim is that the bees will make lime honey – some say the Rolls Royce of honeys. There are apparently normally 30,000 to 40,000 bees per hive. The church sign board at the entrance to the parking area is to be updated with Rev’d Josh Bailey’s details and then restored to position. Food Bank donations in June numbered 155 items. Thank you for your kind contributions.Collections in June yielded £958.00 in total.FORWARD PLANNING:Saturday 11 September: Suffolk Historic Churches Trust RIDE AND STRIDE, 9am to 5pm. Cheryl has volunteered as area organiser of Ride and Stride in recent years, but this will be her last year and a new area organiser is needed. The SHCT has been generous in its grants towards Barsham Church, and this Ride and Stride event is the sole source of income for the charity (raising £175,000 last year to give away in grants to needy churches). Please contact Cheryl on 07788971211 or 01502 714655 if you would like to find out more about becoming the new area organiser. Sunday 19 September 6.30pm: HARVEST EVENSONG with the Bishop of Richborough, Rt Rev’d Norman Banks, who is also intending to join us afterwards at our HARVEST SUPPER in Barsham Village Hall.Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 September at 5.50pm : the Autumn EQUINOX EVENT with a church tour afterwards for those who are interested. We are hoping that - Covid precautions permitting - we will be able to serve refreshments from 30 minutes beforehand on each day. Weather permitting, the spectacle is best on the middle day, Wednesday 22 September.
NEWSWe are very sorry to report the recent deaths of two faithful members of our congregation, Nony Ollerenshaw and Alan Bartram, both of whom enjoyed a long association with Barsham Church. Nony continued to read the lesson in church until just before her 100th birthday, the celebration of which she shared with her friends in church. She was much missed when she moved north to be near her daughter. For many years Alan was our organist and then a member of the choir. He sat on the PCC and worked tirelessly behind the scenes. He took a particular pride in keeping the brasses shining. He was always ready to take on extra jobs or to help colleagues and he too will be much missed. With the long-awaited relaxation of Covid restrictions, masks need not be worn in church, congregational singing has been restored, Communion is offered in two kinds, and refreshments are once again served after services. Seating is available in the north chapel for those who prefer to maintain social distancing. The Christmas Love Box Scheme will be operating again this year. The Love Box Wrapping Team will meet in the church at 2pm on Tuesday 31 August to prepare this year’s shoe boxes. The scheme will launch on Sunday 5 September and run until late October, excluding Harvest Festival Sunday. This is the final year Margaret will be the organiser. Please speak to her or one of the Church Wardens if you are interested in taking on this worthwhile job. Food Bank donations in July numbered 195 items. Thank you as always for your kind contributions.Sunday collections in June amounted to £825 in total.The Summer Lunch was enjoyed by over 60 guests and raised the record sum of £925. Special thanks to our hosts Jenny and Nick Caddick for their hospitality at St Bartholomew’s, Shipmeadow and a big thanks to everyone who cooked and helped with the practical arrangements, as well as to all who supported the event by attending. Some of the masonry on the south side of the church is being repointed by Theo Wells of Limeworks East Anglia, who specialise in Listed building repair. Do feel free to say ‘hello’ to Theo, who is from Mettingham. New volunteers for the cleaning rota would be appreciated. If you can help, please contact one of the Churchwardens.FORWARD PLANNINGSunday 5 September: the Sales Table will be open after the service for the sale of second-hand books, plants and food products.Saturday 11 September: Suffolk Historic Churches Trust RIDE AND STRIDE, 9am to 5pm. Helpers are needed for signing-in duties at the church on the day and more cyclists would be appreciated to enable us to raise as much sponsorship money as possible: it would be lovely to beat last year’s tremendous effort! Cheryl is looking for someone to succeed her as Area Organiser of Ride and Stride. Please contact her on 07788971211 or 01502 714655 if you would like to find out more about becoming the new Area Organiser or if you can be a helper on the day. Sunday 19 September 5.30pm: HARVEST EVENSONG (not 6.30pm as previously advertised). The Rt Rev Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough, will preach and join us afterwards at our Harvest Supper in Barsham Village Hall. HARVEST SUPPER for ticket-holders is at 7 for 7.30pm.Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 September at 5.50pm: Autumn EQUINOX EVENT with a church tour afterwards for anyone interested. Refreshmentswill be served from 30 minutes beforehand. Weather permitting, the spectacle is best on the middle day, Wednesday 22 September.
