News & Features

On Saturday 16th March we, in collaboration with St Peter’s, held a very successful Cheese and Wine evening in the Village Hall. There was a lovely buffet of scrumptious food , lots of wine and soft drinks and entertainment by the Roskettes. (Apologies that a key member of the group is hidden from view in the photo….without Colin on the guitar, the girls would not be able to perform in the same way!)

Many thanks to the 50+ people who attended and to those who provided food and worked so hard to make the event such a success- I think a good time was had by all and over £500 was raised to be split between the two Rockland churches. Future fundraisers and other events will be advertised more fully later , but look out for a plant and book sale in May- many bargains to be had!

News and Views from St. Peter’s Church
Spring has sprung! As we write this, cowslips are emerging and the daffodils are in bloom. Sam Thomas’ lambs are prancing around us as we drive out of Gt. Ellingham and the traffic lights, although unwelcome by some, allow us to pause and take in the view for a little longer. We had a very busy March with Mothering Sunday, Palm Sunday and an Agape service. April is giving us time to prepare the church and we are having a spring clean to get us ready for the rest of the year.
Spring Clean
Sunday 7th April - 2pm. Our wonderful team need a little help on Sunday the 7th of April after the service at around 12pm. We have some ground tidying to do and spring cleaning to do within the church.
Cheese and Wine Joint Venture
We had a great time with our joint cheese and wine event and are happy to report it was a huge success. The Roskettes were wonderful and we got a beautiful snap of two ladies who keep the church spick and span: Joan Dove and Beryl Chilleystone. Two of the most loved and appreciated women! We hope they know it but if they don’t, they might after reading this!
New Carpet
We are in the process of gathering quotes for a new carpet down the centre of the church aisle as our current one has served its lifespan and needs replacing. We are happy to receive any donations towards this: please and thank you.

Call for Young People
Do you have ideas of what to do inside the church? Do you want a craft activity? A cake sale? A planting session on the grounds? Please share your ideas for our future planning. The future of our village churches grows ever uncertain and to keep these beautiful buildings in good condition; they need people who care about them and want to see them standing for years to come. Without a new generation wanting to take custodian of the buildings, we face losing them. While we would love more young Christians to join us, we also welcome anyone who has an interest in history and wishes to protect the church as a historic building even if they do not believe.
Contact Details
John Brown: johnbrown.propmaster@gmail.com
Follow us on FB: www.facebook.com/rstpeterschurch
KT

During March we held our annual spring fair, raising around £600 for church funds. The church was filled with craft stalls and the school choir entertained with their songs Here comes the sun, If I had a hammer and Rocking Bunny. There were plenty of refreshments to go round too. A raffle was held and there are a couple of items uncollected: Barbara (pink 382) with a phone number ending 451 (I have tried to call but not able to get through) and Olivia (pink 340) with no contact details. If these might be you, please contact Kathryn 01953 572159 or sunflowerjones@hotmail.com so you can be united with your prizes!

We had a lovely Mothering Sunday service, joined by young people from the Scout group. Many posies were made and then distributed during the service. Again, there was plenty of cake available afterwards!

As we look ahead to Easter, we have our walk of witness on Good Friday, departing at 12 noon from the church. This will take us to Rocklands, where walkers can join the congregation at Rockland All Saints if they wish, for the 2pm service. Everyone is welcome. Dress for the weather. Easter Sunday will be celebrated together as a benefice, with the choir, at St James’. Don’t forget to change your clocks though!

Our next events will be the pop-up café on Saturday 13th April, 10 – 12, and the Christian Aid Big Breakfast on Saturday 11th May, 9 – 11am. Do book these events in your diary. We’d love to see you. Our APCM will be on Wednesday 17th April, 7pm, in the church.

Spring into Summer
A reminder that British Summer Time begins this Sunday 31st March. This means the clocks will go forward by 1 hour.

Priest-in-charge Vacancy
We have been informed that due to illness the advert inviting applications to fill our vacancy has not yet been published.

Change to Deanery
We have been informed that, as from 26 March 2024, the Humbleyard Deanery will be dissolved with some of the parishes in that Deanery being incorporated into our Deanery, Thetford and Rocklands. Those now part of our Deanery are:

- Hethersett
- High Oak, Hingham and Scoulton with Woodrising
- Wymondham with Silfield and Spooner Row

The other parishes involved have been incorporated into other Deaneries.