News & Features

The weather held out for our Pets Service on May 17th and we were able to enjoy it outside next to one of the Wildflower areas, which was at its most beautiful. Sadly, the turnout was somewhat disappointing, with only a small number of ‘regulars’ attending so we may look at timings again next year as apparently the service clashed with the start of cricket training in the village! Many thanks to the Shellrock Music group who played and sang their hearts out for us and to the stalwarts and their pets who came……all feedback was very positive and at least this time, the animal-shaped homemade biscuits made it to the service without being reduced to crumbs after being dropped on the floor!

We are holding a Coffee Morning in conjunction with St Peter’s on Saturday 23rd May in Rocklands Village Hall from 10.00 till 12.00. There will be the usual delicious cakes, hot and cold drinks and lots of chat and laughter, as well as a book stall and plants for sale. All welcome, if you read this in time!

On the first weekend in July is the annual All Saints Flower Festival. On Saturday and Sunday 4th and 5th, we are open from 10.00 until 17.00 and offer light lunches, cakes and usual drinks etc in the schoolroom, a barbecue from midday until the sausages and burgers run out, as well as a bric-a-brac tent with books and some plants. The church is always absolutely beautifully decorated with amazing flowers, but if you would like to make an arrangement, whatever size, maybe in memory of a loved one, please ring Barbara on 01953 483420…..she would love to hear from you. The church remains open on Monday 6th July but there will only be drinks and cakes available on that day. There will also be a quiet time of reflection in the church on the Sunday from 10.30 for about 45 minutes, with quiet music, poems, readings etc for those who would like to sit in silence and have a moment to think. The Flower Festival is always an amazing event, anticipated eagerly by so many, from all over Norfolk, and all the more remarkable in a church without electricity or water supply! Do please put the date in your diary, so you don’t miss it!

It has been an eventful month at All Saints. Just before Holy Week, the stained glass East window, that had been removed at the beginning of January for specialist repair following some mindless vandalism last May, was finally returned and reinstalled. It is true that you tend not to notice what you have got until it is gone, and so it was with our window! The whole church seemed dark and dismal with the light from the east removed by the boards- and of course, with no electricity, it was difficult to rectify the issue! Now the window is back, we have all looked at it with new eyes and appreciate its full glory! Even the side panels are bright and clean and sparkle in the sunshine! The anomalous man in a Victorian ‘bowler’ hat lurking at the foot of Jesus is resplendent again and the subject of many a conversation! A neat guard has been put in place outside to prevent any further problems with vandals and the whole episode is behind us, hopefully. We are extremely grateful to all who generously contributed to the eye-watering cost of the repairs, as the insurance was only able to cover a small proportion of the work that was necessary to safeguard the future of the window. All are invited to the blessing of the window- date to be confirmed at time of writing this!

On Good Friday we welcomed those taking part in the Walk of Witness from St James, Gt Ellingham at a quiet reflective service led by Rev Sue and our LLM, Carol Bennett. In total contrast, on Easter Day, at dawn, about twenty of us from all corners of the new combined benefice met in the churchyard and welcomed the risen Christ to the accompaniment of the Dawn Chorus, watched by rabbits, deer and hares. It was truly magical, even though it was a shock to my system getting up at 5.15!! Most of us then went on to more traditional Easter Sunday services at other churches in the benefice, but the memory of watching the sun rise in such a beautiful ‘thin’ place, will stay with me for a very long time.

In May, we are holding the Pets Service on 17th, and all pets and their well-behaved owners are welcome at this informal outdoor (weather permitting) service. It is always good fun so do please come and join us. (It has been decided to separate it from Harvest Festival this year, if you were wondering why the change of month from the past few years!)

Following the success of the last one, there will be another Coffee Morning in the Village Hall from 10.00-12.00 on May 23rd, in collaboration with St Peter’s church. Please come and join us for good coffee, tea, delicious homemade cakes and lots of chat and laughter! We look forward to seeing you there!

We are pleased to say that the ‘pop up’ Coffee Morning held in the Village Hall on the last day of February was a great success and each Rockland church went home with a profit of over £100. Very many thanks to all who came and donated generously, creating a lovely atmosphere, but especially to those who baked the delicious cakes and help during the event by setting up tables, serving, washing up and clearing the hall afterwards. It is hoped to repeat the event again later in the year! Watch this space!

Our next fundraiser is on April 11th when the Cheese and Wine Evening will be held in Village Hall from 7pm. The Roskettes have been busy practising their repertoire for weeks, so please get your ticket (£10) from the Community Shop, John Brown, Julie Dekker or Cath Jones. Not only does this cover the entertainment but also a very substantial buffet during the breaks and a glass of wine. There is a bar, where further supplies of drinks can be bought! All profits will be divided between the Rockland churches.

The vandalised East Window at All Saints was removed for repair at the beginning of January and we are pleased to announce that it is being returned at the end of March. It has been heartwarming to receive so many donations towards the eye-watering cost of repair from so many villagers and thanks to them, the window should be there for a few more generations of Rocklanders to enjoy. The window will be dedicated by Revd. Tori as soon as possible and all will be welcome at the service.

On Good Friday, the reflective service following the Walk of Witness from St James, Gt Ellingham will be at All Saints at about 2pm, depending on when the walkers arrive. It is always a very meaningful service to which all are welcome. On Easter Day (Sunday 5th April) there will be a different kind of whole new Benefice service to celebrate the risen Christ at All Saints, when we are holding a short service at sunrise as we watch the sun come up from the east (onto our newly restored window!) According to the little man in my phone, dawn should be at 6.28 that morning but please check that before you come!! There will be bacon sandwiches to follow, we are told! We haven’t tried a dawn service at All Saints before (at least in living memory!); we did attempt fireworks at midnight a few years ago which was great fun but sadly upset the local ewes about to give birth, which wasn’t our intention, so this looks like a good alternative that will not disturb anyone!

What a lovely ‘special’ service we had on 1st February celebrating Candlemas. The Shellrock Benefice music group led the singing of some lovely hymns, finishing with a rousing ‘This little light of mine’. Sadly, the homemade biscuits shaped like angels and doves met with a sad end after being accidentally dropped on the floor resulting in a pile of crumbs,but otherwise all went well and I think everyone went home feeling enlightened! We learnt about various customs around the world that take place at Candlemas (40 days after we celebrate Christmas and exactly halfway between the Winter Solstice and Spring equinox, so we rejoiced that this heralded brighter days!) We all made bracelets in red, black and white wool, following a Hungarian Candlemas tradition that should be worn until Easter Saturday (unless, like mine, they fell apart after only a couple of days). The moment when all the congregation held lit candles as the music group sang ‘Like a candle flame’ was very moving, as always, and made even more poignant on a dull, wet day in a church with no electricity and the East Window still boarded up after the vandalism last year. (The broken window is currently being repaired and is in the workshop.)

Details of the Easter services will be available elsewhere, so I won’t duplicate them here!

On February 28th we are holding a Pop-Up coffee morning from 10am till midday in Rocklands Village Hall together with our friends from Rockland St Peter’s church, raising funds for the upkeep of both churches. There will be an endless supply of coffee, tea etc and delicious homemade cakes (with a pot for donations) and a stall with second-hand books for sale, as well as lots of chatting and laughter. Please come and join us if you can!

Looking forward, we are holding a Cheese and Wine Evening with entertainment from the Roskettes on April 11th from 7pm, again in Rocklands Village Hall and again together with Rockland St Peter’s church. Tickets will soon be on sale for this popular evening so please watch this space! It is always a fun event, so book early to be sure of getting a place!

As we approach the end of Epiphany and the Christmas season, we are looking forward to a special Candlemas service at All Saints on February 1st (10.30). This will be an informal service with music led by the Shellrock music group…….and lots of candles. All are very welcome to join us as we celebrate Mary’s purification in the temple forty days after the arrival of her firstborn son. In time-honoured fashion we will be dismantling the crib too. I am reminded of a poem I learned many years ago:

The baby had a birthday,

We made the brandy sauce,

We drank his health,

and spent our wealth

Upon ourselves , of course.

We had a lovely party,

and brightened up the place;

Profusely strung, the tinsel hung

But you couldn’t see his face.

Then, when the feast was over

and we’d run out of cheer,

We packed him in the trimmings tin,

Till Christmastime next year.