Great Ellingham

On the first Sunday in May, we joined with churches across the country in holding a service of commemoration for VE day. Outside, the church was decorated with red, white and blue bunting and the service was followed by refreshments. Later in the week, our bells rang out at 6.30pm as they would have done eighty years ago and Charles, our churchwarden, lit a beacon in the churchyard.

Instead of our usual pop-up café, on 10th & 11th May, the church was the venue for a local history display celebrating jobs and occupations within Great Ellingham. It was a fascinating display, enjoyed by over 200 people over the weekend. There was plenty for people to discover. As well as family history, there was also the opportunity to see amazing archaeological finds from Matt Hall’s metal detecting. We thank Heather, Matt and teams for their hard work and for everyone who supported the event. Refreshments were available throughout, manned by members of the PCC.

Our café church on 11th May was themed on Christian Aid, as it was the start of their annual fundraising week. The service utilised some of their online resources. We saw slides about Aurelia, a farmer from Guatemala, whose crops have been devastated by climate change causing heat waves, storms and unpredictable seasons – quite ironic given the lack of rains we have seen this year in our county, which are also causing problems for our own farmers and gardens. Each member of the congregation was given the opportunity to plant a sunflower seed to take home and nurture, remembering our world, created by God. We ended the service with a chocolate button reflection (Aurelia learnt how to grow cocoa and make chocolate with Christian Aid’s support) – savouring the chocolate as a reminder of how God wants to fill us with love and hope.

We held our APCM during May and are pleased to say that Charles agreed to continue as churchwarden. All the members of the PCC remain.

As May draws to a close, Rev Sue Strutt will be hanging up her formal position of Priest Associate and we thank her for all she has done with us in this benefice. We know she’ll still be at services, but hopefully she will be able to take some more time to rest and do ‘other things’!

Our next pop-up café will be on Saturday 7th June. This will be our usual offering of a place to socialise, get a hot drink and fresh cake. We are also planning a Messy Church at the same time, so welcome anyone interested in seeing church in a different light, with activities and crafts. Both will be 10am – 12 noon.

As I write, we are between Good Friday and Easter.  Our walkers were blessed with the weather on Good Friday – warm, dry and sunshine.  Seven adults, two children and five dogs set out with the cross from St James’ Church shortly after noon, heading to Rockland All Saints, where they arrived at 1.45pm.  They were joined by Rev Tori in Rocklands, who tracked the route backwards to find them – a welcome surprise to boost morale for the final leg.  Many then stayed and joined the congregation for the Stations of the Cross service.

Since last writing, St James held its annual Spring Fair, raising a much needed £640 towards church funds.  There were a reduced number of craft stalls, but a lovely range of items plus cakes and bacon rolls.  Thank you to everyone who supported including those in the background baking cakes, cleaning, washing up etc.

We also had our Mothering Sunday service, joined by members of the Scout Group.  The young people helped to make posies before the service, which we then given out during it. 

The service was led by members of the music group with modern songs, familiar to everyone (including some with actions).  

Our monthly pop-up café continues to see local support and in May, it will be combined with a history exhibition and display of metal detecting finds.  This will be held on Saturday 10th May 10am – 4pm and Sunday 11th May 12 noon – 5pm.  There is no entry fee. 

Refreshments will be available through out the opening, for which donations are welcome.  Heather, Judy and Matt always put on a great display and it will be worth a visit!

As with all CoE churches, we are renewing our electoral roll this year.  If you wish to add your name to this, please pick up a registration form from church and return to Kathryn as soon as possible.  The date for our APCM is now set as Wednesday 14th May at 7pm in St James’ Church.  If you wish to put your name forward for the PCC or churchwarden or to vote at the APCM, then you need to be registered on the electoral roll.

As I type this, the sun is shining, the daffodils are blooming and it feels like spring has finally sprung! (Even it only lasts a few days...)

In just over a week, we will be celebrating Mothering Sunday on 30th March where the children will be invited to make flower posies for mothers, and others in the congregation who look after us. This will be a café church style service with breakfast available before the service.

Over the same weekend we have our Spring Fair on Saturday 29th March. Fingers crossed the weather will shine on us again, bringing in visitors to sample the bacon rolls, cakes and buy from our stall holders! This is one of our main fundraisers for the year.

At the beginning of March, we had a glorious afternoon for our four pancake races. After the races, everyone came in to enjoy pancakes – around 50 were eaten, covered in toppings such as traditional lemon and sugar, to blueberries, banana, syrup or chocolate sauce (or in some cases, everything together)! Our placed runners were Under 5's: 1st Ronnie, 2nd Arlo, 3rd Noah. 5-7's: 1st Albie, 2nd Florence, 3rd Emily. 7-10's: 1st Grace, 2nd Freya, 3rd Oliver. Allcomers: 1st Cora, 2nd Lexi, 3rd John. Thank you to everyone who came and took part, plus the small army of race marshals, pancake makers and washer-uppers – we couldn’t do it without you!

During March, we have held three morning services – Holy Communion, Café Church and Morning Prayer. Our café service was on the theme of the Ten Commandments. Colin challenged us to reflect on these during Lent, perhaps revisiting them as part of our Easter preparations instead of giving up something. We were also reminded of the two commandments from Jesus in the New Testament from Matthew 22: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’.

In April, our café church service will coincide with Palm Sunday so we look forward to parading our palms around the churchyard. Following Palm Sunday, we move into Holy Week. The annual walk of witness will depart from St James at 12 noon on Good Friday and process to Rockland All Saints. Everyone is welcome to come for the walk (dogs welcome too). This will be followed by the Good Friday service at 2pm at All Saints – walkers are invited to stay but not compulsory.

As with all CoE churches, we are renewing our electoral roll this year. If you wish to add your name to this, please pick up a registration form from church and return to Kathryn. The date for our APCM is now set as Wednesday 14th May at 7pm in St James’ Church. If you wish to put your name forward for the PCC or churchwarden or to vote at the APCM, then you need to be registered on the electoral roll.

Day Lent Course

This will take place on Mondays, starting on Monday 10 March, and on the following Mondays; 17th, 24th & 31st March, 7th & 14th April. This course will be held in the Tower Room, St Andrew’s Church, Hingham at 11am, followed by a soup lunch afterwards. Donations for the lunch to the Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2025 raising money for YANA (You Are Not Alone) to help fund its telephone helpline. YANA provides rural mental health support for those involved in agriculture and other rural businesses affected by stress and depression.

To help us plan for the Lent course session and cater for the lunches, please email Caroline to let us know if you are coming to this; admin@standrewshingham.org.uk

Evening Lent Course

This course will take place on Tuesday evenings, starting on Tuesday 11 March and on the following Tuesdays; 18th, 25th, (1st April, 8th April). Time will be 7.00pm for a 7.15pm start. This course will be held at Orchard House, Church Street, Great Ellingham (Charles Mason’s
home).

To help us plan for the Lent course session, please email Colin to let us know if you will be attending; colin.thomas196@btinternet.com

Discussions will focus on Faith Journeys - how we came to faith and what it means today.

Our February café church on 9th February followed the story of Jesus’ first disciples – with a reading from Luke 5 where Jesus tells the fishermen to cast their nets on the other side of their boat. A short talk and discussion followed about how it might have felt to be the fishermen, or even their families, as Jesus asked them to follow him. The songs, led by the music group, were suitably selected to match, including ‘Follow me, says Jesus’, ‘Will you come and follow me?’ and ‘Go tell it on the mountain’.

If you are a budding musician who would like to join a small group, then we’d love to hear from you. Our group comprises one guitar, one flute and four singers but it would be lovely to have a wider number, even if it’s not each month. Reading music is an advantage but hymns are generally simpler than most tunes so it doesn’t require too much experience. Please contact Colin Thomas for more information.

The café service in March will be on 9th. There will be a bonus café church for Mothering Sunday on 30th March. Everyone is welcome to come along from 9.30am for breakfast (toast, rolls, fresh coffee). There will be the chance to make flower posies from 10am on Mothering Sunday; these will be given out during the service.

Our February pop up café was another cold and frosty one but a stalwart gathering called in for coffee and fresh cakes – warm cemetery buns, coffee cake and lemon cake. We also have a table of delicious jams and chutneys on sale, made by Margaret Thomas. Our next café will be on Saturday 8th March.

It won’t be long until the start of Lent so that can only mean one thing – Shrove Tuesday and Pancake races! These take place after school, from around 3.30pm, starting from the Methodist church on Church Street. Please bring a pancake and pan if you wish to race. (We only have a couple of spare pans and would welcome any old pans as donations!) Races are split into age groups – roughly under 5s, 5-7, 8-10 and adults – depending on the number of participants. Pancakes and a selection of toppings are then available in the church afterwards – in return for a small donation. If you can make a batch of pancakes or help on the afternoon, that would be amazing – contact Kathryn or Charles.

Our annual Spring Fair will be on Saturday 29th March, 10 – 12.30. Please do come and support this event as it’s one of our major fundraisers to keep the church open. There are a few spaces available for stalls if you would like to come. Please contact Kathryn 01953 572159 or sunflowerjones@hotmail.com.

We shall be holding a ‘Vision Day’ in Little Ellingham village hall on Saturday 1st February for all the churches associated with Tori’s Role as Priest-in-charge. This event is primarily to identify how we are doing now and what the future is to be as we move towards becoming one benefice. This will be an opportunity for individual members of our churches to have their voice. To put forward ideas, concerns, hopes and expectations.

Although maybe not the most important consideration, one question that needs to be answered is ‘What do we call our combined benefice?’ Currently it is ‘Gt and Lt Ellingham, Hingham, High Oak, Rockland All Saints, Rockland St Peter and Scoulton with Wood Rising’. Quite a mouthful, so if you have a better suggestion, please bring it with you.

Coffee and Tea will be available on arrival and throughout the session. There will be a break for lunch of soup, rolls, cheese and cake around half way.

If you cannot make this session but feel you have something to contribute, please inform Tori or Sue. Their contact details are at the end of these Ramblings as usual. Alternatively they both will be at the Benefice service on Sunday.

It was a frosty white morning for our first pop up café of the year. There was a swift change in personnel due to illness but the weather didn’t dampen the number of visitors who called in for fresh (still warm) cemetery buns, sausage rolls and malt loaf. We’re enjoying hosting these and meeting members of our parish, so do stop by if in the area. Our next one is Saturday 8th February, 10 – 12.

Our café church service celebrated the Epiphany story which was read over three parts and performed by willing volunteers from the congregation. The arrival of the Magi is only mentioned in the gospel of Matthew and there was some discussion as to who these people were, where they had come from, if they brought the gifts intentionally with them and how they might have known where to travel. The music reflected the theme, still celebrating Christmas. The next café service will be on Sunday 9th February. Breakfast from 9.30am and service at 10.30am.

Our monthly café services are led by the music group comprising a guitar player, flautist and four singers. If you play an instrument and would like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you! It would be great to expand our offering. Usually, hymns are relatively straight forward pieces so they are suitable for people with an ability to read music, even if out of practice! Contact Colin Thomas or come and see us. In addition to the café church services, the group also provides music at occasional other services such as the Christingle, Pet Service and Candlemas at Rockland All Saints.

St James’ Church has regular services on the first three Sundays of the month. The first and third alternate between Holy Communion and Morning Prayer, depending on availability of ministers to take the service. For more information, check the notice board / front porch at church or the Shellrock website.

Our event diary is starting to fill up – the annual Spring Fair will be on Saturday 29th March, 10 – 12.30. Contact Kathryn for more information or to book a stall. Also coming up will be our annual pancake races on Shrove Tuesday, 4th March. If you can make a batch of pancakes or help on the afternoon, that would be amazing – contact Kathryn or Charles. Watch this space for a local history exhibition later this year....

We’ve rounded off this week with two full houses at St James’ Church – the school carol service and Carols around the tree. It has been lovely to see so many people in our church, celebra ng the fes ve season. For some, it will have been the first me into our Grade 1 listed building, for others it will be the once-a-year visit. We hope you enjoyed singing carols and will call in again soon!

The beginning of December seems a long way off now, but started wet and windy – a small number of brave and hardy souls stopped off at our monthly café for fes ve nibbles and coffee. These pop-up cafes have been enjoyable and will be con nuing next year. Our first date for 2025 is 11th January.

Due to the stormy weather, there were fewer at our Café church service on Sunday 8th December. The service was themed around Chris ngles so the younger members of our congrega on, including some from the Scout group, made their own to take home and remember Jesus as the Light of the World. The children were all very knowledgeable about the different meanings to the parts of the Chris ngle!

During the month, there has been some disrup on to the usual layout but the book shelves and history display board have now been reinstated in their normal posi ons. We have seen a number of new books appear and a pile of jigsaws, so do pop in for a browse. The church is usually open during daylight hours.

We have an overstock of Christmas decorations! If you would like any, they are in the porch for collection. Please help yourself.

Our final service in December will be Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at 11.30pm. Everyone is welcome.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to our church in any way – cakes and bakes, cleaning, bells, flowers, gardening, financial – too many to name. We appreciate all your hard work.

On behalf of Great Ellingham PCC, we wish you all a very happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas and look forward to welcoming you in 2025!