News & Features

Advent Carol Service
This service is held on the first Sunday of Advent; this year it will be Sunday 1st December. Normally it is a benefice service held in Rockland All Saints. However this year it will also be the day of the Archdeacon’s Visitation and combined with our partner benefice, the Hingham group of churches. So it has been decided that for logistical reasons the service will be held in the church of Rockland St Peter with refreshments provided after the service in Rocklands Village Hall.

Further details may be given later but it is expected that the service will be as normal.

Our October pop up café was hosted by Caroline and Kathryn this month. Alongside the usual delicious homemade cakes on offer, we also had a table of nearly new items (perfect budget presents) plus a selection of jams and chutneys. As we head into the autumn, the heating will go on! Rob and Charles will be on duty at the next café on 9th November.

Our Harvest café church on 13th October welcomed members of the Scout group alongside our usual congregation. We looked at Harvest, giving thanks for the food we have. There were talks on the food bank and Christian Aids ‘Harvest for Hope’ theme discussing different types of seeds. The children identified that the seeds need light, food, water, care and nurturing in order to grow – just like we do.

Our Christmas Fair is fast approaching on Friday 15th (6-9pm) & Saturday 16th November (10am – 1pm). We have a full church booked with lots of stalls including Tropic skincare, handmade crafts, glass baubles, jewellery, wood turned items, bespoke lights, candles and soaps. There will also be chance to order your Christmas wreath from Margaret Thomas, plus jams, chutneys and cakes. Music will be provided by the Roskettes on Friday and the school choir on Saturday morning. There will be refreshments, a raffle and tombola – please do pop in to support this event. If you are able to donate a raffle or tombola prize, then please get in touch: sunflowerjones@hotmail.com All singers welcome!

We are excited to have Norwich Music Group attending to host a Come and Sing event on Saturday 26th October, studying Mozart’s Requiem. Anyone is welcome to attend. The cost is £10 per person – participant or audience member. Come along at 5.45pm to register, learn the music and words, before performing at 7pm. Refreshments will be provided. 

There is a music and food afternoon, planned for Saturday 23rd November, 3 – 6pm, organised by a village member to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society. Put the date in your diary!

Welcome to November!

Where has the year gone? The clocks have changed and the nights are going to feel longer. For some of us, getting up in the dark is also going to be a tough one. On the upside, it is the time to wear puffy ski jackets that hide how many mince pies we have had or how many Christmas puds we have snuck into the weekly shop.

Harvest

Thank you to those who attended our Harvest Service. We hope you enjoy a selection of pictures from the day.

Remembrance

We are hosting a Remembrance Sunday Service at the memorial flowerbed on the 10th of November at 10:45am.

Pudsey Lunch

Saturday 16th of November at 12pm to 2pm, we are hosting a Pudsey Fundraising Lunch. We will be serving an array of wonderful food delights from bacon rolls and soup to cake delights. There will also be a raffle. Pudsey, himself, will also grace us with his presence! No need to book in advance; just pop in and visit us on the day.

If you wished to get involved and help out with baking or serving a table on the day, please contact Mr Brown on 07802 433 611.

November

Welcome to November

A month where we remember,

And a month to recall,

Those who wished parliament To take a large fall.

 

The five-fingered ivy,

Hath graced us with bright red

And many trees have started

To look quite, quite dead.

 

A month where winter whispers,

That it is ever near;

The last month of autumn

Before it disappears.

KYT Poetry

We had a very enjoyable evening Harvest Festival service last month at which Tori kindly preached the sermon. The church was beautifully decorated by our Flower Arrangers for which we are very grateful. All donated items of food were given to the local Foodbank based in Thetford.

We now look forward to our next fund raising event, the Pie and Pickle Lunch. This long established lunch is now done jointly with the village hall which helps us to spread the load. Anyone who has dined with us will vouch for a wide selection of delicious home-made pies and desserts at the very reasonable price of £10. So why not come along on Saturday 2 November between 12 and 3pm and try it for yourself. Further details on the poster opposite.

We shall be holding our Remembrance service again this year starting at St James’ church, Great Ellingham. We then go on to Deopham airfield and then on to our own church for an Act of Remembrance at the two memorials. Refreshments will be served in Little Ellingham village hall.

I am sure we are not alone in welcoming Tori and her family to our benefices with the hope that their time with us will be one of happiness in every respect.

It doesn’t seem a month since I last wrote the news from All Saints……..but then, it seems impossible that we are again now cranking up for Christmas!! I must be getting old! I am sure there were more months in the year when I was younger!

We held our annual Harvest Supper at the Village Hall on 5th October and it was again a very successful event that everybody seemed to enjoy. We were grateful to the Roskettes who not only entertained us with a medley of popular songs after the meal, but also helped to speed along by serving food! Very many thanks to all who attended, bought raffle tickets or helped by providing food, washing up, clearing the hall afterwards etc…..as always Barbara masterminded the food, which was scrumptious and plentiful- just as a Harvest Supper should be! We were glad to welcome our new priest-in-charge, Revd. Tori, who came along and joined in the fun.

November services are as usual, with a service at RAS on the third Sunday at 10.30. There is, however, a change to the time and venue of the service on Remembrance Sunday (November 10th) which will this year be held not at St Peter’s church but outside at the Remembrance Garden in Wayland Rd (near the crossroads by the telephone box library) at 10.45. There will be the traditional silence at 11am as we remember all those who have died in conflict, including those who fell in the two World Wars during last century. It will be a similar format to the 80th anniversary of D Day in June, so it is hoped as many will attend as possible.

Early warning about December services at All Saints:

December 1st is the traditional Advent Carol service with not only the Benefice choir, but also the Archdeacon Revd. Steven Betts and members of the new benefice that includes Hingham and High Oak as well as the Rocklands and Ellinghams. Please join us at 10.30 as we begin a new year in the church calendar with Advent and the coming of Christ.

On December 15th, we will be holding our usual Christingle Service in aid of the Children’s Society at 3pm (children come from 2.30 to make their Christingles in the old Victorian schoolroom) which is always an informal but magical service! Rocklands School choir are planning to make another appearance- something to look forward to!

On December 24th, we have an informal Carol Singing session outside Rocklands Community shop at 11am with mince pies and mulled punch…..all are welcome to come and go as they please and a joyous time is had by all! What the singing perhaps lacks in quality is far outweighed by the enthusiasm and enjoyment of the singers! A collection for charity is made to add to whatever Santa collects on his rounds through the villages earlier in December…..another event not to be missed!

Later on Christmas Eve, we will be holding a more formal service at the candlelit ‘Midnight’ Mass, held at 10pm at All Saints. Again, this is a very moving service as we celebrate Christ’s birth in the church up the hill just as villagers have been doing for centuries. Please book the date in your diaries now.

Welcome to our October entry!

Cycle Ride

Thank you to Dawn Thacker and Nick Cardy who rode for us in the annual Churches Trust Cycle Ride and Walk. They travelled 47.1 miles and visited 24 churches. What a brilliant effort! Dawn said, “We met some lovely people along the way. It was a lovely day, the sun shone although it was a bit breezy at times.” We would like to thank everyone who was involved in the event, from the welcomers across the churches, those who cycled, rode or walked and those who sponsored. So, thank you!

Welcoming Our New Reverend

The Licensing of Reverend Victoria Venmore-Rowland BA will be held at St. Andrew’s Church, Hingham on the 24th of September. I am sure everyone will join us in making our new reverend most welcome to our communities.

Dates For Your Diary

Join us on Sunday the 16th of November for Pudsey Lunch where we aim to raise money for Children in Need.

Another month has sped by, and Autumn draws on apace! As I write, we have sunshine although ‘the North wind doth blow’!! On September 15th we celebrated our Pets and the Harvest in a lovely service at All Saints. After a dodgy start, the weather was kind to us and, once again, we were able to sit outside without feeling cold or wet! This year, we had two cats (including Stripes, a small tabby kitten, who had travelled from Caston for his f irst outing since his jabs at vet) and several dogs and I am pleased to report that all behaved impeccably! There was a collection amounting to £100 which has been given, as always, to the Leprosy Mission and the congregation also brought food donations that were received by Kathryn to be taken to the local Food Bank. Many thanks to the Benefice Music Group who led the singing (assisted by Julie Dekker) and to all who attended. A couple of dog walkers who happened to be passing came and joined us for coffee and ‘animalshaped biscuits’ together with their 5 dogs so we hope Tracey and Lexi will join us again next year!

Our next fundraising/social event is on October 5th at Rocklands Village Hall, starting at 7pm, when we hold our annual Harvest Supper. This includes a substantial (and delicious) home-cooked two course meal + tea and coffee. (Please bring your own drinks and glasses if you want to have anything other than water during the meal!) Tickets are £10 each (£5 for children) and are available from Barbara Scase (483420), Cath Jones (483542) or Julie Dekker (advance booking essential!) The meal is followed by entertainment from the Roskettes as always and the evening is always a joyous occasion. Do come and join us!

By the time this is read, our new vicar, Revd. Tori will have been inducted at a service at Hingham and will have started her ministry in twelve churches in the area. We do not yet have a date when she will be visiting Rocklands officially, but we are sure she will have a good welcome when she does, and we look forward to getting to know her and her family. We are also very grateful to Revd. Sue for all she has done in the past few years for Rocklands, much of which has been over and above the call of duty! Thanks Sue!

St James, Great Ellingham Our September pop up café was boosted by a number of people calling in to the local history exhibition at the pub! As usual, delicious homemade cakes were on offer and there was plenty of conversation. Many of our visitors enjoyed looking around the church, taking photos or finding snippets of family history.

The church was open for the Norfolk Churches trust bike, drive and walk event on Saturday 14th September, with a selection of snacks for those taking part. This year we had twelve cyclists, one by car and one walking! We hope they all enjoyed the lovely weather and their journey around the county!

We hope that Revd Tori and her family have settled into their new home in Hingham. We look forward to her licensing service and welcoming her to visit our church in the future. Preparations are under way for the Christmas Fair on Friday 15th & Saturday 16th November. If you are interested in a stall, have a tombola or raffle prize you’d like to donate, then please drop Kathryn an email: sunflowerjones@hotmail.com.

We are excited to have Norwich Music Group attending to host a Come and Sing event on Saturday 26th October, learning Mozart’s Requiem. Anyone is welcome to attend – the format will be to learn the piece during the afternoon to perform at the end. Please look out for more information to follow!

Exciting times as we issue a very warm welcome to our new incumbent, Tori. 

I am writing this just before her Licensing service.  You will be aware of the huge task in front of her – not only taking up the reigns of ordained ministry amongst us after a long interregnum but drawing our two Benefices together.   

The High Oak and Hingham Benefice has traditionally worked in a very different way to the Shellrock Benefice.  We, the ministers, have been meeting and sharing some services, therefore coming to know different congregations across the boundaries.  This has necessarily been limited and there is a long way to go.  At least we have shown that we can work in harmony.  This will be important in the future. 

The virtue we will need most is patience – everything takes time.  Managing our expectations will also be necessary.  It will take a while for Tori to learn who we all are, also how we work.  And, we have to learn what she would like from us in order to help her form a plan for our future.  I know she likes to work with others so we will all have our part to play. 

Above all, we must remember that God has sent her to us.  He will have a plan for the new, enlarged Benefice, mainly that we find ways to proclaim his Word of Love among ourselves and to the wider communities.  Our churches are all working hard in their outreach and, while Tori might have ideas of how we can develop our activities, we cannot leave it all to her.  We must continue as we are and grow with her leadership. 

Tori, our new Rector, is here among us.  I know we will all welcome her.  Alleluia! 

Welcome to the mini edition of the Benefice News as many of the contributors are away.

However we wanted to share our good news!  Following recent interviews we are very happy to say that The Revd Tori Venmore-Rowland has been appointed as Priest in Charge of the High Oak, Hingham and Scoulton and Woodrising, and Shellrock benefices, subject to a DBS check and safeguarding training.

Tori is currently Assistant Curate in the Mattishall and Tudd Valley benefice in our diocese.
 
Details of Tori’s institution by the Bishop of Thetford will follow in due course, but in the meantime please do keep Tori, her husband Luke and their family in your prayers.

An introduction from Revd Tori
I grew up in Norfolk, and even though I’ve left a few times, I’ve always managed to find my way back again. Following a time at Norwich School of Art and Design, I joined the Royal Air Force as a Weapons Technician, and then spent ten years in light blue. Eventually, God made it clear that there was a rather different purpose for me, and so I left the military to train for ordination. I was ordained Deacon in 2021 and Priest in 2022. My curacy started in Swaffham and Sporle, had a brief period in Dereham and then finished in Mattishall and Tudd Valley, where I have served for the past year and a half. Along with me and supporting me are my fantastic husband Luke, and our children: Cora, Lexi and John. We’re hoping to move to Hingham in the summer where I can start getting to know everyone and seeing what God has in store for the next chapter of my life!

For our June pop up café, the weather was a bit dull, but several people popped in for a warm welcome with coffee and cake. On offer this month was carrot and maple syrup cake alongside Charles’ cemetery buns!

At café church, our regular congregation was joined by family and friends of Lottie who was baptised, along with her Dad, during the service. Lottie and her family recently moved to Great Ellingham and it was lovely to meet them. They commented on the enjoyable service and the welcome they received.

During June, the Village Singers used the church for their 15th anniversary concert – a mix of modern, folk and choral pieces. This was the final show for their musical and production directors, Tina and Neville Moon. We wish them both well in their ‘retirement’ and hope the Singers will be back in the future under new directorship.

Heading into the summer we look ahead to a busy fortnight, hosting a number of Teddy Festival events. This starts off with the art preview party on Friday 28th June. The art exhibition is then open during the weekend Saturday & Sunday 10am -4pm and Monday 10am – 1pm. This is followed by a local history exhibition on Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th July. Both events have free entry and refreshments available. The festival finishes on Sunday 14th with a service of celebration and thanksgiving. Bring along your favourite bear and nibbles, so we can join together for a teddy bear’s picnic afterwards.

Our pop up café will still be open on Saturdays 13th July & 10th August. As always, the coffee machine will be on and fresh cakes will be available! We hope to see you there!

We had a very successful Flower Festival over the two days of the first week-end of June. The church was fabulously decorated out with arrangements that depicted ‘Summertime’, though the weather wasn’t exactly playing ball. We are very grateful to everyone who made this event possible and to those who came along and supported us; thank you. Refreshments were served throughout both days. The week-end was finished off with a splendid Songs of Praise service followed by more refreshments including jugs of Pimms!

Although we have no events planned for the next few months, we are very happy to welcome Bishop Alan, the Bishop of Thetford, to an Evening Prayer service on Sunday 14 July starting at 6.00pm. Everyone is welcome to join us in our worship with the opportunity to meet the Bishop whilst enjoying some refreshments which will be provided after the service.

Another month has passed, and we are still waiting for summer to arrive! Hopefully, by the time I write something for the August edition, the weather will have improved and we will be able to sit in the evening without having a blanket to keep warm!!

We are now gearing up at All Saints for the annual Flower Festival, which is taking place on the weekend of 13th and 14th July from 10.00 - ~5.00. We do not have a theme for our displays and all are anonymous…..we just fill the church with beautiful flowers which can range from elaborate professionallooking displays to simple bunches of wild flowers in a jam jar!! Every year, I am amazed at the talent of those who bring flowers to the church and I always think it cannot be improved – but am always proved wrong!! The smell as I walk in the church hits me every time….if only it could be bottled!

As well as the flowers, we offer refreshments in the old schoolroom……tea, coffee, cold drinks, homemade cakes, scones and sausage rolls, made-to- order sandwiches and even a barbecue at lunchtimes! We have a wonderful cake stall where you can buy delicious cakes and pies all at very reasonable prices. All money raised goes towards the upkeep of our beautiful quintessentially English little country church. We have recently had some work done on the Victorian schoolroom that was looking a bit worse for wear, all done with authentic materials by a couple of local builders and we are hoping to get a coat of paint on the walls before the festival weekend. Do please come and join us to support All Saints church. The flowers will still be on display on the Monday morning but unfortunately we do not have the (wo)man power to offer the same range of refreshments after the weekend! We look forward to seeing you there!

During May we held our annual Big Breakfast raising money for Christian Aid. There was a range of cereals, toast with a variety of spreads and fresh fruit donated by Rookery Meadows. Freshly cooked bacon, sausage and/or egg rolls were available during the morning – 55 in total. It was a lovely event and raised just over £300 for the charity.

Our May café church service was a quiet event, reflecting on the story of ‘feeding the crowd with fish and loaves’, alongside the start of Christian Aid week. We hope to have a baptism at our June service.

The next St James Pop-up café will be on Saturday 8th June. The Village Singers also have their concert on 15th June - tickets are now available from Rocklands and Great Ellingham Village shops. Looking slightly further ahead, we will be hosting a number of events as part of the Teddy Festival including the art exhibition over 29th/30th June and the local history exhibition on 6th/7th July. Both events are free and refreshments will be available.

As the summer approaches we shall be holding our Flower Festival with the theme ‘Summertime’ over the week-end 1-2 June. There will be refreshments available during both days. Entry is free; donations only invited. Come along and delight your senses with what promises to be wonderful arrangements of flowers. The festival will be followed on the Sunday with a Songs of Praise service at 5pm. All are welcome to join us.

Bishop Ian has agreed to visit our church and preside at our monthly service of Evening Prayer on 14 July. We are looking forward to welcoming the Bishop to our service and everyone is invited to join us in our worship and to meet the Bishop.

The weather has improved somewhat since the last time I wrote….but the downside is that the grass grows really quickly and it’s a job keeping up with it! At All Saints we have decided again to allow some areas to ‘re-wild’, in order to help the environment, but we keep the front of the church and newer areas of the churchyard looking as tidy as we can; we hope this compromise keeps everyone happy!

On 30th June 9 (a fifth Sunday in the month) we are holding a different service from the usual pattern, as it will be an evensong followed by a shared picnic outside (weather permitting). There is an almost magical peace about the space at All Saints church, especially in the evening; a previous incumbent described it to me as a ‘thin’ place, which is apparently an old Celtic term for the place between earth and Heaven, where man and God are very close….apparently in other places, they are at least 3 feet apart! Whatever you think about that, we would love you to join us at 6pm.

Although Barbara’s Day had to be cancelled this year, the annual Flower Festival is going ahead on the weekend of July 13-15. On the Saturday and Sunday, there will be a beautiful display of flower arrangements in the church while in the schoolroom, refreshments and light lunches will be served. There will also be a cake stall and bric-a-brac for sale as well as books and some plants.(NB on Monday 15th only the church will be open – no food that day!) Do please book the date in your diary nowmore details next month! We look forward to seeing you!

Rev Leonard James was murdered
In 1608.
By the hands of Lowe
He did meet his fate.

A treacherous wife
Was burned at the stake
And Lowe was killed
For the lives he did take.

KYT Poetry - 2022

We were reminded of this poem, and the events that allowed it to be, as a relative of Rev. Leonard James has recently come forward to our Churchwarden, John Brown, to investigate their family history. Mr Brown has sent Ian Abel’s book to North Carolina for them to peruse. You will note that Rev. Leonard James lives on with us on our village sign with his church.

Rev. Leonard James’, to our knowledge, is buried somewhere in the graveyard but we know not where. If anyone is up for the challenge of finding it please contact the Churchwarden and you will be welcome to search the undergrowth.