News & Features

The Easter services in the Benefice gave us, as always, a variety of experiences. We enjoyed making our own palm crosses at St Peter’s a week before Easter Day (some more successfully than others, it has to be said!). On Maundy Thursday we had a moving Agape service, again at St Peter’s where we shared a meal of bread, wine and cheese together remembering the Last Supper before we went into quietness after all the chat and laughter, stripped the church of all the decoration and left the building in silence. On Good Friday we met again at All Saints and welcomed the brave souls who had carried the heavy cross from Gt Ellingham on a Walk of Witness. The service was sad and somewhat emotional due to the storyline as we followed the Stations of the Cross as they were read by members of the congregation. Then came the contrast with the joy and jubilation of Easter Day at St James, GE when we celebrated the Resurrection with the choir and organ in full volume! Simnel cake at the end was an added bonus!

As I write, we have still received no applications for the position of church warden even three years after John retired, having served many years more than the regulations officially allow! With a small congregation that is not getting any younger, we are struggling to keep up with the maintenance of the churchyard, so we are so pleased that two female villagers have offered to do stints to help with grass cutting and strimming the rapidly growing nettles! It would be such a shame if our loved ones in the churchyard are left untended……we have increased the area of the wildflower areas where there are no recent graves but there is still a lot of grass to cut each week. We have appealed to the people who come and tend graves regularly to perhaps bring some shears or a strimmer to clear a small area round their loved ones’ graves and have everything crossed that we will have a positive response! Every little helps as the advert says!

Unfortunately, it is not possible to hold the usual Barbara’s Day this year but there will be a Plant and Book sale near the school on the mornings of 22nd, 23rd and 24th May for you to stock up your bookshelves and gardens for the summer! It will be cash only……but you can pop up to the shop to get some out of the PO and maybe have a coffee up there at the same time! We look forward to seeing you there!
CJ

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!

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.