World's Biggest Coffee Morning

Nocton features in exhibition

‘Landscapes: a particular kind of fiction’

Sunday September 18^th to Monday October 24th

If you’re looking for something inspirational to do this autumn, visit the outdoor exhibition of Phil Cosker’s extraordinary photographs along the Spires and Steeples Arts and Heritage Trail.

The six giant photos will be sited in the grounds of six village churches, along the trail from Branston to Rowston.  So if you’re feeling energetic you could walk or cycle between them, or if less energetic, you could simply drive.

This unique outdoor event is part of three exhibitions of Cosker’s photographic work.  The images were created using a Thornton Pickard ‘Imperial’ half-plate bellows camera found in a second-hand shop, and a set of un-exposed plates discovered in a cupboard in the Hull School of Art and Design. Cosker has used them to create images that capture an extraordinary sense of volume and space, an ‘imagination of passing time and place’.

The six exhibition sites are at: All Saints Branston, All Saints Nocton, St Peter’s Dunston, St Oswald’s Blankney, Holy Cross Scopwick and St Clement’s Rowston.  A single large image, 8ft by 10ft, will be displayed outdoors at each venue, so you can visit at any time of day.  Some of the churches may also be open for you to explore.  Branston and Nocton churches will be open on Friday afternoons, from 2.00 to 4.00pm each week.

Meanwhile you can also take the opportunity to enjoy exploring six fascinating Lincolnshire villages, or have lunch at a village pub or tea at a local café along the way.

If you’re taking to the trail on a Wednesday or Thursday, you could stop also off for refreshments at the Bluebell Community Café at Potterhanworth.  You’ll find them at St Andrew’s Church.  They’re open from 9.00am to 5.00pm, and offer a delicious range of home-made soups, sandwiches, toasties, scones and cakes.

The exhibition will be launched at All Saints Branston at 12.30pm on Sunday September 18^th and will continue until Monday October 24^th.  You could visit all six sites in one day, or spread your visits over several weeks.

The whole event is being organised by artsNK, a team of visual and performing arts specialists.  The team initiates and supports arts projects across the North Kesteven district, Lincolnshire and the East Midlands. For more information about artsNK go to www.artsnk.org and about the Spires and Steeples Trail go to www.spiresandsteeples.com. 

 

Harvest Thanksgiving and launch of new guide book

We are very excited to announce the launch of the new guidebook for All Saints, made possible by a generous grant from the Lincolnshire Co-operative Society.  This will take place immediately before the Harvest Thanksgiving service at 4 pm on Sunday 25 September.  The service will be followed by the legendary Harvest Supper, at which our guests will be the Earl and Countess of Buckinghamshire, whose family have a long and distinguished association with Nocton.

Annual Ride & Stride

This year's Annual Ride & Stride will be on Saturday 10 September.  Funds raised are split between the participant's nominated church, and the Lincolnshire Churches Trust, which supports essential repairs to churches in Lincolnshire - including in the past All Saints!  It's not just a bike ride - participants can walk, scoot, cycle or ride a horse!  If you would like to take part, please contact the local organiser Colin East on 01522 810029 or Liz Murray on 01526 323357 and we will get sponsorship forms to you!  The event runs from 10 am to 6 pm and All Saints will be opened and manned between those hours to welcome participants and to offer squash, biscuits and a loo!  If you haven't been inside All Saints, why not drop in and say hello - we'd love to see you even if you're not taking part in the event!

Bassingham Choir concert

Thanks to Bassingham Choir for a fantastic concert on 15 July in All Saints!  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and joined in with the audience participation numbers as best they could (you had to have been there to understand..).  Thanks also to all those who helped to organise the event and to those who supported it.  The Prosecco and strawberries & shortbread at the interval went down a treat and the lovely evening weather meant people could go outside to enjoy them - perfect!  The event raised £433 for church funds - a fabulous result!

Latest Nocton News...

... is available here!

Nine marks of mission

Over the summer of 2016 we are exploring the 'nine marks of mission'.  For those who missed any of the sermons and would like to read them, please click on the links below to go to the sermon text.  Links will be added as each sermon is received.   In addition, I have added a page where the links will be available long term.

Sunday 5 June        Celebrating people and places

Sunday 12 June     Transformed lives and communities

Sunday 19 June     Worship that renews and inspires

Sunday 26 June     Becoming child-friendly

Sunday 3 July         Lifelong Christian nurture

Sunday 10 July       Self-giving service to the community

Sunday 17 July       Welcoming newcomers

Sunday 24 July       Rooted in prayer

Sunday 31 July       Confident and sensitive evangelism

Concert

Another opportunity to explore the labyrinth at San Damiano

Spring clean pictures

To all Spring Cleaners - 

Thank you all for working so hard to spruce up our beautiful church.  It was wonderful that so many people came & made it a lot of fun too.  It was a record turn out! - a real community effort.

Thank you for all your enthusiasm.

Here are some of the highlights:

 The west window hadn't been cleaned properly for years... until David got to it.

Graham looks rather threatening with that extending mop...

 Ann, Sheila and Janet hard at work in the sanctuary.

A welcome break (thanks to Ruth for the bikkies and sausage rolls!)

 "What do you mean, I've missed a bit?"


 

Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

From our bell ringers - 

On Thursday 21 April the church bells will be rung in the evening as part of a change of celebratory ringing between Branston & Blankney to mark the Queen’s actual 90th birthday.   Ringing will take place at Nocton from 6.30 – 6.50 pm (approx) and will consist of call changes be rung based on the pattern named ‘Queens’ which is the bells rung in the order135246 (odds & evens).   Also the Church spire will be floodlit that evening to mark the Queen’s birthday.  On Thursday evening beacons are being lit all over the UK to mark the Queen’s Birthday so we thought it would be nice to floodlight our spire as a sort of beacon.  The main bulk of ringing for the Queen’s birthday will take place over her official birthday weekend Fri 10th – Sun 12th June when nationally bells will ring out all over the UK.

Primroses

Visitors to the church may have noticed that the churchyard is looking a little 'shaggy' at the moment.  It seems a shame to mow over the lovely primroses and we generally don't start mowing after the winter until the primroses have died back.  Please be assured that the churchyard will be mown, but in the meantime, enjoy the wild flowers!

Gravestones

After a recent check of the safety of the gravestones in the churchyard, it has become apparent that many are potentially unsafe and one or two are so loose as to be dangerous.  We are seeking to address this as a matter of urgency.  Please could we ask everyone entering the churchyard for whatever reason not to lean on any gravestones.  The most insecure stones will be cordoned off.  If anyone can help locate the family of John Pullen, who died in 1903 and whose headstone is particularly loose, please contact Liz Murray on 01526 323357 or elisabeth.c.murray@gmail.com.

Ascension Day service - Thursday 5 May

Open church

Just a reminder that the church is open on Friday afternoons between 2 and 4 pm (until the clocks go back at the end of October).  You are assured of a friendly welcome!