Thanks to all who supported guitar concert

What a lovely event it was last night.  The guitar music was great, the church was beautifully decorated with flowers, the strawberries and Prosecco were delicious, and everyone enjoyed themselves. The event raised £534.50. Yvonne asked for just £50, but she made £100 on the sales of her CDs (and we made £20 on those sales, included in the figure above). Yvonne really enjoyed the evening, too!

Carol Bennett

Reminder - guitar concert this coming Friday

Wall paintings

Some of you may be wondering what is happening about the project to restore the wall paintings in All Saints.  We were poised to start this work last year when we were advised that it would be unwise to do this until some investigative work had been done.  The wall is dry now, after several years of being allowed to dry out naturally, but there is still condensation in the area at times and, most importantly, salts continue to move throught the stone and affect the area.  There is no point in restoring the paintings only to have them fail after a few years because of more damage.  We have a plan for a way forward but it will appear that nothing much is happening for some time to come, although in fact we will be doing investigative work to understand where the salts are coming from, how they move through the area and whaat is required to protect the area from further damage.  The more thorough the preparation, the better the final result.

We acknowledge with gratitude that many people have donated over many years towards this and we wanted to assure the parishioners of Nocton, and those people from outside the parish who have also kindly donated, that we continue to work hard to sort this problem out.

church4ALL

A reminder about our new venture, church4ALL, which starts next Sunday 2 July at 4 pm at Potterhanworth.  It'll be on the first Sunday of every month after that.

Reminder about Nocton Open Gardens

Church4ALL - starts Sunday 2 July

This message from Lorna is on the 'Message' page as well at the moment but I am posting it here too so as many people as possible see it.

The majority of people nowadays would say that they're spiritual, but not 'religious'.  People generally assume that I'm religious... but I think religious sounds like being rather fussy about rules.  And for me being a signed-up Christian isn't about being religious in that sense, it's about relationships - our relationship with God and our relationships with each other.

I imagine that most parents want their children to have a spiritual dimension to their life, want their spirits as well as their minds and bodies to grow strong and healthy; but it's not easy to know how to do that.  Doing nothing and hoping for the best might not be enough.

But church is meant to be a place where you can explore, ask questions and grow spiritually  On the other hand, taking children to church can seem a bit daunting.  Grown-ups worry that the children will be a nuisance.  Children worry that they're going to be bored and everyone wonders whether they'll understand what's going on!

Which is why we are starting a new service for Potterhanworth and Nocton.  It's going to be at St Andrew's church because it has a few more facilities compared with Nocton church.  We have a more flexible space - and a kitchen.

It's going to be once a month to start with, on the first Sunday of each month.  It's going to be at 4 pm, and it's going to be for everyone.  Which is why we're calling it Church4ALL.

It will be relaxed and informal - and fun!  There'll be singing, things to make and do, something to eat and drink.  It will be designed for children and young families, but also for anyone else who'd like to try a less formal approach to church.

We'll be launching Church4ALL on Sunday 2 July.  You'll all be welcome to come along and give it a go.

If you play a musical instrument - guitar, flute, trumpet, drums, whatever - and would like to contribute to the music please do get in touch.  We'd love to hear from you.

Love Lorna

Guitar concert

Those who have been to one of Yvonne's concerts before will know what lovely events they are.

Global Wave of Prayer 'Thy Kingdom Come'

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is inviting Christians around the world to pray as one for people to know Jesus Christ.  This coming week, churches and individuals around the world will join together in prayer.  All Saints will be open 12-12.30 each day (Monday - Saturday) as part of this world-wide event.   This is the prayer around which the event will be centred:

Almighty God,
your ascended Son has sent us into the world
to preach the good news of your kingdom:
inspire us with your Spirit
and fill our hearts with the fire of your love,
that all who hear your Word
may be drawn to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here are some prayers which you may also find useful:

This morning's bells

You may have noticed that the bells this morning rang a little longer than usual and were half-muffled.  This was a quarter peal and was the bell-ringers' tribute to the people of Manchester, especially in memory of those who were killed and injured in the attack on Monday.

Prayer for Manchester

With thanks to the Diocese of Manchester.

Labyrinth day at San Damiano

April Fool Quiz thanks

Thanks to everyone who helped at the April Fool Quiz and to those who supported it. A special thank you to our quizmaster, Stuart! The quiz was won by the 'Rostrop Rogues' and a splendid £189 was raised towards a sound system for the church.

Parochial Church Council

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting and the meeting for Election of Churchwardens were held on 18 April. Liz Murray was elected as churchwarden (again!!), Ann Kennedy was elected as Deanery Synod representative and Carol Bennett, Nicholas Bennett, Ruth Eagle and Janet Goldsworthy were elected to the Parochial Church Council. There are still two vacancies on the PCC (and a vacancy for churchwarden!) so please have a word with a current member if you would like to know more.

Easter

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

Update on Annual Parochial Church Meeting time

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting and Meeting for the Election of Churchwardens will be in church at 7 pm (not 7.30 pm as previously advertised) on 18 April, followed by a meeting of the newly elected Parochial Church Council.