Christmas blessings

Perhaps during Christmas, more than any other time, we fail to hear God's voice.  Distractions abound, and at a time when our focus should be on our blessings and our Saviour, we're tuned in to other things that seem more pressing.  But on Christmas Day, make the choice to open your heart, mind, and spirit and listen for God's voice.

A very happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas to you all.

Carol singing

Thanks to all who supported Monday night's carol singing round the village - all those who sang (ably accompanied by David on the guitar) and those who came out to listen or gave us money. We raised just over £100 which is fantastic! This will be shared between the church and Hope into Action, a Christian charity supporting homeless people. Also a huge thank you to Lorna and Elaine who revived us with mulled wine and mince pies at the village hall!

Carol singing

Just a reminder about carol singing round the village tomorrow (Monday) - we are meeting at The Cottage care home at 6 pm before inflicting ourselves on the Main Street / The Green area. Mulled wine & mince pies in the village hall at the end! This year we are supporting Hope into Action, a charity working with the homeless.

Christmas is coming...

Compline for All Souls

Remembrance Service

Spires Federation

Digby Church of England, Dunston St Peter’s Church of England & Nocton Community Primary Schools

Executive Headteacher: Mr G Boyall

Dear Parents/Carers/Friends

REMEMBRANCE DAY 2016

Remembrance Assembly

A school assembly will be held in Nocton Church on Friday 11 November 2016, for Remembrance Day. The assembly will commence at 10.30 am. You are welcome to come along and join us, together with family and friends.

British Legion Poppy Appeal 2016

Our school is supporting the British Legion Poppy Appeal 2016.

This year along with the normal poppy badges, we have a selection of children’s poppy items, including snap wrist rulers, friendship bracelets, small boxes of crayons, reflector poppies and wrist bands. If you wish to purchase any of these, British Legion suggest a donation of £1.00 for bracelets and snap rulers and 50p for wristbands, reflectors and pencils.

Donations go towards a wide range of services and support for our veterans, serving personnel and their families.

Kind regards

H Bunting (Mrs)

Deputy Headteacher, Nocton Community Primary School

Dangerous gravestones

Many of the gravestones in Nocton churchyard are potentially unsafe and a few are in significant danger of falling. If anyone can help locate the families of the people on the linked document, please contact me or the Rector, Lorna Brabin-Smith, on 01522 794868. If we are unable to arrange with the families for the gravestones to be secured, we will apply for permission to move them. Thanks for your help - you will appreciate that moving the headstones is a last resort so we would really like to work with the families to get this sorted.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_LLgnh2D692SFVaVlg3UlpPREU

Update on Macmillan coffee morning

Latest news - the final total raised was £310.  Didn't you do well!  Thanks again to everyone who supported this.

Reflection day for Advent

Advent will be here sooner than we think...

Oddfellows' service 9 October

Some of you may have wondered why the bells were ringing on Sunday afternoon - others may have seen the procession from the Village Hall to the church and wondered what that was about.  One young resident who saw us was particularly impressed, judging from the reaction...

We were delighted to welcome the Institute of Oddfellows (Lincoln & Boston District) to All Saints for a service to celebrate the return of the refurbished Oddfellows' banner (actually a flag) which hangs on the wall of the south aisle.  This was becoming very delapidated and has now been expertly restored by Sheila Landi at Burghley House.  The Oddfellows have contributed generously to the cost of this and it seemed right to invite them to see the restored flag.

The procession was led by our verger, Ann Kennedy, carrying the virge (the Mace of State seen in use at the opening of Parliament is a rather grander virge but essentially the same thing).  Next came the crucifer, Liz Murray, carrying the processional cross (polished for the occasion).  Following Liz came our Rector, Lorna Brabin-Smith, followed by the Oddfellows, including the current Provincial Grand Master, Brother Dennis Spikings, three past Provincial Grand Masters (Brother Derek Green, Sister Ann Jebson and Brother George Stanhope) and a past Grand Master of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, Brother Keith Adamson.

Photos and video clips of the flag and the procession can be seen using the link below.  All images courtesy of Peter Murray.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_LLgnh2D692NndPUV92ZkkycXM

Macmillan coffee morning

Thanks to everyone who came to this and to those who provided cakes - I hope no one had an upset stomach from my offering... The event was a great success and it was lovely to see everyone, especially residents of The Cottage Residential Care Home, who have an amazing appetite for cake!  We raised over £250 for Macmillan.  See you all next year!

Community Champions

Lincolnshire Co-operative Society has chosen the church as one of its community causes for support - thank you Lincolnshire Co-operative Society!  Please remember to use your dividend card when you shop at the Co-op!

Latest Nocton News

Here it is!

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.