The gate to the right hand side of the church giving access to the memorial garden is padlocked and normally closed, thus preventing people from visiting without making prior arrangements with a key holder to give them access. To address this, the gate padlock has been changed for a combination lock. If you wish to visit the garden, please send an [javascript protected email address] and the combination will be sent to you. Your name and email address will also be added to a list and you will be automatically advised if, at any future time, the combination is changed.
Thank you all for the continuing generosity you show by your regular donations to the FIND tub in the church porch. We have been given a list of most needed items from FIND which is as follows:
FIND has also asked for fresh fruit and veg, but these should not be donated unless you can deliver these direct to their premises as they will perish if placed in our FIND tub at church.
Any of these items will be very gladly received but they are only suggestions - any and all donations that you can make will be very welcome and help others less fortunate than ourselves. Also, if anybody has any spare bags they could donate, these are always useful in distributing food.
We have also received a special thank you from Maureen Reynel, founder and director of FIND, for all our donations in the past and for our continuing support.
The 5 yearly cycles of giving and pledges as part of the Diocesan Alive in Faith fund raising initiative are now complete in all the parishes that signed up to take part, and the committee that oversaw its operation is now being rundown. The final newsletter from the Alive in Faith team has been issued and you can read it here.
With the warmer summer weather on its way (!), our thoughts turn to the wonderful garden that the parish is blessed to have available. Chrissie and Paul Riches work tirelessly to maintain this for us and do a fantastic job for which we should all be very grateful.
We want to encourage greater use of this tranquil space, and to that end if anybody has, or knows of, any garden benches that are, or are about to become, available, and could be donated to the parish, we would love to receive them to provide additional seating in the garden.
Please speak to Paul or Chrissie, or email [email protected] if you can help.
Would all those parishioners who normally make their weekly offering using Gift Aid envelopes please note that their new 2024/25 envelopes are now available for collection from the Narthex. If you can't find your envelopes in the box please write your name on the sheet provided for this purpose and they will be made available to you next week. If anyone who has already signed up to giving by Gift Aid has changed their address during the last year, or did not pay sufficient income or capital gains tax to cover the tax reclaimable on their offerings, then please notify either Fr. Luke, Fr. Paul or Chris Croker (Gift Aid Co-ordinator).
It has been suggested that we might start a craft group within the parish. Such a group would probably meet on a monthly basis in the afternoon or possibly an evening during the week. If you would be interested in such a venture, or would like to hear more information about this idea and the sorts of crafts that might be covered, then please contact Jean McSorley on 01473 462740 or by email to [email protected]
The latest Alive in Faith newsletter is available, providing updates on the project, the funds raised and their disposition. You can read the newsletter here.
On Ascension Day, the disciples, after watching Jesus ascend into heaven, are asked by two angels why they are standing looking into the sky when there is work to be done! We too are called to the same work the disciples were; to spread the Good News of Jesus, to be involved in our local communities doing good and to be involved in our own parish, helping out where ever possible.
As we begin to live lives more normally and as the Church calls us all back to practicing our faith each Sunday in person, it is a perfect time to take stock, to reflect and to think about how we can all get involved in all of these areas, but perhaps especially within the Parish. Could you help clean, could you help set up for Mass or tidy away afterwards, could you help welcome people, would you like to be an altar server, a reader, an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist? If you answer yes to any of these, please do speak to Fr Paul, or use the Contact Form to get in touch. Our parish relies on the help of its own parishioners to grow and flourish.
Are you interested in working with children and young people? Are you leaving school or university in the summer and thinking about what to do next? Are you in-between jobs, or would you like to do something 'different'? The Diocesan Youth Service is looking for people age 18-35 to join the Ignite Team, sharing the Gospel Message with young people. These are full-time positions, initially for either 12 months (September intake) or 6 months (January intake), with training, food, accommodation and a monthly allowance provided. For more information visit the Diocesan Youth Service web site by clicking here.
A breath-taking new video giving views both inside and outside of St John the Baptist Cathedral in Norwich not seen for 120 years has been released by its creator Brian Lafferty of Eastern Counties Drones. Videographer Brian flew one of his drones high above the 120-year-old cathedral giving rarely-before seen views and then went inside to record stunning new footage.
Brian said: “The Cathedral is such a wonderful building both inside and out. I was asked to do some minor roof work for the Cathedral by the architect Suzi Pendlebury during the re-roofing of the Cathedral, this came after the drone work I had done for our own roof project at St Mary’s Church, Great Yarmouth. The drone work helped to obtain two grants to re-roof the church. “When doing the roof project, permission without restriction was granted to fly inside the Cathedral to inspect some windows. “It was such a remarkable experience to get views that were last seen 120 years ago by the builders, I am so grateful to have contributed to the history of the Cathedral and look forward to more projects.”
You can watch Brian's remarkable video on YouTube by clicking here.
