The NIB Neatishead, Irstead and Barton Turf Parish Magazine THE BENEFICE OF St BENEDICT The Parishes of Ashmanhaugh, Barton Turf, Beeston St Lawrence, Horning, Irstead and Neatishead Rector: The Rev’d David Smith 01692 630216 [email protected] A Christmas Message from Rev’d Angela I have in my hand half a walnut shell. In it is a tiny baby Jesus. As I look at it I'm reminded of a true story someone told me about her own grandmother's birth. Her grandmother had been born several weeks early. In those days, her chances of survival were very slim. She'd been born at home and her mother was exhausted by what had been a long difficult birth. The midwife wrapped her up and gave her to her father to hold. She was tiny - about the size of a bag of sugar, if that. The midwife told him that she didn't think the little girl would live very long. But he'd replied "Oh yes she will! She will live!" Now instinct told him that she needed to be kept warm and snug. Those were the days when if you couldn't afford to buy a cot you used a drawer lined with blankets as a bed for your baby. But this little girl was so small he knew a drawer would be too big to keep her warm enough and so he hunted around and found something much smaller, a cardboard box about the size of a shoe box. He lined it with pieces of blanket, like a bird does its nest, and put her in and kept her close to him while her exhausted mother slept. He literally loved the tiny girl into life. She survived and as we know lived to be a grandmother. She was loved into life by her father. That's what God does - he literally loves us into life - and that's what Jesus came to show us and what we learn from that tiny vulnerable baby born in the stable all those years ago. Every human being there has ever been or will be, each and every one of us, comes into life because we are loved by God. And that love can never die. Whatever we do, God will never stop loving us or caring for us. Our world is in trouble at the moment. Perhaps like the midwife who didn't think the tiny girl would survive we might think that our world's life will not last for much longer. But we would do well to remember the words of the father in the story. "OH YES SHE WILL! SHE WILL LIVE!" And that is the promise of our Father in heaven for our world, which came into being through His love and will be sustained by that love; love more powerful than death itself. A Christmas Blessing on you all! Angela ISSUE NO: 500 DECEMBER 2019 and JANUARY 2020 Wishing our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year St Michael and All Angels, Barton Turf The coffee morning season has come to an end and over the last six months we have raised just short of £600 which is a magnificent result. I would like to thank all those who have taken part, the people who have made the scones, those who supplied everything for the produce table, Michael Brandon-Jones for running the bookstall so efficiently, Dolly Newcombe for dealing with all the refreshments and everyone who came for coffee. Hopefully we will see you all again next season. We hosted the Churches Together Remembrance Day service on 10th November and were able to send £182.50 to the Royal British Legion from the collection, a wonderful amount. We will be having our annual clothes collection for St Martin’s Housing Trust from 8th December to 15th December. They have asked again this year specifically for men’s clothing and toiletries. Items may be left in the porch as usual. Because of the General Election on Thursday 12th December a reminder that the church will be closed to visitors. On Sunday 8th December there will be the annual service of waiting at 4pm, when we have a quiet reflective time to look forward to Christmas. On Christmas Day we will have our Nine Lessons and Carols at 11am and all are welcome to join us. Our Christingle service and tea party this year will be on Sunday 2nd February at 4pm. Finally, may I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year. Barbara Pilcher St Michael’s, Irstead – Advent and Christmas As has become the tradition at St Michael’s we will come together for prayers and the lighting of the Advent Candles on Sunday 1st and 22nd December at 4pm, the two Sundays in Advent when we do not have a service. On Christmas Eve at 4pm we look forward to welcoming all the family to St Michael’s for the Benefice Crib service which provides an opportunity to hear the story of Christmas whilst joining together in singing some well known carols. On Christmas Day at 9.30am we will come together to celebrate the birth of Christ in the form of a service of Family Holy Communion. We look forward to welcoming you to any of these services. David Murrells, Warden St Swithin’s, Ashmanhaugh Firstly, apologies for having to cancel some events this autumn, but we are having a coffee morning with tombola and also the Grand Christmas Draw on Saturday 14th December 10am-12 noon in the Preston Rooms. There are loads of great prizes including a Christmas hamper, bottle of Champagne and case of wine. Tickets are £1 each and are available from me. The dates for all our church services will be printed in this copy as usual, but you might like to note that the carol service will be held on Sunday 22nd December at 4pm. Anne Mulhall, Church Warden, [email protected], 01603 784874 Village Candlelight Carols, Sunday 22nd December at 6pm Come and join us at Neatishead Baptist Church, Chapel Road, NR12 8YF, for our candlelit celebration of the Christmas story. Carols and readings, followed by mince pies and mulled wine – bring your family and friends. Ian Bloomfield, Pastor Horning Church Christmas coffee morning The November coffee morning clashed with the Rugby World Cup so numbers were down but still raised £105 towards the upkeep of Horning Church. Please note the next one will be at HORNING VILLAGE HALL on Saturday 7th December 10am to 12 noon. There will be several stalls as well as the usual books, homemade cakes etc; and of course raffle, coffee, scones and mince pies. Do come to enjoy and share our Christmas coffee morning. Gillian Jeckells 2 Parkinson’s Auction Saturday 2nd November was an evening to remember for those present at the auction held in aid of Parkinson’s UK. The total raised at time of writing, £5800! Many thanks to all those who donated lots and promises, thanks to both the successful generous bidders and underbidders and to all those who could not attend but made donations. There were I understand five people present suffering from this debilitating illness and when the approximate total was announced at the end of the auction it was, for some, quite an emotional occasion. Thank you, Roger and Susan Lamb and Nigel Pickering behind the bar, Elysia Ferrier-Hanger for the excellent poster design, Caro How with sales recording, and to all who helped in any way, and of course the organisers: Jane Fowle, Hugh and Jude McGill, Claire Penstone-Smith, Dianne Pickering and Liz Powell. Nick Fowle Barton Turf Church – Christmas cards Christmas cards sold in aid of church funds. A new design this year, 6 cards for £4, will be on sale in the church during December and also at the December Farmers’ Market in the New Victory Hall. You can also order cards by phone from Celia on 630278. Women’s Institute In October, Richard Matthew gave us an interesting illustrated talk on the residents of Dragon Hall, a Grade 1-listed medieval merchant’s trading hall in Norwich. In the recent past, it had been known as the Old Barge Building after the pub at the southern end. However, it became Dragon Hall after the remaining decorative dragon carved in a spandrel on the 1st floor in the 14th century was discovered and renovated. A damp October evening was brightened up by a delicious Harvest Supper organised by our Committee, followed by Andrew Taylor’s reminiscences of his 37 years’ service in six Police Forces in three continents – from keeping the peace in Goldthorpe, a mining community in North Yorkshire during the time of the miners’ strike, to training Police Officers in Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, following a destructive volcanic eruption. To ease us all into the Christmas mood, we will be having our festive lunch at the Old Rectory in Crostwick, where gifts will be collected to be donated to the Priscilla Bacon Lodge Hospice patients, and we will also be running a bottle tombola stall at the NVH Christmas Fair (donations gratefully accepted). However, to work off all those festive fare calories, everybody - including family, friends and dogs - is welcome to join the happy band of WI walkers on Wednesday 1st January, for a New Year walk on Barton footpaths – please meet at the Barton Staithe Black Shed at 10am. The walk takes approximately two hours but may be shortened if the weather is bad.