 Like most churches, the Church of England has decided that there
will be no public worship, Bible Studies, or any event which brings
people together, for the foreseeable future. The CofE has decreed that all churches must be closed even for private prayer. Many Faiths and denominations have posted services, prayers and sermons online; we hope that these might be helpful. If you would like prayers said for you, please contact the local members of our ministry team, Nell Steele 01553 840814 nellsteele@btinternet.com Amanda Hart 01553 841236 ahart2400@hotmail.com Alpha Course - (is cancelled/postponed until further notice) The benefice will be running an Alpha Course in May and June. It’s a great way for teens and adults to learn more about Christianity, and is suitable for anyone who is interested in the faith, whether they’re regular church attenders, people who are thinking of going, or people who’d just like to make up their own minds. The 6 meetings are going to take place at North Runcton Community Hall on Wednesdays at 6.30, starting on 6th May. After a meal, we watch a video and then break into groups to discuss the topics raised by the film. The experience of most people is that it’s relaxed, friendly and stimulating. There is no charge, though of course donations wouldn’t be refused! Dates are: 6th, 13th and 20th May and 3rd, 17th and 24th June.At the end of the course, there’s a Holy Spirit day: the date is not yet fixed, but may be Saturday 4th July. If you’re interested, but can’t make all the dates, don’t worry: just come when you can. Please tell Revd. Riaz (841519), Revd. Heather Berry ( 764098), or Nell (840145) if you are thinking of coming. Anyone who has registered will be contacted if plans need to be changed because of coronavirus. Holy Week events Holy Week takes place before Easter Day, and is a time when Christians reflect on the great sacrifice of Jesus, our Saviour. The events taking place are in churches, but are not standard church services. On Tuesday, 7th April, 6.30. at North Runcton, we’re going to read poetry bringing us closer to Jesus and his suffering. People can write their own poems, just meditate, or use their artistic skills. Nell will put up some visual prompts too. On Thursday, 9th April, 6.30. at West Winch, Revd. Heather will lead a service of foot washing and Holy Communion, commemorating the Last Supper according to St John, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Because of Coronavirus, please bring your own towel if you would like to have your feet washed. Again as a precaution, only communion wafers will be distributed, not wine. On Good Friday, 2pm at North Runcton, Revd. Heather will lead ‘A day they call Good’, a reflective service of Bible readings, meditations, hymns and silence. Sadly, the Easter Garden service will not take place at Middleton this year, but the totally fun Easter Egg Hunt will take place - outdoors in the churchyard if possible - at East Winch church on Saturday, 11th April at 10.30. The church doesn’t have a toilet, and only a cold water outdoor tap to wash hands. March 2019 Last year, Mr. Bland planted daffodils all around the church car park. By mid February most were already in bud; astonishingly early! Thanks to him the churchyard is much more colourful in the spring. In the autumn he also cleared masses of foliage from the old Victorian graves on the west side of the church, so now their dramatic qualities can be admired again. As to the church itself, the tarpaulin covering which replaced the stolen lead nearly two years ago had started to let in rain, but it has now been replaced with felting, which is a much longer term, though still temporary, solution. It should keep us dry while we fundraise for all the things which urgently need doing, including replacing the lost lead with steel, installing a toilet and renovation of many windows. It does take a long time, and and there are many more hurdles ahead. The new heaters have tended to fuse ever since they were installed. Thanks to a local electrician, we may have found a remedy - increasing the power supply to the church. The heaters are all working AT THE MOMENT! ________________________________  Some work has been carried out on the church wall. Roger Bland has cut down much of the vegetation - bushes and trees, that were growing from the top of the wall between the inner and outer walls. The Adopt a Brick fund for the wall is still ongoing. Contributions towards the cost of restoration will be gratefully received. ____________ So apologies for the mess, and if anyone has some bright ideas how to keep them away, please tell Nell, or Wendy Smith, or Shaun Dale. ____________ Sound system installed in the church. 
The system was installed and tried out at the beginning of March 2018. Church members are absolutely delighted with the result. Thank you so much! __________________________________
Funds are looking healthier now. A local donor has given us £1,000, to use as we like, and it will have to go to mend the wall. The Duke of Norfolk has sent £250, and so, with the Adopt a Brick appeal, we now have over £1,450. So that’s cheering, but it looks as if the majority of the funds will have to come from local sources, as the big funders aren’t interested in walls. ___________________
MAY 2017: Lead stolen from the Church roof.  The lead was stolen from the north
and south aisle roofs during the night of 11th-12th May 2017. A gallery of photographs of the damage may be seen here Step through the images and click on any image to zoom in. .It seems from the marks on the grass that the thieves came in across the fields. And the next day would be the one when it rained for the first time in weeks! It looks as if other projects will have to be put on hold till this is sorted out." To provide protection from the weather the aisle roofs have been temporarily covered with a waterproof membrane.
This page will be updated with any further information that becomes available. __________________
FEBRUARY 2017 All Saints has received the 5-yearly architect's report. The glass in the windows is in dreadful condition, and there are other urgent things too. The most pressing need being the wall along the A47. Now that David and Brian have finished their great work of clearing the plant growth away, its full horror is revealed. To go towards the
thousands needed to mend it, we are running an 'Adopt a Brick' scheme. You pay £1 and a brick is named after you! I can't promise that we'll be
able to point to Fred's brick or Myrtle's lump of carrstone, but as
you drive by, you can tell yourself, "I own a bit of that wall!" Contact
Nell 840814, Janet 840510 or Wendy, 842281. On Thursday, 30th March, Bishop Jonathan (he's the one who sings loudly and has made a CD of himself singing pop songs) is visiting this benefice. Rev. Riaz has arranged a Community Hour at 4pm at West Winch village hall, with local people from all walks of life coming to talk about what they do. Do join them! A similar COMMUNITY HOUR will be arranged for each of the parishes in the Benefice. East Winch will have it's turn in the autumn. Church Opening hours During the the winter the church is not routinely open to visitors - apart of course for services. However, it may be opened on request to those wishing to visit. If you have any views about when the church is open or not, please let Nell know. (840814). Details of forthcoming Church services may be seen here
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