| St Andrew's Church |
| Services in July |
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| 1st | 11.00 am | United Benefice Eucharist (at Brington) |
| 8th | 11.00 am | Worship for All |
| 15th | 9.15 am | Eucharist (at Norton) 11.00 am at Brampton |
| 22nd | 6.00 pm | Eucharist |
| 29th | 8.00 am | Eucharist (at East Haddon) |
| Full details of all services and locations for July here | ||
| Services in August |
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| 5th | To be advised |
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| 12th | |
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| 19th | |
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| 26th | |
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A message from Rector David Painter
We have a number of the celebrations planned for the summer across the Benefice. June started with Brampton’s week-end of celebration. A lot of work has gone into the preparation of what will be a week-end of some very special events.
On Sunday 10th June the young - and the young at heart – are invited to a Teddy Bears’ Picnic at East Haddon in the afternoon, with parachuting (the bears, not their owners) from the church tower.
I am delighted to say that our church services in the summer months will be enhanced by the Fiori Musicali choir, who will be singing Choral Evensong in Brington Church at 5 o’clock on the 10th of June, the 8th of July and the l2th of August. We can be sure of some really good music from this semi-professional choir, as well as beautiful prose from the Book of Common Prayer and the King James version of the Bible. In addition, our own benefice choir will make their contribution to our worship by singing at Evensong (again at 5 o’clock) in Brampton Church on the 29th of July. This will be the main service in the benefice on that day, as well as Holy Communion at 8 o’clock at East Haddon.
In both Brington and Harlestone churches teas will be served on Sunday afternoons in the summer months - a good opportunity to show welcome and hospitality to any visitors who may be around, and of course to enjoy some cake! Furthermore, there will be more music towards the end of June, this time at Harlestone, where the Andante Singers are giving a summer concert on Saturday the 23rd. Another pleasant evening to look forward to - as will be the concert by the Whilton Warblers in Whilton Church on Friday 6th July.
So there is a lot going on in our churches, and more than anything else we are conscious that there is so much for which to be thankful. The world around us seems an increasingly fragile and disturbing place, and faith seems hard to hang on to at times. Yet it is God who keeps faith with us, and all around us we see signs of his creative and loving activity, as well as vivid reminders of his promise that "while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." I pray that his Holy Spirit will guide and sustain you, and that the fellowship of our Church, with all its activity and celebration, will inspire you and give you joy.
Other Church News
At our Annual Meeting in April, Linda and Jon were appointed as Churchwardens, Tricia Wood and Phil Grant were also appointed to the PCC.
Please see David Painter’s article above which highlights a number of events planned across the Benefice during the summer. We also have ideas for activities but do not always have the manpower to run the full programmes seen at some of the better attended churches in the Benefice.
So this is an appeal for help from the village to support the church and help us with coffee mornings, and other social activities. If you would like to volunteer please get in contact.
We plan to do some maintenance work in the churchyard in a few weeks.
Church security is always a problem these days and we hear of an increasing number of lead thefts from churches throughout the county. Churches that have been affected suffer from the cost of the replacement but also in many cases there can be internal damage to repair.
We installed a roof alarm which senses movement but there have been cases where the thieves have tampered with these systems in order to gain access. Some thieves will pass themselves off as workmen and have used drones. If you do see or hear anything unusual or suspicious, take as much detail as possible including vehicle reg numbers and report this activity to the police.
Our contact details are:
Jon Brierley on 843380 or email
Linda Treacy on 07752 885900 or email
Churchwardens
Dedicated to St Andrew, the parish church is one of six within the Spencer Benefice of the Diocese of Peterborough. Built in the 12th/13thcentury the only original parts of the building remaining are the base of the tower and parts of the nave. The remainder of the nave and the upper parts of the tower were built in the later part of the 18th century. A ring of 6 bells was given in 1777 by the patron of the time ~ William Lucas Rose ~ who also paid for their installation and the building work. In 1779 he also gave a gift of communion vessels which are still in use today.
Considerable restoration work was carried out in 1878/9 when the chancel was reconstructed and the vestry and organ aisles added. Most of the existing windows were also restored. The tower and nave roofs were restored in 1957/8.
The east window contains the only stained glass in the building – the subject is Christ’s Crucifixion and dates from 1878. It is believed to be the work of Burlerison and Gryll – the purple/blue colouring being typical of their work and the stained glass designs used based on those of Germany and the Netherlands around 1500.
The Reredos behind the altar is a picture in mosaic depicting the Last Supper – a copy of the painting by Leonardo da Vinci, with the inscription beneath “Do this in remembrance of me”. The mosaic continues on either side depicting on one side ears of wheat, and on the other a grapevine.
The church clock is unusual as it was originally a one handed clock divided into ¼ hours and therefore does not have 60 minutes.
The church is surrounded by a churchyard of 0.649 acres with lovely country views looking eastwards. The earliest known gravestone is that of Thomas Embry Woolwinder who died in 1687.
In April 1994 the 6 bells and the frame were removed. The bells were taken to Whitechapel foundry in London, recast, and 2 new bells added to make a ring of 8.Tenor weight 13-1-5.
All the bells have inscriptions on them. The treble having “The Rose Bell, in memory of William Lucas Rose who gave the original six bells in 1777”. The new bells were rung for the first time on August 13th for a village wedding and were dedicated by the Bishop of Peterborough at a special service on September 29th1994.
The Bellringers practise on Monday evenings 7.45 to 9.00 pm. Anyone from 10 years can learn to ring – contact Justin Baker on 01327 844263 (e-mail) or Janet Bowers on 01327 842851 (email).
Visiting bands of ringers please contact the tower correspondent Janet on 01327 842851 (email).
St Andrew's is a small church with a friendly atmosphere which welcomes you to any of the services.
Special services include Pet Blessing, Christingle and others which rotate around the Benefice.