Rector: Rev Ian Whitehead
The Rectory, Church Road
tel: 810151

Dear Friends,

I have often felt sorry for the innkeeper in the Christmas story and nativity plays. He's often made out to be mean, insensitive and uncaring. Perhaps that's why the stable always looks so attractive in Christmas cards with fresh straw, washed linen and cattle ready to be exhibited at the County Showground!

I heard once from a man who had lived in the Middle East for many years how perhaps that romantic picture of the stable and the innkeeper is probably quite wrong. The word of 'inn' is also used for the 'guestroom'. Homes then would have been built on two levels. Sleeping quarters above and below, the area for family and animals to be cared for. At the back, often built into the hillside in a sort of cave, would be the stable end of the home with a manger carved out from the rock face.

Joseph's family was from Bethlehem. Mary's cousin and relatives were nearby. It seems with the eastern custom of hospitality that Mary and Joseph would have been cast out in the town.

Our relatives would book in early and often get the guest room. Latecomers or friends of the children would often have to make do with a sleeping back on the living room floor much to the interest of our pet cats or dogs!

The first Christmas was probably more like that. The tiny baby born in the back room where the animals were, but still part of the family home. I don't think it matters if the manger was stone or wood, what matters is that I believe that in that moment God came to be with us on earth. In the middle of family life, bustle and the chaos that would have been there for the census. Not too unlike some of our chaotic, pressured family Christmas's that we might have today.

May your Christmas, traditional or not, be a time of peace, relaxation and above all a taste of the coming of God.

Ian Whitehead

FUTURE PLANS

Writing this is very strange, 'future plans' is a very scary thing to do. All sorts of thoughts come flooding in, "what if no-one likes it?, "what if we upset you?". 'What if?s' are always with us in every walk of life from home to work, school to leisure. Some 'what if?s' can simply paralyse us into inactivity, other 'what if?s' can spur us into dialogue. We need to keep offering our 'what if?s' to God and allow him to work in and through them.

At St Mary's we are looking to the future and making plans for what needs to be done with the church, for what we would like to do with the church and what we feel God is calling us to do.

Firstly can I take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped and supported our recent Garden Sunday event. It was a wonderful day with, we think, over 700 people visiting 11 gardens. It doesn,t just happen overnight and takes a lot of dedicated work, thank you all for helping us raise £3,500 for the Church Fabric.

The window guards are now in place and through this year the windows are being repaired, one at a time. Thanks to Martyn Fox for replacing the roof of the boiler house, and giving us a watertight building. 

Future necessary work includes practical things such as renewing the stonework to the church building and porch, painting the clock face, electrifying the clock (to save the legs and backs of our faithful winders!), repairing drains and gulleys, renewing the redbrick wall and filling in the gap and improving the Church School Room in the churchyard.

As a public building we have a responsibility to provide access for all members of the community. This doesn't just mean a ramp into the church! It means level flat paths all round the church, spaces for wheelchairs amongst the pews, a hearing loop system, an inside toilet and also a ramped entrance to the churchyard. Whilst all this is being considered we are also looking to how space might be best used within the church building; a crèche, choir vestry, office and storage space are things we see as necessary for the life of the church.

Within the life of the church we are also thinking and planning towards ways in which the church might work better. Marriage and Baptism preparation takes time with over 20 weddings this year and over 30 baptisms! Bereavement visiting is also something that could be shared amongst many other people rather than just the Rector. Whilst many of you do appreciate seeing the dog collar around there is only one of me whilst there are many more in the church. Small groups within the church are also a way forward, meeting on Sundays can be limiting when it comes to getting to know one another better! One person I met in the village the other day said she only recognised another member of the church by the back of her head! The view often shared by sitting in pews.

All these thoughts and plans are being discussed but all are very much at the talking stage, it will take time to transfer talk into plans, and then plans into action. We will do our best to work with other groups within the village such as the Civic Trust, Liaison Committee and the Parish Council. We are your Parish church. A privileged position and one that both we the church and you the village I hope respect and appreciate. Thank you once more for all your support over the past two years of my ministry here and let us look forward to many more.

Ian Whitehead, Rector

Dear Friends,

We wondered if summer would ever get here, and now as I write this in late April there does seem the promise of it in our Rectory garden. Progress has been made here, but as always the groundwork has to be done and the structures put in place before the colourful stuff. Garden Sunday on June 24th will once more show off the talented and creative side of the village, all in aid of the fabric work at St Mary's. Last year's splendid efforts are now seen in the window guards and also the restoration work on many of the badly damaged windows. This year we need to get to grips with the whole question of access to the church for disabled people. Your gifts and donations will be a part of that investment for the future at St Mary's.

The "future" was also a part of a recent Clergy Conference I attended. Throughout all our lives there is always change. We hear of changes in society and our daily lives, but also now there may well be changes ahead for church and ministry. Within the Burton area of C of E churches changes have to be discussed by all churches. Part of those discussions is the four options of joining various churches together. Just ONE of those options is the uniting of St Mary's Rolleston with St Mary's Tutbury. This is simply one option in four and is open to discussion in the church, its council and the wider community. It is not already decided, but simply a discussion area. If you have any opinions on this please speak to any member of Rolleston church council or to myself.

Ian Whitehead, Rector

The Rev Paul Knight visits his old home - read more here.

Dear Friends,

After the long wet winter we have had it’s great to see the resurgence of life again. The work that we put into our garden for the ‘woodland spring area’ is now showing through. Sometimes it is not easy waiting for the effects of your work to become a reality. It is the same in Church circles, we have been waiting many months for the church windows to be repaired and guarded. Hopefully now in the next couple of weeks that will also become a reality. Window guards are not thought of as pretty things worth sponsoring or items that generate fund raising. However, they are important in today’s world and they are also expensive, about £11,500. The cost is borne by the church and if anyone could help towards that cost it would be most gratefully received. Church windows are funny things, you only really get the effect of them when the light is shining and they are definitely best viewed from inside! Why not give it a try one Sunday!

Looking forward to the future, Lent is already with us and a Lent course running at the Rectory of a Thursday evening. We are also raising money as a Church towards a project called ‘Milkshake & Share’. In Rwanda, following the genocide, the church is working among the many widows and orphans. A big asset for them would be a Cow. In Rolleston church there is a monument to Thomas Caldwall who in 1554 “gave a cow to ye church and made a beginninge for others to follow”. We are planning to do the same thing this year by raising £210 towards a cow for Rwanda.

Later in the year, an Alpha course is planned for May, June & July, look out for further details later. June 24^th will be our Gardens Sunday this year and if anyone would like to open their garden please see separate notice. Also later in September we are to be visited by a group of overseas Christians from Malaysia, Canada and south Africa who are working with St Mary’s for the Harvest Weekend of 23^rd September.

Confirmations into the Church of England are also happening this year when we will welcome Bishop Keith from Lichfield to Rolleston on 7^th October. If anyone would like to consider confirmation (from the age of 13 upwards) please contact the Rector at the above address.

Then, as I said in the church Magazine ‘Christmas will soon be upon us!’ What a great year we have to look forward to, and hopefully a rest in the middle of it! I look forward to seeing you around.

Ian Whitehead, Rector.

Back to St Mary's Home Page

Home Page, establishments

© Richard Bush

Last updated: 2 March 2004