St Mary's Church News 2006

1st Sunday	8.00am 9.30am 6.30pm	Holy Communion Morning Service Evensong
2nd Sunday	9.30am 6.30pm	Holy Communion Evensong
3rd Sunday	9.30am 6.30pm	Morning Prayer Holy Communion
4th Sunday	9.30am 6.30pm	Holy Communion Evensong
5th Sunday	9.30am 6.30pm	An alternative style of service An alternative style of service

Mothers’ Union meets in the Old Grammar School 2.00pm, 1st Wednesday of the month. Leader Mrs Janet Neal, tel: 813054.

Sunday 17th December
9.30am Sunday School Carol Service
6.30pm United Carols by Candlelight with the Methodist Church

Thursday 21st December
6.30pm Carol singing around the village – meet at the Lych gate

Sunday 24th December, Christmas Eve Services
9.30am Holy Communion
3.00pm Children’s Nativity Service – An hour-long service to celebrate the coming of Christmas. Bring the children dressed-up.
11.30pm Midnight Holy Communion

Monday 25th December, Christmas Day Services
8.00am Holy Communion
10.00am Family Communion

Sunday 31st December, New Year’s Eve
9.30am Songs and carols of Praise
6.30pm Quiet End of Year Service

With the onset of winter, life at the Church takes on a hectic pace. No sooner do we get through harvest than there is the Remembrance Parade and our Annual Bereavement Service. Then, in the Church’s year, Advent begins and our POSADA figures of Mary & Joseph begin their journey around the village visiting homes and asking them to prepare for the arrival of Jesus. Of course that all culminates in our Christmas Celebrations and so a new year begins. You will be welcome at any or all our events over this period!

Alongside that we now have the ramp finally completed although, as I write, there are still outstanding snags to complete with the contractors - the small stuff that could become big stuff if ignored or avoided. It has been a very long process, over nearly 5 years and more than £70,000 all raised by the Church fellowship with the help of the whole village .May I say a very big thank you.

Our next phase of building starts in January on the Old School Room which, on the whole, has been covered by two major grants, onefrom the Landfill Tax and Biffa awards (through the work of the Village Design Statement Group) and the other from East Staffordshire Borough Council.

The hectic pace of church life and projects comes, as it does, into the usual pattern of my week, which by and large changes week by week! So I though I would give you just a flavour of an average week in my diary.

MONDAY Opening church up and praying at the start of the day with the bell being rung. Tidying the church after Sunday services and then slowly putting stuff away in my office that has accumulated on level surfaces over the previous week. Answering email, post, organising weddings appointments and a baptism and a funeral. In the afternoon preparation with my wife for the evening Home Group meeting. Following tea the Home Group arrives, an informal group of church and none-church members who come to discuss what it means to live a Christian life today in light of what the Bible has to say. After a couple of cups of coffee & discussion they leave by about 10pm – a 14 hour day.

TUESDAY Open Church, ring the bell and pray before enjoying a day off with Chris; shopping, coffee, house work and watching CSI in the evening. Not forgetting to lock-up the church!

WEDNESDAY Open Church, ring bell etc. Meet Church Administrator and sort out post and admin. A funeral visit is needed for a funeral at the end of the week. How much time each funeral takes depends on each individual family but it is not uncommon for a funeral to take me 6 hours from beginning to end. The afternoon is spent chasing people via the telephone and sometimes getting nowhere, at the same time looking in on the Mothers Union meeting, writing up the newssheet for the Administrator and making last minute notes for the evening PCC meeting. At 7.30pm the PCC (or Church Council) gather in the Church. This can either be an evening of discussion and voting or an evening of information and coming to a common mind on issues. It’s usually quite a jovial meeting and we always finish by 9.30pm. An early night, tonight – 13 ½ hour day.

THURSDAY Guess what? I open up church, ring the bell and pray for the village. This morning Chris & I are on the Coffee Morning Rota and so we are responsible for milk, biscuits and setting up with help from an old hand. I am usually on the washing up but instead this week I am serving coffee and I didn’t realize just how busy the morning could be when all I usually just sit there talking and drinking coffee! I usually try and get out for exercise on the bike on Thursday afternoon but this week, following a phone call, I sit for four hours with a man who is dying and chat with the family until his end. In the evening I meet with two wedding couples, one after the other, to plan their weddings for 2007. 18 booked so far and each wedding takes me about eight hours of planning and arrangements. Another 14 hour day.

FRIDAY The usual at Church in the morning and then I need to write up the funeral talk that I will be giving later. A eulogy or tribute on behalf of the family and it is a wonderful privilege to be a part of what is a very personal time, the loss of a loved one. I am picked up by the Funeral Directors due to Chris having the car and at Bretby await the cortege. The Funeral is small but very intimate when at least I know a few of the family. Somewhere today I know that I have to write two sermons and plan the weekend services. Eventually I run out of time and by the evening am too tired to write a sermon. A short 11 hour day.

SATURDAY Catching up in the office with paper work and post. I then remember I have two sermons to write! By lunchtime they are finished and I think that I know what I am doing for Sunday. The afternoon is spent doing some family shopping in town but I have to be back for a baptism visit in Anslow. The evening is spent folding the church newssheets and some new service sheets whilst seeing how Strictly Come Dancing is doing! Another short day at 6 hours.

SUNDAY An early start on the first of the month, getting up at 6.30pm for the 8am service of Communion for 28 people, followed by the 9.30am Baptism Service with 80 people in Church. No time following the service at Rolleston before rushing over to Anslow for another Baptism Service with 40 people in Church. Time for a coffee after the service and back home for lunch. The afternoon is spent catching up with diaries – who’s where, when and who wants the car – and mowing the lawn. Ready then for the 6.30pm evening service, joining the bell ringers and leading a quiet service of evensong for 31 people. Home in order to do my own ironing in front of Jane Eyre on TV before looking forward to the next week, which will be as different again as this week. A 10 hour day and the end of a 68 hour week. No wonder people say to me at Christmas; “It’s your busy time!”
Happy Christmas and great New Year.

Once again St. Mary's Church in Rolleston on Dove has been the scene of a dazzling display of Church Wedding accessories (26 November 2006) as local businesses put up their stalls, the church bells rang, the organ played, the choir sang and the Rector, Rev. Ian Whitehead, demonstrated his bewildering range of possible styles of marriage service.

Exhibitors included Avant! Photographers, A1 On Your Special Day (cars and photography), The Florist Gate, Rolls Royce Wedding Cars, Jackie Stubbs (photography), Frazers Catering Service and Elite Wedding Videos. The regular organist, Jim Ottewell, played both traditional and modern wedding music and, as well as the choir, soprano Carol Brittle sang during the afternoon. As an added touch of brightness, local flower-arranger, Marilyn Ottewell, had decorated the pew ends with beautiful arrangements. Members of the congregation served tea, coffee and cakes to the many visitors. About eighteen of the couples who attended had already booked their wedding date for next year, but we were also pleased to see some new faces.

St Mary's Church in Rolleston on Dove hosted a "Marathon" with a difference from 9.30am on Saturday 18th November to 9.30am on Sunday 19th. Ced Morgan on the organ was hoping to play all 1144 songs and hymns from "Complete Mission Praise" within the 24-hour period, and raise money with sponsorship and donations for the St Mary's Fabric Fund to help with the Church's ambitious programme of refurbishment and extension. The first phase of the work, the wheelchair access ramp and the new paths, is already complete, and plans are in hand to improve the steps to the lych gate and to replace the kitchen and improve other facilities at the Old Grammar School.

Mrs Janet Stone’s one-woman “flower festival with a difference” over the weekend 13 – 16 October 2006 in St Mary’s Church attracted much interest from both within and outside the village.

There were about 800 visitors and with the support of the refreshment team and the 4C’s craft stall, the event raised £3,200 for St Mary’s fabric.

A number of unbelievers had to be assured that it was, indeed, all Janet’s own work. However, she has made a rod for her own back, some of the novel ways that she found to decorate the Church will come back to haunt her (and other flower arrangers). Potential brides are queuing up to walk down the aisle between rows of floral pillars!

Congratulations to Janet for being so successful with her long-held ambition for this event. Thanks also to the supporting cast of organists, stewards and sponsors who made the celebration possible.

Do you have an idea for a novel fund raiser or other community occasion in St Mary’s? – let the Rector or Churchwardens know. Pictures can be found here

See Mrs Janet Stone achieve her long held ambition for a one-woman floral display in St Mary’s. 13th – 16th October. Friday: 1pm - 6pm, Saturday to Monday: 11am – 6pm. Entry £1. All proceeds in aid of St Mary’s fabric. Refreshments, Craft Sales. "Songs from the Shows", a concert by Sharon Plummer & Andy Last accompanied by Edward Moore in St Mary's Church Friday October 13th at 7.30pm. Tickets £5 available from church or Starbucks.

Harvest Festival - Sunday 17th September, 9.30am & 6.30pm followed by Auction of Produce in Rolleston Club at 8.00pm

Remembrance Parade Service - Sunday 12th November at 10am followed by Act of Remembrance at 11am

Annual Bereavement Service - Sunday 12th November at 6.30pm. A special service for those who wish to remember someone that they have lost in recent times.

In addition to providing disabled access and modern sanitary facilities to the Church and the Old Grammar School, the aim is to bring these buildings into much greater use for the whole community. The Rector and Parochial Church Council have put much hard work into planning applications and with village help, raising the funds to start work. A lot of money is still required to bring the project to completion and this needs the help of all the village. The Rector writes -

As you read this, work will be progressing on the first phase of the ACCESS Project at St Mary’s with the building of the ramp and moving of the Lych Gate steps as outlined in the artists impression attached. This will include underground services under the ramp and parts of the new paths in the churchyard to be laid soon. I have heard from some quarters the phrase ‘about time’ to which I say a heartfelt “Amen! Another comment that I still hear is the one about “do we really need any changes” - to which I say that I hear your concerns. The proof will be in those who come along and use the ramp and paths either by choice or by necessity.

Of course this is just the first of three phases in which the Old School Room will be re-ordered with a new kitchen and toilet and renovated inside with new heating, lighting and internet equipment to allow the use of the Old School Room by a wider section of the community. The final phase will be within the church where the need is of toilets and even just hot and cold water. What other public building today does not have access to these? On the back of this will be, finally, a purpose built place to house many of the village archives and historical documents relating to the village and church – somewhere also that can be used by those interested in our history.

We are supporting the recent campaign ‘History Matters – pass it on’ in our ACCESS Project by which we hope to see the history of our lands shared and made available to a much wider audience. The popularity of programmes such as Channel Four’s ‘Time Team’ show that there is such an interest.

As part of the building works at St Mary’s the most asked question has been “what about the graves”. No known graves are being disturbed but inevitably some burials not marked will be uncovered and as part of this we have had to hired archaeologists to hold a watching brief throughout excavations at the cost of up to £2,500!

Alterations to lychgate, ramp access, paths and drainage £75,000
New kitchen, re-roofing and re-furbishment of the Old grammar School £60,000
New dias and ramp for chancel, new vestry, toilet and upper floor archive £72000
Contingency and professional fees £44,000

Over the years funds have been raised through hard work, your support and the support of village groups such as the parish Council, the Village Design Statement Group, RODSEC and the Civic Trust. To date £20,000 has been spent and the first phase of building is costing a further £65,000.

Searching and applying for grant aid continues but today, St Mary’s needs your help to realise the complete project.

If you are in a position to help us in this, please pick up a leaflet from church or Starbucks. Complete the enclosed reply slip and help us build, not just for the sake of access, but for the fact that history matters to future generations of Rollestonians.

Once again, the intrepid Rector of Rolleston, Rev. Ian Whitehead has taken part in the annual Historic Churches Trust sponsored bike ride. Accompanied by three friends, Ian set off at 8 a.m. on 4 September to ride to Leicester and back. They visited the Cathedral and were interviewed for Radio Leicester before returning to Rolleston at 5 p.m. after a journey of 84 miles. The money raised through sponsorship will be divided between the Trust and St. Mary's Church Access Project, on which work has already started.

On their return, they were greeted at the Lych Gate by a crowd of parishioners who escorted them to the Old Grammar School, where a copious buffet had been prepared by members of the church. The picture shows (left to right) Matt Long, Rod Paul, Ian Whitehead and Terry Williams cutting their "welcome back" cake.

The Processional Cross of St. Mary's Church was professionally restored and refurbished in memory of the former choir member and crucifer Paul Hazell. In a moving service of Evensong, it was dedicated by the Rector, Rev. Ian Whitehead, attended by Paul's widow Betty and other members of the family. Members of the large congregation and augmented choir were invited to a buffet supper in Rolleston Club after the service.

Last time, I wrote I spoke about the photos I was putting together of my late father. This Easter Sunday, following the morning service which was so well attended as was the whole of our Easter celebrations, we had an old black & white photo put through the door of the Rectory. It was found outside our home by some visiting walkers through the village I now have it on my desk in front of me. It features a group of lads in a garden and from the styles and battledress of one of them it looks as though it comes from the 1950’s. A snapshot in time it looks as though one of the lads has come back form National service on leave and met up with old friends. I have no idea if it is from the village or not, or dropped by a visitor from far away. If you know of anyone who has lost such a photo [or you yourself] then please get in touch with me. I will aim to put it on the website if I can.

Things like this bring back memories and photos evoke many emotions. If only there was a photo of the empty tomb, maybe from Easter Day, what then would the response of the disciples have been? How about a photo of the risen Jesus would that have convinced anyone? I am not sure. With the release soon of the De Vinci Code I am sure there will be continuing discussions about what really happened. As with any fantastic event there will always be controversy and conspiracy theories. There are about the Moon Landings of 1969, there are about the JFK assignation of 1963, just two taken from my lifetime. Is it a modern phenomenon? I doubt it! Even following the resurrection there were theories put about how it wasn’t really Jesus on the cross [still taught by the Islamic Faith], or how he woke up in the tomb and got past a Roman guard, or how a group of scared fishermen got past the same Roman guard and stole the body, or the guards fell asleep, or even that the women couldn’t find the right tomb! Trust women to be blamed! The list goes on and the De Vinci Code is only the latest in a long line of stories, none of which hold up but still there are those who manage to make a living from it. The only conspiracy theory I see is that no one seems to want to face the obvious – Jesus rose again! Think about it.

A large and enthusiastic audience greeted the Beatus Choral Group at their first appearance in Rolleston on Dove at a concert in St. Mary's church organised by Beatus member John Hayward. A group of nineteen singers, under their Musical Director, Terence R. Bailey, and accompanied by John Hodson, performed a wide variety of choral works, which ranged from Latin hymns, through modern arrangements of traditional English folk songs, to a recent composition by Terry Bailey based on William Wordsworth's poem "To Daffodils". The programme also included amusing monologues by Vivien John and solos by members of Beatus, Julie Moulds, David Meredith and Rolleston's own John Hayward, as well as by guest soloist Adela Green. After expenses, all proceeds from ticket sales will be split between Beatus and St. Mary's Church Fabric Fund.

Beatus is a local choir, based in Yoxall, which is rapidly gaining a reputation for entertaining performances of both classical and contemporary music. The group was formed in 2002 to perform a choral requiem composed by Terry Bailey in memory of his parents. They enjoyed singing together so much that they arranged regular rehearsals each fortnight in St. Peter's Church, Yoxall. Since then they have appeared in a number of venues in East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire. They will shortly be appearing in The Guildhall, Derby, Derby Playhouse and Derby Cathedral. To receive details of future concerts, you can send your email address to mikeestall@hotmail.com

St. Mary's Church in Rolleston on Dove has followed an old precedent in giving a cow for charity. According to his tombstone, Thomas Caldwell of Rolleston, who died in 1554, "gave a cow to ye Church and made a beginninge for others to follow". Through its Lent Project, St. Mary's this year raised £751.55 to send a cow to a village in central Africa as part of the Mid Africa Mission Project. This is a practical way in which a small community can be helped on the way to self-sufficiency, with a cow which will produce calves, and provide milk for a family and manure for the fields.

On 8 May members of Rolleston on Dove WI were shown a church kneeler in memory of their former member Ann Burston. It had been worked by Annette Styne and donated by the WI. It is one of a series of kneelers, two of which had already been worked and presented by Ann in memory of her parents, Annie and Ken Gamble. On 9 July the kneeler was formally presented by Ann's widower and was dedicated by Rev. Ian Whitehead.

It is not always a good idea to keep looking backwards. I have reviewed some of the articles I have written in the past for the Rollestonian around this time each year. In 2005 I hoped that the ACCESS works would be progressed soon, mind you that was being said in 2004 as well! 2006 might be our year but we still wait to see. The decisions are out of our hands at present and we wait for Architects, Planners and Tenders. Once we have some of these things place perhaps we can then come to you all and give you some idea of when and not just what.

The Thursday Coffee Morning also had a time to look backwards and forwards in January. Anthea & Duncan Topliss retired after 10 years of running this village coffee morning in the Old School Room. We looked back and thanked Anthea & Duncan for sterling work each week amounting to over 500 mornings or over 1,000 hours of making coffee for us all. We then looked forwards and found that as no one was available to take over from them on a permanent basis then a team of twelve people were going to cover the Coffee Morning with Ken at the helm. So Coffee Morning continues, slightly differently maybe but still with the same aim to provide a good welcome and good company for the village.

Looking back can be good, each birthday or anniversary can be a time of looking back and celebrating all that has brought us to this point. It has been a real joy to be a part of celebrating anniversaries at St Mary’s as couples renew wedding vows. Last year a couple came all the way from Canada to do just that. In some small way Rolleston & St Mary’s enriched their marriage and if we can offer that to you also give me a call.

This New Year I spent many hours going through my father’s photograph album following his death in October. Together with my two brothers we needed to see someway of sharing those family memories, as well as taking those photos that relate to us for our own family albums. I thoroughly enjoyed going through photos of my parents back in the 1940’s when they were courting and through the 1950’s when they were first married and had their first children – times I never knew first hand. Come the 1960’s I arrived in the photos and many memories were refreshed for me. When I came to the end of the albums I had listed 50 photos I wanted copies of and filled two further albums of photos that related to our family now. It was a sad time closing those albums of my Mum & Dad knowing that they would add no more photos to them and now it would be for three separate families to continue their own albums.

Isn’t this all a part of life though? Looking backwards as well as looking forwards? On the church’s ACCESS plans we can look back on four years of talking, planning and hoping for progress but we can also look forward to building something this year – we hope!

Birthdays and anniversaries can both measure what we have gained and what we have lost – mainly hair in my case as I look back at teenage and wedding photos! These anniversaries can also help us look at what is important in our lives and I certainly count both my family and you, my parish, as that.

Death and bereavement is also a part of life to look back on and celebrate the love and memories that has been shared with us but also then to look forward to what life is now for us. Life ‘without’ perhaps but also life ‘with’, that has been shaped and infinitely enriched by their love.

So, let us look back by all means but remember also that although life may be understood better by looking backwards, we can only life our lives by going forwards. Driving a car by always looking in the rear view mirror only is no way to continue in our live’s journey!

The start of a new year brings thoughts of our annual fund raiser, again for the Fabric Fund, – Gardens Sunday, this year to be held on July 23rd. As always we really would welcome offers of new gardens to visit, they can be large or small, well established or brand new, all flowers, all vegetables, or a combination. It is a really enjoyable afternoon, and you will meet some very friendly fellow gardeners, so please consider if this will be the year that you join us! If you would like any more information, please give me a ring on 813320.

The start of Advent and the Christmas Tree Festival seem an age away, but it is not too late, I hope, to thank all the individuals and village organisations who participated in this successful community event. The decoration of the various trees was most inventive and aroused a great deal of admiration from our visitors, who numbered over 1,300, from far and near! Everyone seemed to have a different favourite, and all seemed to thoroughly enjoy their visits, some even came more than once! It was good to see the different children’s groups and their interest in the event was a delight. We do not propose to hold another Festival next year, but hope to do so sometime in the future. In the meantime you can look out for one or two in the near vicinity!

Over £3,000 was raised for St Mary’s Fabric Fund, and once again, thanks to all who decorated the trees, made the teas and coffees, contributed to the superb variety of the 4Cs craft stall and supported us in any way.

St. Mary's Church in Rolleston on Dove resounded to the music of three jazz groups when it hosted an evening with the East Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra (EMYJO). A large and enthusiastic audience (Congregation?) enjoyed a varied programme provided by EMYJO 1, EMYJO 2 and the Saxophone Choir, under their Musical Director Jon Eno.

EMYJO is known both nationally and internationally. In January this year, 18 members attended the New York conference of the International Association of Jazz Educators. As well as playing to the conference, they took part in workshops with many well known jazz musicians. They received an "Outstanding Services to Jazz Education Award", a great achievement for an English jazz band performing in the United States. They have recently appeared in the Wigan International Jazz Festival and the Cleethorpes Beachcombers Weekend.

The group draws its membership largely from Derbyshire, but there are also some from Staffordshire and Nottinghamshire. The picture shows EMYJO with Jon Eno in St. Mary's.

The Bishop of Stafford, Right Revd. Gordon Mursell, has visited Rolleston on Dove for the fist time. The occasion was a Confirmation Service at which seven candidates were confirmed.

The Service on 5 March 2006 was introduced by Rev. Ian Whitehead, Rector of St. Mary's, Rolleston, and Vicar of Holy Trinity, Anslow, who was assisted by the Lay Reader, Carol Webster. The Organist, Jim Ottewell, accompanied the hymns, which had been chosen by the candidates. After the Confirmation, the Bishop led a Service of Holy Communion, at the end of which he presented a Bible, suitably inscribed and signed, to each candidate.

A special Service, held in St. Mary's Church, Rolleston on Dove, to mark the Women's World Day of Prayer, was attended by women from both the Anglican and Methodist congregations, and even by three men. This year's Service, entitled "Signs of the Times", had been prepared by Christian Women of South Africa.

The leader was Mrs. Janet Neal. Prayers and hymns were interspersed with appropriate readings, some biblical and some on an African theme. The organist, Mr. Jim Ottewell, played occasional music as well as accompanying the hymns.

The Speaker, Miss Margaret Hewitt, gave an interesting and thought-provoking account of two visits she made to family members in South Africa in the 1990s. After playing some South African music, she shared with the congregation some "verbal snapshots" of her visits, reminding them of some of the problems which were not solved by the end of apartheid. South Africa has 11 official languages, literally from A to Z (Afrikaans to Zulu), and countless unofficial ones. The popularity of television, especially American "soaps", has raised aspirations and expectations which cannot possibly be fulfilled: it is even possible to hire a mobile 'phone by the day as a status symbol on special occasions. The spread of HIV/AIDS is a serious problem, and the effects of TB and malaria are exacerbated by extreme poverty, malnutrition and poor hygiene in some areas. Ending on a note of hope, Margaret said that there are now some signs of improvement, and that the future now looks brighter than it did a decade ago.