St. Mary's Church
News 2015

News Articles:

Usual Services At St Mary's

8am Holy Communion [1st Sunday]
9.30am Morning Service [a modern service & family friendly]. Stay & Play crèche area every week
6.30pm Evening Service [a quieter service using the language of the 17th century]

Monday Quiet Time in Church
First Monday 6.30pm every month. An opportunity to spend some peace and reflection with others in the quiet of our church.

Mid-week Communion every Thursday 9.30am A simple service of communion before the Coffee Morning.

Thursday Coffee Mornings
10am to 11.30am in the Old School Room

Bellringing every Thursday from 7.30pm

Choir Practice most Sundays from 7.30pm

Monthly Munch in the Old Grammar School Room – Fourth Wednesday’s 12.15pm a two course meal with tea/coffee for £4 No booking required you are welcome to just turn up.

4C’s Craft Group in the Old Grammar School Room – second Wednesday’s 2.30pm all sorts of crafts and abilities welcome to come and share.

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Winter 2015 News

Rector’s Message

Dear Friends,

Colder days, darker evenings and falling leaves all are the familiar things that herald this coming season. For me, at Church, it is things like Harvest Festival, Remembrance Sunday and then the traditional call of Advent to ‘make ready’ that herald the season for the end of the year. What a year we have had together. I try each Rollestonian to mention all that has happened but I know I often miss stuff and if that is the case for one of your events then my apologies. Rolleston does so much!

Harvest Festival in the village led to the church filled with produce and tins and from that we gave 12 bags of Dry Store Cupboard items to the Burton YMCA Food Store in the town helping feed the hundreds each week that go to them. The Harvest Pop-Up Stall outside the Club raised £130 with an extra £10 coming in from wind fall apples sold later in the Lych Gate with an honestly box. That £140 will be given to the work of the Salvation Army who are there for the hungry on the edge of our society. Finally the Harvest Supper was an opportunity for us to celebrate and, with thanks to a great team, not only was a great supper enjoyed with nearly 50 people but it also gave £360 to the church’s work.

Darker nights often lead to the lighting up of the church, often in memory of someone or an event, especially come Remembrance Sunday when not only do we stop the village for our remembrance of the war dead but also in the evening for our Service of Remembering for those bereaved in the past. If you don’t get a personal invitation from us please accept this as our invitation to you to come along and remember your loved one by name with a candle.

I must also at this point give a sincere thank you to the Rolleston Civic Trust whose vision all those years ago to floodlight the church means we can still offer this today. They have maintained and overhauled the lights throughout those years and we owe them a great debt of thanks for all that they do.

And so the headlong rush leads us to Advent and Christmas Trees; A Literary Christmas, is our theme for this year, asking you to illustrate Christmas in books and films through your trees. Each year we are bowled over by people’s creativity and imagination and the willingness to share all this with one another in the village. Our church is great venue, but only because of your support, it is you that make it what it is together with all that has gone before within its walls.

So, if it is not too early, may this ending of the year be good to you and your family and may we at St Mary’s Church be able to share with you all the blessings that are ours even within the cold days and dark nights that surround us. The Light of Jesus still shines.

Ian Whitehead

Christmas Services

Christmas Eve 24th December our 3pm Nativity Service welcomes children, parents and grandparents for a fun start to Christmas. Come along dressed as a Christmas Character and we’ll include you in the service. Where’s the baby coming from this year?

11.30pm is our Midnight Communion because by the time we get to share the Peace with one another and share the Bread and Wine of Communion it will be Christmas Day!

Christmas Day 25th December starts with an 8am Early Christmas Communion and is followed by a 10am Family Communion where we find out who’s had what for Christmas.

Sunday 27th December 10.00am a United Service for Rolleston, Anslow and Tutbury churches. this year at St Mary's Rolleston.

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St Mary's Events

The end of September was Harvest Festival and once again the church was decorated with flowers and produce giving the congregation the chance to sing the familiar harvest hymns and to remember others for whom the year did not bring such abundance. Following the precedent of previous years the gifts of dried and tinned produce were given to the YMCA while fresh produce was sold at our pop-up stall outside Rolleston Club on the following Tuesday, and the proceeds given to the work of our local Salvation Army. The stall was also the opportunity for Rolleston Club to make the presentation of a cheque to the Rector as a donation from the proceeds of the Gala. We are very grateful for the continuing support from the Club.

Harvest Sunday was also the date for the Family Treasure Hunt organised by Dennis and Elspeth. It was a lovely sunny day and the participants enjoyed the challenge of recognising the objects or places depicted in the photographs, although one team decided to make it more difficult by finding the answers without references to the pictures!

The Art Exhibition held in October proved successful, with many visitors coming to admire the wide variety of paintings on show. Once again we are grateful to Karin, Mary and Gwen for organising this event in aid of St Mary's.

History Day follows next, and then we shall be on to the annual Advent Festival, Friday 27th to Monday 30thNovember. This year's theme is A Literary Advent and we look forward to the usual creative displays produced by village organisations and individuals. It is not too late to enter, if you are struck by a sudden brainwave, just give me a ring on 813320 for any details you would like. Beatus will be entertaining us on Friday 27th with Music for Advent, and we look forward to their mix of songs putting us in festive mood. Tickets are £7 and will be on sale at Starbuck's and the usual suspects.

We have a few events coming in the New Year that you might like to note down. The first is the return of Afrique Classique on Friday 22nd January. This group entertained us at the start of the Flower Festival and their return has been requested by a number of people, while the following month we have Ukelele Crazy on Friday February 19th. The group have been described as "Local Vocals withUkeleles", so come along and be amazed! In case your interests are more gastronomic we are to welcome the Abbot, from Burton Market delicatessen for an evening of cheeses on March 4th.

It's not too early to be thinking about joining in next year's Garden Sunday, which will be on July 3rd. After the break last year for the Flower Festival we look forward to again welcoming visitors to the lovely gardens that we have within the village. If you would like any information about joining in this event, please give me a ring on 813320,we know there are many hidden gems around the village, so don't be shy, or even give me a hint about your neighbours & I'll do the asking!
Once again, thank you for the support given to St Mary's events and helping us to raise money for our church.

Sylvia Martin

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Autumn 2015 News

Rector’s Message

I have to start with a huge thank you to Rolleston and Rollestonians for all your support and for having the church within the centre of your community. The church remains open for you all, has it has done for 15 years now, during the day and it continues to be visited and used daily. Apart from the theft of a crate of beer [don’t ask] and the CD player some years ago we have never felt that we have had to keep the church locked. You may have heard for the unfortunate situation where we were locked OUT of church and Ron Webster’s funeral had to be taken in the Lych Gate as was of old. We are grateful to Carol and the whole family for their forbearance at that time.

It was great to see the church in the background of so many pictures taken during the Transport Day and to see so many people popping in and out of the building. Our sincere thanks go to the TREATS group of organisers for supporting the church with a cheque for £3,000 towards our ongoing works of repairs and improvements.

This year the Church Council, having ensured the building was in a good state of repair, embarked on other much needed repairs and improvements. The bells that ring out for service and weddings and are enjoyed by so many over such a wide area are in need for some minor maintenance to keep them ringing. For the technically minded it involves bearings and lighting and comes in at a cost of £6,500 – elsewhere in the Rollestonian you may read of the offer by the ringers to ring for a particular anniversary for a donation. This will be in addition to the 100 year commemoration undertaken by the ringers to ring on the date of the death of every one of our First World War fallen.

The church has also committed itself to improving the situation of the internal lighting, brides and wedding photographers especially comment on how dark the church is and with the church in constant use for events and concerts this has become important to rectify. The redesign of the internal lighting and improvements will be a more long term project with a costing of possibly £25,000 but we will see how that goes as the year progresses.

This year’s Flower Festival in church around the Blooms, Baskets and Bowers was a wonderful and much photographed event making an impact on Facebook alongside the simply lovely display of wild flowers in the churchyard all due to the work of Phil Docksey. Whilst inside the church the work of Janet Stone and her creative team enabled the church to raise £2,940 in part towards the bells and lighting.

The reason I started with a huge thank you to you all is that, after nearly 16 years here amongst you, I feel so blessed that the Church continues to be here for you and appreciated by you, whether you attend weekly or annually, your church continues here in Rolleston because of you and for you all.

Ian Whitehead, Rector

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Church Events

The Grand Garage sale on May 25th again proved popular, with many visitors picking up a bargain at the various venues including a stall at the Rectory, meanwhile St Mary’s “team” was very busy in the OGSR providing teas and cakes.

The next event was our Flower Festival, “Blooms, Baskets & Bowers” masterminded by Janet Stone. The tower of coloured baskets in the churchyard attracted much curiosity before the event which saw the church transformed with fragrant flowers, and baskets, ranging from “hot air balloons” and picnic hampers to a wicker coffin. The “bowers”, wicker arches along the Mosley aisle were much admired with many suggestions as to future use at weddings (no chance!)

A concert by Afrique Classique on the opening evening proved popular and the mild weather gave visitors a chance to enjoy their interval Pimms & canapés and conversations in the churchyard. Many people expressed disappointment at missing the concert due to other commitments and we hope the group will be able to return in the not too distant future. The whole weekend raised nearly £3000 towards maintenance of the church bells.

September will see the return of the Family Treasure Hunt on 27th, see notice board for further details . Sunday 27th is also the date of our Harvest Festival and gifts of produce and flowers are always welcome. Following the practice of the last few years gifts of tinned food will be sent to YMCA and fresh produce will be sold at the Pop-up stall outside Rolleston Club (on Tuesday 29th) with proceeds going to the Salvation Army.

The Art Exhibition postponed from earlier this year will now take place on October 10/11 in the Old Grammar School, with a preview evening on Friday 9th.

I would like to thank all Rollestonians who help at our events in so many ways, we couldn’t do it without you!

Sylvia Martin
St Mary’s Events Coordinator

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Fund Raising for the Bells of Saint Mary’s - Let Us Ring The Bells For You!

For church services each week, as well as for weddings, funerals and a host of other occasions, the bells of St. Mary’s, Rolleston-on-Dove ring out faithfully to mark events both everyday and significant in the lives of the folk of the village. The sound of their pealing is a familiar and well-loved music, and has been a part of the fabric of local life for over four centuries.

The Rolleston ring of 8 bells vary widely in age, from the Tenor which was hung in 1586, two years before the arrival of the Spanish Armada, through the bells cast during the 17th Century, to the current complement completed in 1908 and 1928. As with all items mechanical, wear and tear due to constant use occurs, and it is inevitable that, over the years, maintenance is required, to ensure that these heralds of time and circumstance are kept in the condition they merit.

Apart from repairs and frame-painting, our bells have not had any major maintenance carried out on them since 1928, and they are now beginning to feel the strain of a lack of TLC. The local ringers have regularly dealt with minor problems, and worked on general housekeeping requirements over the past 20 years. Recent surveys by John Taylor of Loughborough have, however, reported that the bells now need major works carried out on them, which will cost approximately £5000.

To assist the church fabric fund in raising money to meet the costs of maintaining the bells, the bell ringers are now actively involved in fund raising to support this effort. We are offering the public the opportunity to have the bells rung for special occasions, and to sponsor special pieces of ringing, in return for a donation towards the bell fund. Whether for an anniversary or a birthday, in memoriam or in celebration, we can arrange for a ring to peal out in honour of the event. A notification of the ringing would be displayed on the church notice board so that all would know the reason for the ringing, and a certificate commemorating the ringing would be issued to the donor.

As to donations, this is a personal thing, but payments of around £25 or more would probably be appropriate. (All offers considered though.)

To take this opportunity, and to help to ensure that the bells of St. Mary’s continue to sound out across the village, please contact Lee Cooke on 01283 561444, or speak to Ian.

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Summer 2015 News

Church Events

During the week leading up to Easter, Holy Week, St Mary’s held an “Easter Journey” with five stations each depicting part of the story of the events leading to the first Easter. Children from John of Rolleston School came in the mornings and were invited to take part by imagining their “Hopes and Dreams” to represent the aspirations of people taking part in the Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem. They also learnt more about the disciples at the Last Supper, thought about the Garden of Gethsemane, paused to consider the Crucifixion, and finally visited the empty tomb, and were dismissed with a small Easter egg! The afternoons saw a few adult visitors who also participated in the activities and their donations were added to other Lent gifts and collections to enable St Mary’s to send £491 to the Footprints Orphanage .

In July the church will be decorated with unusual and beautiful arrangements during the Flower Festival, “Blooms, Baskets and Bowers”. The Festival will run from Friday July 10th to Monday July 13th 11 – 5pm daily. On Friday July 10th there will be a concert by “Classique Afrique” a group of singers from South Africa with a very varied repertoire.

Flower Festivals are expensive to stage and we are inviting sponsorship from individuals who would like to celebrate with us. Donations should be sent to Lynne Roberts, PCC Secretary, Greenridge, Anslow Lane, Rolleston DE13 9DS, and will be acknowledged in the programme accompanying the Festival. Please make a note of the dates and come and celebrate with us.

The “Monthly Munch” takes place on 4th Wednesday of every month in the Old Grammar School at 12.15pm. All are welcome to join us for a two course lunch with tea or coffee at £4. No need to book, just turn up!

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Spring 2015 News

St Mary’s Christmas Quiz

The change to the Rollestonian publication date means that we cannot give the answers in this issue. Names of winners and answers will appear on the Church notice boards.

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Church Events

Last year's Advent Festival, Glad Tidings, raised around £2,500 for St Mary's and we are grateful to everyone who took part. As always the church looked very festive with all the trees and lights as well as the hanging bells and angels, while the opening concert by Local Vocals and Jubilee was much enjoyed. The Festival provides a very friendly opportunity for local organisations to show their support for St Mary's which we hope they all enjoy as much as we do.

A few years ago we put on an "Easter Experience" with interactive displays around the church to give a flavour of the meaning of Easter, this is something we hope to repeat this year. Watch out for details on the village notice boards and Church Magazine.

Over the weekend of April 18/19th there will be an Art Exhibition in the Old Grammar School, with a preview to be held on Friday 17th, again more details on village notice boards.

Just a reminder that there will be no Garden Sunday this year, instead we are looking forward to our first Flower Festival for a number of years to be held from Friday 10th -Monday 13th July. Flower Festivals are expensive to stage and any offers of sponsorship would be very welcome, if you would like more information please contact Sylvia Martin on 813320, or email martin.43@btinternet.com

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Rector’s Message

“Old age and illness...it’s not for wimps”! I was told this some years ago by a member of the congregation here at St Mary’s. I laughed with them as most of us will, but these last 5 weeks of my illness over Christmas for me has brought it home, this time without much of a laugh. It started with Flu [real flu not man-flu] that developed into a water Infection which left me confused, this, together with a chest infection for the next 4 weeks with three courses of antibiotics and a course of steroids meant that I was incapacitated. Needless to say Christmas and New Year was a none event at the Rectory, I sincerely hope yours was better. For me it passed in a cloud of tablets and sitting up throughout the nights coughing and wheezing. Even now in the middle of January I can’t walk upstairs without losing breathe. All the church services were covered by a wonderful band of willing people and great team at St Mary’s who kept calm and carried on.

None of us are indispensible. I remember that lesson from some of my late dad’s old writing about a man who thought he couldn’t be replaced until he was told to put his hand in a bucket of water and take it out, and then to look for the hole he had left! It sounds fatalistic but it also encouraging for me that there are so many people who step in when they are needed. All of us find at some time or another find that we are laid low; old age, illness or simply the pressures of life events. It is at these times that we might be sat alone in the chair wondering if anyone still cares. For me, in a more public role, everyone knew I wasn’t there at the Christmas services and yet they also saw that others pitched in. It may not have been the same Christmas but old age and illness together with all the usual things of life should constantly remind us that nothing stays the same and change is the only constant thing that doesn’t change. It’s how we accept it, or fight it, and learn to live with it that defines us and those who share it with us and those who support us in it all.

This New Year already well underway will carry with it highs and lows, times of joy and sadness, things that may leave us feeling hard pressed or released and free. Whatever they be we are the ones caught in them all and we need not be alone for there will always be something there for us in the midst of it all. St Mary’s Church has certainly demonstrated and lived that truth over this past Christmas and New Year – you find the same.

Ian Whitehead

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Last updated: 1 January 2016