VIPs visit St Mary's.

On Monday, 28th April our Rushcliffe MP, Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke, Cllr Lynn Sykes, Notts. County Council and representatives from charities and organisations who contributed to St Mary's Re-ordering gathered for a photo call at the church .

A cheque for £10,000 was presented to Conrad Oatey, St Mary's PCC Treasurer on behalf of Notts. Historic Churches Trust.

The visitors checked out the new tea-bar.

More on the Rededication Service

Adding to the news from the Rededication, the combined choirs of East Leake and its Benefice churches processed into the church with the Bishop.

The Music Group also added to the wonderful music on the day.

They were joined by the Children's Choir for part of the service too and some of the young people read one of the lessons.

The Bishop was very interested in the details of the re-ordering work. Note the new tea bar and toilet facilities in the background and the solid oak floor.

For those who have not yet had the opportunity to see the new comfortable seating, the folding chairs in the foreground belong to the Church hall and are only brought in for extra seating during large services.

St Mary's is rededicated!

Where do I start? What a wonderful day Sunday was to rededicate the church. The bells rang to call everyone in. The building was full, to welcome our invited guests and the Bishop.

Even the weather behaved itself, being warm and sunny.
The church was filled with the music from the combined Benefice choir, the Music Group and the Children's Choir - and the congregation, of course.
It was truly a day to gather together to thank God and to celebrate after all the hard work and everyone's contributions.

There will be more to report from the event, so don't forget to check the blog!

Today's the day!

Today is not only the day the Lord has made, it's also the day St Mary's is being rededicated following the re-ordering, by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, the Rt. Revd. George Cassidy.

Come early for the 10.30 am service and share it with us!

And check the blog for photos and a report of the event.

Finally, we are having some Spring-like weather and the trees and flowers are blooming. Many thanks are due to the Flower Arrangers for all their hard work over Easter and for the donations for the beautiful flower arrangements.
April will soon be coming to an end and there are many events planned for May, which will be highlighted on the blog.

Ascension Day – Thursday 1st May. This year there are plans to hold a united Cluster service of Holy Communion on Ascension Day. This will be at St. Laurence’s Church, Gotham at 7.30pm. All are welcome.

Christian Aid Week, 11th-17th May 2008
Saturday 10th May, 2008, 10.00am – 12 noon at East Leake Methodist Church. Cakes, Plants, Preserves and Coffee will be available. Please support this event for Christian Aid.
Envelopes will also be delivered throughout the village during this week to collect much needed donations for the charity. The volunteers who take time out to deliver and collect for Christian Aid are much appreciated.

Pentecost 11th May
On the second Sunday of each month we usually hold our ‘Worship Together’ service. As 11th May is Pentecost, and this is a major festival, there will be a service of Parish Communion at 9.30am instead. This will be suitable for all ages, with singing led by St. Mary’s Music Group.

Today is April 23rd, St George's Day!

The Church has many Saints to celebrate, but St George is England's patron saint. We share him with other countries e.g. Catalonia (Spain), Portugal, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia, Moscow. Almost all celebrate on April 23rd each year, the traditionally accepted date of his death and martyrdom in 303 AD.

Little is known of his life except that he was a martyr. Most of the stories about him were written by William Caxton in 1483, such as his fight with a dragon to save a lady.

We should celebrate our patron saint as we do others - and who was someone to be honoured for his martyrdom.

Do you have trouble remembering the date? Try 2-3-4, the 23rd of the 4th month!

Two by two!

The Rector's sermon was all about Noah on Sunday so..... we had TWO baptisms - and one of them was to baptise Noah and and one to baptise Edward!

The congregation was very pleased to welcome both families and their friends, and the church was full once again.

Some events for your diary are: Keen cyclists note! 'Toybox Event' on 17th May, Sutton Coldfield Baptist Church to raise funds for the street children in Brazil. It will be a cycle ride from John O'Groats to Land's End. Tel: 0845 4660010 for more information.
Thursday, 12th June - Saltmine Theatre Company - Loughborough Town Hall - more details to come.
Celebration of several of our members' 70th birthdays and a Golden Wedding on Saturday June 14th in church at 6.30 pm. Contact Anne & Roy, Janet & David or Judith for an invitation.
Don't forget Sunday's 10.30 am service of Rededication at St Mary's with the Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham - all are welcome - and you might want to come early!

Womens groups & guests.

St Mary's Women's Group is meeting on Monday 21st April in St Mary's Hall at 8.00 pm. The speaker will be Philip Titterton from Manor Farm Animal Centre and Donkey Sanctuary, East Leake and will be speaking about the work of the Centre. So if you'd like to know more about this fascinating local Centre, which is much more than just a sanctuary, come along, whether you are a regular member or just interested in the Centre. You will be most welcome.

The Group will be visiting Trentham Gardens near Stoke on Trent for their Spring outing on Saturday 26th April. There's also something for the shoppers. There will be a coffee stop at the Wedgewood Centre and factory shop on the way to Trentham. Coach fare and entrance to the gardens is £15. If you'd like to go, contact Carole on 820598 to book a place. Again, everyone is welcome. It's not just for the ladies, either!

And for those looking for peace and quiet - the members of the Mothers' Union will be visiting Southwell Minster on Tuesday, April 29th for a Quiet morning 10.00-1.00pm. The Very Revd John Guille, Dean of the Minster will lead, for the stations of the cross.

Welcome!

The congregation increased in numbers yesterday. It was not just because it was the Family Service - it was a baptism service too. We welcomed a large number of the family members, who celebrated afterwards in the church hall. The (very) young lady involved, made her presence known, but soon enjoyed all the attention.

Appropriately enough, the theme for the day was water. The children and congregation joined in the celebration of water by placing paper 'water lilies' with the names of those being prayed for, on the water in several bowls placed around the church. Magically, the 'lilies' opened when placed on the water.

Celebration and Dedication Service, Sunday, 27th April

A special service of Celebration and Dedication is to be held on Sunday, 27th April at 10.30am at St Mary's Church following the re-ordering of the nave. We are looking forward to welcoming the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, The Rt Revd George Cassidy for this service. All members of the congregation and smaller village Benefice congregations are invited to the service, along with specially invited guests who have contributed to the work. This promises to be an exciting day for everyone.

There will be Holy Communion as usual at 8.00 am and an informal service of Holy Communion at 6.00 pm.

Let's hope that our weather will be more spring-like for the day, instead of the snow we experienced recently.

Keeping the church alive.

Churches are part of our heritage to be treasured and maintained as valued places of worship and meeting places for the community. This is mainly the role of the PCC and congregation led by the Rector and can be a worthwhile undertaking.

Do you love to be involved, are enthusiastic and feel that you can contribute your skills no matter how small or great? Do you like being helpful and needed? Are you handy at DIY, baking, typing, love gardening, music (playing or singing, bellringing), an organiser, sociable, love work with children or people of any age, interested in the workings of a church? All and more than these skills are welcomed, plus a chance to make new friends and grow in faith no matter how long you've been a Christian (or even if you are still thinking about it).

St Mary's Annual Parochial Church Meeting will be held next Monday, 14th April at the church at 7.30 pm. This important date is when everyone is updated on the past year's events. Also, members of the congregation on the Church Electoral Roll (and 18yrs of age) run for election on the PCC (usually for a period of 3 years). Members of the PCC meet bi-monthly to discuss and plan the running of the church and its events. New members are welcomed to share their skills and expertise. Please note that there is the support of others and shared knowledge, so roles are not taken on alone.

Dr John Sprake is to become Reader Emeritus having felt that the time has come to retire after many years as a licensed Reader. However, he will continue to support the churches in our Benefice, especially through the ministry of music. A special service including his hymns and worship songs is to be arranged.

Revd Ken and Mrs Daphne Wayne have also given a significant contribution to the life of the church since Ken's retirement in 1995. Due to Daphne's recent surgery and Ken's ill health they are both withdrawing from active involvement on the staff team. They are in our thoughts and prayers for their improving health.

Easter update!

Easter might have been early this year and the weather extremely changeable, but all services were well attended throughout Holy week and the Easter weekend.

Compline Services on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday used the themes of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. The hot cross buns were very much enjoyed on the Monday after the service, courtesy of the Womens Group.

Crossways Club was well attended by 20 youngsters, and used Friendship as their theme. The children made dolls, paper chains, Easter cards and decorated biscuits. As usual there was a short worship service at the beginning of each session, songs and a story.

On Maundy Thursday, the Communion Service was well attended with the chairs set out in a horseshoe. The sermon by Sue Waterstone, was on 'S.H.A.M.E.' and included some thoughts from her recent trip to Natal.

A good number of people turned out for the Good Friday Walk, starting from Gotham and finishing at East Leake, in spite of the cool, windy weather. Once again there were refreshments after the service including hot cross buns, to ease those aching muscles.

And finally, the best Easter Day service, which was full. The children took part and enjoyed the acclamation at the end. Revd Glynis Hetherington announced 'Christ is Risen, Alleluia' and the children let off lots of 'poppers' in celebration. There were also special refreshments afterwards, and there was a definite 'buzz' of excitement in the church.

Stick with us!

If you've missed seeing the latest updates from this blog, please stick with us. There's a lot to report back on since Easter and lots more coming up. The door is open during the day and you're welcome to join us any time.