Church spring clean

The church spring clean date has changed to Saturday April 16 10am - 12pm, 2pm - 4pm.  Please come and help if you can spare an hour or two. Everyone is welcome.  Please bring any cleaning equipment you think may be useful.  Please help make our lovely church look even more beautiful!

Irish themed evening Saturday 19 March

Once again we are having an 'Irish themed evening' with the popular band 'Gone to the Dogs' and a supper of Irish stew and apple pie (served separately...).  Book your tickets now!  Only £12 per person!

Institution and Induction of our new Rector

Just a reminder that Rev Lorna Brabin-Smith will be licensed as our new Rector on 17 March 2016 at 7.30 pm at All Saints, Branston.  If you would like to come perhaps you could let me know so we have a rough idea for catering purposes.  We have waited a long time for a new Rector and while we are very grateful to the retired priests who have looked after us for so long (Les Whitfield, Tim Thompson and the late Terry Stokes), we are looking forward to welcoming Lorna to our parishes.  Lorna will lead our worship in Nocton for the first time on Easter Day, Sunday 27 March.  We hope to have a full church...

An afternoon in the labyrinth

The real meaning of Lent (and it isn't giving up chocolate)

Wednesday 10 February is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, when we begin the time of preparation for Easter.  On Ash Wednesday we will celebrate Holy Communion at St Andrew's Potterhanworth at 7.30 pm, with the ancient ceremony of 'ashing'.  Each worshipper is marked on the forehead with a cross drawn in ash, which is made from the palm crosses blessed at the previous year's Palm Sunday service.  The 'ashing' is accompanied by the words 'Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.'  The intention is to remind the worshipper to repent of their sins before it is too late.

Nowadays Lent has become a largely misunderstood time, when people give up something (usually chocolate or alcohol) as a reminder of the traditional Lenten fast and a means of self discipline.  This has about as much to do with Lent as novelty Easter eggs have to do with the resurrection!  Instead of (or as well as!) giving up the booze for a few weeks, why not try making a positive difference in your life?  To use the other form of words for 'ashing', 'Repent and believe in the Gospel.'