Last weekend we said farewell to David and Rosie. David was Organist and Director of Music at St Mary's for around fifteen years, In that time the choir has gone from strength to strength enjoying trips to sing in many cathedrals; most recently Westminster Abbey and St Paul's. The Choir have also enjoyed David and Rosie's friendship. They will really be missed. 

On Friday night there was a party after choir practice when David and Rosie were presented with wine glasses and a decanter. On Sunday morning there was a presentation of a cheque and a picture with cake and fizz after the service. The choir was joined by some friends in the evening and the day finished with Choral Evensong. Between the rehearsal and Evensong there was an official choir photo.

Yesterday the Bishop of Norwich wrote to the whole Diocese about the growing refugee crisis in Europe, asking for the help of the churches in Norfolk.  We'll be circulating his letter at all our services on Sunday and, for those who haven't yet given by another means, there'll be an opportunity to make donations to the work of relief after each service.  You can also read Bishop Graham's letter below.  Please remember in your prayers those in great need and those who are working to offer relief and support.

A Pastoral Letter from the Bishop of Norwich on the Refugee Crisis

Dear Friends in Christ,

Last Monday (September 21st) we celebrated the Feast of St Matthew.  St Matthew’s Gospel contains a very telling parable of the Last Judgement in which the Lord reminds us that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we do also for him.  (Matthew 25. 31-46)

The vast humanitarian crisis in Syria and elsewhere which has led to thousands of refugees arriving in Europe concerns us all and has touched the hearts of many.  The horrors and indignities that so many refugees suffer are terrible to contemplate.  How can we respond?  Perhaps the accumulation of millions of individual acts of compassion and generosity can change things, and even change us.  While we cannot do everything that doesn’t prevent us doing something.  Already the Churches and many Christian people have urged our Government to respond compassionately and said that we can be counted on to give support.  

Here in the Diocese of Norwich we are seeking to do three things.

1. We are gathering a list of properties and buildings which could be used either to house refugees temporarily or more permanently.  This will supplement the information already coordinated by Sanctuary Norfolk, an organisation of faith groups (including our own Mothers’ Union) which has been working for several months to encourage our local authorities to offer places for refugees here.  Please send any offers to my PA, Coralie Nichols, by email to coralie.nichols@dioceseofnorwich.org who will keep a record.
2. The Leader of Norfolk County Council has set up a Refugee Taskforce which has begun to meet and on which he has invited me to serve.  As information becomes available I will ensure this is shared more widely among the churches as well as other agencies in our diocese.  It will be essential for a good infrastructure to be in place for refugees when they arrive so that translation facilities, education and orientation in a new culture are undertaken.  This includes giving them opportunities for worship and religious practice.
3. We recognise that parishes and individuals may want to contribute funds to be used exclusively for the resettlement and support of any refugees in our diocese.  So we have set up an account with the Norwich Diocesan Board of Finance for such funds to be deposited.  Those who want to give to help refugees elsewhere in the world may wish to contribute to Christian Aid.  Ways to give are outlined below.

Norfolk and Waveney has a long history of welcoming migrants and refugees, known locally as strangers in centuries past.  Those strangers have enriched our lives here.  More recently Norwich has received Congolese refugees under the UN Gateway programme.  We seek to be hospitable.  We hope the Government will be increasingly generous in the provision which it makes.  We believe many people in our churches will give a heartfelt and generous welcome to those fleeing persecution and hardship and coming to us in great need.

Please pray for peace and justice and do what you can to contribute to countless individual acts of compassion.  

Thank you and may God bless us all,

+Graham Norvic:

And with the support of the Bishops of Thetford and Lynn, and the Bishop’s Staff team

Ways to Give

1. Online - Follow this link to our JustGiving page
2. By Text - Text ACTS45 £10 to 70070 to donate £10; or ACTS45 £5 to donate £5;
3. By Cheque  - Cheques should be made payable to NDBF Ltd, marked clearly on the back of the cheque ‘Refugee Appeal’.  Please send the cheque together with a completed Gift Aid declaration (if applicable), which can be downloaded atwww.dioceseofnorwich.org/refugees to Refugee Appeal, Miss S Bunting, Diocesan House, 109 Dereham Road, Easton NR9 5ES 
4. To give to Christian Aid to help refugees still overseas, go to their website here

Harvest is coming up in just a couple of weeks. We will be celebrating the abundance of God's creation on Sunday 4th October. Harvest will be the focus of our 10am Service in Attleborough and there will be a special service at Besthorpe Church at 4.30pm.

To get you in the mood here's a picture of the Church beautifully decorated for last year's Harvest Festival.

Our Organist and Director of Music David Barnard will be leaving us on Sunday. We shall all be sorry to see David go after something like fifteen years. We wish him and Rosie all the best for the future. There will be a presentation to David at the morning service and in the evening we will be having our monthly Choral Evensong with special music.

We're pleased today to be welcoming the riders in the Norfolk Churches Trust sponsored cycle ride. Oh... and the Tour of Britain passed the Church too!

We're pleased to announce a new, joint venture with Attleborough Methodist Church. From October 3rd we will be running Messy Church. This one has a harvest theme and then we'll be doing four a year to start off with.

Looking forward to the Tour of Britain on Saturday? The race should be passing the Church at about 12 noon. It's also the day of the Norfolk Churches Trust Sponsored Cycle Ride - we hope the two groups don't get mixed up. 

Our bike in the town festival has really blossomed in the last few days. Here it is looking lovely on the sun on Sunday morning.

Sunday Club for children begins again this week. Join us for a fun packed season at 10am on Sunday.

Here are the dates for the rest of the term.