| Friends Of Crofton Old Church A group dedicated to the upkeep and maintenance of . . |  |
 CROFTON OLD CHURCH |
| Friends Of Crofton Old Church A group dedicated to the upkeep and maintenance of . . | |
CROFTON OLD CHURCH |
Newsletter Number 158 - |
January 2012 |
A very happy New Year to you all. Take heart, the days are already lengthening, even though few of us can probably yet notice much change. However there are signs in the garden of spring bulbs pushing through and of early bloom.
Our 2011 Christmas Fair was held on November 26th. The weather was kind to us this year encouraging a good turnout to buy all the bargains on offer. Many thanks go to all who donated their time and effort into making this sale a great success and raising the sum of just under £550 for FOCOC funds. Our thanks also must go to Tom who masterminded the event, and to the stagehands who helped with the setting up and clearing away of the tables etc
On December 10th many of us enjoyed wine and mince pies at Brian and Janet Newman's home. Another £255 was raised and a very happy morning was had by all. We are very grateful to the Newmans for opening their house to us, and for all the work they put into making the morning a success.
Then came Christmas, when the church really comes alive. If you happened to be in the church on Saturday 17th you would have seen a horde of busy and talented ladies transforming our beautiful church into an even more beautiful spectacle. The next afternoon we opened our doors at 4pm for the service of Nine Lessons and Carols. It was a truly lovely service with an enthusiastic congregation of 187 squeezed into every inch of available space! Herb and the St Edmund singers, supported as usual by Janice, led us with our favourite carols and Christmas hymns. What a great beginning to our Christmas worship.
The following Saturday was Christmas Eve and about 376 packed into the Church for the two Nativity services for the children and young in heart of the parish. Jan Edwards led us through an enchanting tale of a tired shepherd boy, and everyone left clutching their Christmas chocolates and with a smile on their faces. If you have never attended one of these Nativity services do put it in your diary for next year. It is lovely to see the church overflowing with happy children, grandparents, parents and friends.
On Christmas morning we celebrated Holy Communion, another well attended service, before we all went our separate ways to partake in whatever the rest of the day had in store for us. Of course we hope that this will be the last chilly Christmas in the church and I am very pleased to be able to report that at long last the heating is now being installed. The connection of the gas from Lychgate Green around the church to the outside of the flower vestry was completed before Christmas, and during the first week of January all the hassocks etc were stowed away, and the flower vestry cleared. As Gary says "We can now only hope that the work proceeds without further delay so that the church is back in its usual pristine state, and WARM, for when the Bishop visits at the beginning of February."
Come and join us for some light-hearted fun – entrance £4, and tickets from the Church Office or myself
Saturday 4th February -Barn Dance at the Titchfield Community Centre at 7.30pm.Tickets £8, which includes a ploughman’s supper, available also from the Church Office or myself.
Saturday 18th February - Tea Party in the Parish Centre from 3.30.This is not a money raising event but just an opportunity for FOCOC members to gather together to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the founding of FOCOC, with tea and cake and a little magic thrown in for good measure. Tickets are £6 to cover costs and can be obtained from any member of the committee. Please let us know as soon as possible and not later than Friday 10th February if you would like to come. I look forward to seeing you there.
St Edmund’s is open from 10am to noon on the 18th November and 18th December, but not on the 18th January 2012 due to the planned heating work. If any FOCOC member would like to join a Committee member to help man the church for two hours on the 18th of any other month in 2012 do please get in touch with me.
Connie has asked me to include the following in this newsletter: "Do you enjoy reading poetry ? If so would you be interested in joining a small group for coffee/tea and reading poetry aloud ? Perhaps meeting once or twice a month. Contact Connie Halnan (663871) or Kate Dawson-Taylor (663611)."
And finally ........ Did you know that we have a pair of very interesting candlesticks in the church ? These are usually kept in the south chapel, where the clergy robe, but during January whilst the heating is being installed, they will be on our temporary altar in the chancel. The candlesticks are made from wood which is at least 1000 years old. Around Easter 1896 much of the roof of Winchester Cathedral had to be replaced and some wood from the old timbers, dating back to the time when the cathedral was built, was carved into souvenirs which were sold to help raise money. Each piece was carved with the dates 1086 -1896, these dates loosely referring to the time that the cathedral was under construction and when the work on the nave roof was begun. It is believed that a member of our congregation bought them and gave them to St Edmund's. We also have another interesting pair, but more about them at a later date
Yours sincerely
Sorel Mitchell