November Newsletter 2021

St Peter Offham and Hamsey

Newsletter November 2021

November is always a busy month in the church’s year. All Saints, All Souls,
Remembrance and the final service of the Church year, Christ the King, and
then we begin again with the First Sunday of Advent. Quite a bit of careful
liturgical colour changing from white, to green then to gold and then purple!

In the background are all the preparations for Christmas. But how special it
will be to ‘have’ Christmas this year after missing so much last year. Choirs
around the country are beginning to come together again to prepare Advent
and Christmas services. This year we can sing carols and hymns – which really
mark and make the season.

As a ‘warm up’ we are having a ‘Songs of Praise’ service on the 28th November
at 3.00 p.m. followed by tea and cake – sounds a very nice afternoon out!

When I look through my family photo album (rarely) I note that almost all the
photos are those from Christmas gatherings. We did not take pictures then as
we do now. Then it was quite an effort; buy the film, make sure you have
enough, then remember to send it off to be developed only to find that at least
four or five were out of focus, or you had your finger over the shutter etc. I
guess that is why it only happened occasionally – holiday snaps and Christmas.

Lots of pictures of unremembered views and beaches or Christmas dinner and
us grinning manically at the camera.

Yet just that one picture of a Christmas dinner can evoke so many memories:
the children so young and the people now gone. A marker of the passage of
the years preserved on a small square of paper.

Christmas especially seems to cause us to take stock of how things have
changed since the last one. Yet what changes is just us in relation to a date on
a calendar. The focus of Christmas is timeless.

For Christians it is always the extraordinary event of the ‘Word made flesh and
dwelling among us’, the incarnation of Christ. The moment when time and
eternity came together, and God became man.

The grounds of Hamsey and Offham

There seems to be no end to our discovering ‘rare and interesting botanical
items of interest....’. Apparently, we have Mousepee Pink Gill fungi on the
lawn at St Peter. What a name! Sounds like a contender for a character in a
Harry Potter book. Named after its smell I am reliably informed which makes
it just that bit more attractive? It is very small and probably hard to find
unless you know what you are looking for. Apparently, it’s quite an uncommon

fungi in Britain. So along with Mildred (our
lizard orchid) we are doing rather well.

The churchyard at Hamsey has a designated
Local Wildlife Sites Initiative, citation which
records:

‘The twelfth century church of St
Peters at Hamsey is a confirmed roost
for various species of bat. The
churchyard contains species rich unimproved grassland. The church also
supports some notable species of lichen. The grassland on the site is
typical of the species rich unimproved pasture that would formerly have
been common across Sussex but is now limited in extent.’ (For the full
report click here)

We were fortunate to have an onsite visit from the Lewes Wildlife Trust who
will help and advise us going forward. They have offered to develop teaching

and observation days during the summer looking at different wildlife on the
site. For details of their work click here.

As mentioned in my last newsletter we are reviewing the management for next
year. The limiting factor is financial. Even if we were to clear all the waste off
site ourselves – a huge task – the cost is still going to be just under £3000. We
have a grant towards this but no other income. If you are interested in
volunteering or helping financially, please be in contact.

Forthcoming events

Our Sunday service is at 9.30 a.m.at St Peter Offham



Remembrance Sunday, 14th November
10.50 a.m. We will be joined by members
of the Parish Council and a representative
from our local MP’s office. Meet on the
lawn for the wreath laying and two-minute
silence. There will be an opportunity for
you to lay a wreath, or cross followed by
the service in church.

Meet outside on the lawn opposite the
war memorial. My thanks to Rev Colin
Pritchard who is taking this service, and to those who will decorate the church
as in previous years with poppies on every available surface and looking
splendid.

Songs of Praise

on the 28th November, 3.00
p.m. at St Peter Offham.
Celebrate the return of Church
singing

No such service would be complete
without ‘tea and cake’ and there will be plenty of that at the end.

Christmas Services

The popular service at Old
Hamsey church is on 12th
December at 3.00p.m.
Wrap up warm and bring
a torch or candle. Parking
in the field before the
bridge.

A service of Nine
Lessons and Carols
will be held at St
Peter Offham on the

19th December at
6.00 p.m. Mince pies and mulled wine to follow!

Fence at Old Hamsey church

The fence on the lane side needs to be
replaced and we are asking people to sponsor
a ‘bay’ (one post and rail) for £60 – we need
48. Once done Hamsey will greet the new year
looking cared for. Details on our webpage.

Rev Anne Dunlop
[email protected] Parish Office 01273 890006Website: Church of

England Worship | St Peter Offam and Hamsey England | England
(offhamandhamsey.org)