The Life in the Year at St James' (2003)
With Advent, another church year has begun and another busy year ended at Sheldwich Parish Church. Mike Johnson the Parish Priest encourages villagers to use the mediaeval building, aware that the regular worshippers need help in maintaining the church. Like all Anglicans they are responsible for paying into central Church funds (money doesn't usually come the other way!) to pay for hospital, prison and other chaplains, central support services, central staff salaries and so on. If they had a paid priest (Sheldwich doesn't) they would have to find the salary and housing costs. Sheldwich village has only about 400adults: their support is vital in keeping the place open.
In 2003 regular worshippers put in about 1,500 attendances, other folk about 3,000 as they supported a variety of events, or just popped in as they passed by – visitors signing the book from all over the UK, Australia, Canada, USA, Holland, other European countries, and elsewhere.
Sheldwich School makes good use of the building when parents and pupils fill every available seat for their Carol, Easter and End of Year services. Classes come to use the facilities to learn what happens there, how baptisms are done, and so on. Recently Mike was ‘baptising' a doll for one Infant class: on being told the name was to be Jesus he asked ‘has he another name?' A little boy put his hand up. ‘Yes' he said, ‘Christ'!
The other main ‘extra curricular' events of last year were:
- Start of Advent, the Christmas Bazaar.
- End of Advent, a Carol service with a difference, led by the Proteus Brass Ensemble and local musicians and readers.
- End of Advent, the Christingle Service and dedication of the Crib.
- February, the Snowdrop Walk (fuelled by mulled wine).
- Good Friday, the pilgrimage of the Cross (erected by the A251.)
- Easter, a major drama production ‘The Tree of Life'' and exhibition on ‘New Life' which included Conservation, etc.
- Spring, a Rogation walk.
- Summer, a fund raising Parish Barbeque in the Johnson's garden.
- Summer, the Village Fete.
- Autumn, Harvest and Flower Festival, and Harvest Lunch. The festivities included a well supported concert by the classical group ‘Stringendo'.
It was a year of spending on the building. A full sound system has been added which includes a hearing loop to help the hard of hearing. Plans are advanced to make modifications to help the disabled in many ways. The tower roof has been recovered. After several years in the planning a side chapel has been stripped out prior to its conversion into a village room with refreshment facilities and a place to meet. This needed roof repairs which (thanks to beetle damage, etc.) cost the best part of £25,000. So the congregation is looking hard for money to do the interior work – several tens of thousands of pounds. The wish list includes plans for the first toilet in 900 years, and a wet room for the flower team.
All in all a busy year.