Growing closer together
In 2020 it seemed like life was not the same as it was, and it will never be the same again.
However, to many of our older residents, life has been this bad before, indeed it has been worse, but the best bit of going through great difficulties is that we seem to grow closer together.
Here in Ashill, we are very fortunate to have a wonderful community spirit which is known for its support of our elderly, our youngsters, our disadvantaged and our vulnerable, and it is this community spirit which has helped our church financially.
We are only a small congregation, about 30 these days, and although we have already accepted the necessity of regular Gift Aided giving (both through the bank and using an envelope system) we regularly struggle to pay our Parish Share. We were so grateful to those who put their envelopes through my door during lockdown or saved their weekly collection money and brought it to church when we re-opened. We also had a number of one-off donations. We are sure these people will be doing the same again.
Of course, the thing that helped us during the lockdown is that our outgoings on items such as heating oil and electricity have dropped considerably. We had hoped to have a stall on the village green in December, if circumstances had allowed.
We have struggled with many things in 2020, but thanks to our loyal congregation we have not only survived financially, but actually paid all that has been asked of us in full.
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Articles in this issue...
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The Mission Hub is a new area on our website which signposts resources for mission and gives experiences of them being used.
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Installing a live-streaming system
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Funding success in lockdown
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Turbulent times for toddler groups
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Working with young people in uncertain times
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Setting up an online running club for your community
Yare Valley Churches – covering Brundall, Braydeston and Postwick – have started a new running club through the Strava app to encourage community for runners of all ages and ability and to be able to build connections.
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A donate button is for life, not just for Christmas
How many times have you said: ‘there must be an easier way to do this?’
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Extravagant love
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
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It’s a challenge but it’s not impossible!
We are a group of seven parishes with seven grade one medieval church buildings in west Norfolk.
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Legacies save the day
To date the Coastal Group have always paid their Parish Share in full, seeing it as a priority to pay the cost of one full-time minister and associated support.
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