St Peter and St Paul Parish Church

The parish church of St Peter and St Paul has occupied its prominent position in the village of Scarning since the 12th century and there have been Rectors of Scarning since 1299. The whole building, which is mainly in the perpendicular style, was extensively restored in 1869, when the gable of the chancel roof was raised to its original pitch for £1000. In 1894 the tower was restored, the nave buttresses were entirely rebuilt and new churchyard gates were fitted - all at the expense of Dr Jessopp.
The single gate was replaced in the 1950s by the Scarning Mothers' Union and was refurbished in 2007 in memory of Fred and Lilian Hoskins. The churchyard was levelled and re-seeded in 1970 and Scarning Parish Council contributes to its upkeep.The church and vestry were re-roofed in 1979.The double gates were replaced by the PCC in the 1980s. You will find a lot more information about the church and its history here.

As is customary the Flower Festival is held in the Church every second year. Pictures of the exhibits from last year can be seen here. The work of caring for the building continues. Recent improvements include a PA system with loop induction and a ramp to help with access. Switchgear and heating was replaced in 2007 with the help of a grant from 'Awards for All'.

In 2006 the Dereham and District Team Ministry was created to serve the parishes Dereham, Scarning, Swanton Morley, Hoe, East Bilney and Beetley. The benefice is serviced by a team of clergy and lay readers led by the Rector and Vicar.

The Parish Office, Church House, Church Street, Dereham NR19 1DN
open 9am-12noon, Tuesday-Friday
telephone 01362 693143
email: parish.office.dereham@googlemail.com

If you would like to know more about the Dereham and District Team Ministry click this link: www.derehambenefice.co.uk or if you would like to know more about the church click this link: history and architecture of the church

Team Rector	Sally Theakston	693680	day off: Thursday
Assistant Clergy:	The Revd Jane Nursey	697058	day off: Wednesday
	The Revd Kenneth Pilgrim	693680
	The Revd Jenny Taylor	692547
Team Vicar	Rev’d Adrian Aubrey-Jones
Team Curate	The Revd Edward Thornley	692453	day off: Friday
Churchwardens	Alan Glister	696674
	Ron Steward	694820
PCC Secretary	Sue Rockley	694886
Parish Office		693143

Parochial Church Council

Alan Glister and Ron Steward are our Churchwardens – with Alf and Judy Webdale as deputy Churchwardens. Yvonne Long looks after the parish finances and Sue Rockley is the secretary to the church council. Other members of the PCC are: Stephen Archer, Margaret Geeson, Charles Pope, Beryl Steward, Charles Steward, Corinne Steward.

CHURCH SERVICES

A warm welcome is assured to everyone who would like to join us for a service at 11.15am each Sunday.

1st Sunday Morning Prayer – Common Worship
2nd Sunday Parish Communion – Common Worship
3rd Sunday Family Service – sometimes with Baptism
4th Sunday Parish Communion (1662)
5th Sunday Songs of Praise– Lay led

January 2012

1st [Naming of Jesus] Team Ministry Communion- Dereham
8th [Epiphany] Parish Communion – Jane Nursey
15th [Epiphany2] Family Service – Jane Nursey
22nd [Epiphany3] Parish Communion (1662) – Jane Nursey
29th [Epiphany4 Candlemas] Songs of Praise-Lay

February 2012

5th [3 before Lent] Morning Prayer – Alan Barrett
12th [2 before Lent] Parish Communion – Adrian Aubrey-Jones
19th [next before Lent] Family Service – Adrian Aubrey-Jones
23nd [1st of Lent]Parish Communion (1662) – Sally Theakston

22nd FEBRUARY Ash Wednesday

The latest Dereham Benefice newsletter which has details of Church Services is available on the Benefice website and can be downloaded directly by clicking on the following link: http://www.derehambenefice.co.uk/Newsletter.doc
The newsletter for each week is usually uploaded on the preceding Thursday.

Your Parish Church Needs You!

The church has stood proudly at the top of the hill since the 12th century and there is evidence that parts of an earlier building were recycled into the current one. It is a Grade 1 listed building.

The church is here for everyone and plays a major part in many people's lives at special times, such as baptisms and weddings, as well as funerals. Scarning Parochial Church Council runs the church and is doing its utmost to keep it in reasonable condition. Events are well supported and the PCC is grateful to the Parish Council for taking care of cutting the grass in the churchyard.

So far, so good, but there is a big BUT!
The regular congregation is relatively small and running costs are substantial. As well as contributing to the diocese to help pay for the ministry, there are all the day to day costs, such as insurance, maintenance, lighting and heating

Urgent repairs are needed to the tower roof and to the windows in the south side of the nave, and we hope this work will be done this year. There is enough in our fabric fund to cover these projects, but we need to replenish the fund in order to keep the church in reasonable order. Rainwater disposal might be the next challenge, with new gutters, downpipes and soakaways.

You may be wondering why we don't get a major grant from English Heritage towards the repairs. The reason is simple - our church is not in such a dire condition as others and we don't want to let it reach that state as we believe that most people in Scarning would like the church to be there for generations to come. It is a unique part of our heritage.

In order to secure the future of St Peter and St Paul, we need more income and we are asking for your help, please. A simple donation would be excellent - but it would be even better if lots of people in the village pledged to give a regular amount (however small) to help maintain the church and its ministry. If you are a taxpayer we could also claim Gift Aid worth 25 pence for every £ 1 donated.

If you would like more information, please contact Sue Rockley, secretary to Scarning Parochial Church Council, on 01362 694886. We look forward to seeing you on 12 August, or on any' Sunday morning when you are guaranteed a warm welcome.

Would you like to ring those bells?

Scarning's new bellringers are making excellent progress just 18 months after deciding to learn. the skill and they want more people to join them. Frank and Tricia Foreman and Josh and Trish Harlow signed up as new recruits following a plea to get the six bells at St Peter and St Paul Church chiming regularly again and they have recently been joined by Janice Harris.

Under the tuition of Johnathon White and Paul Edwards, and support from the bellringers at St Nicholas' Church in Dereham, the group now holds practice sessions each week on a Wednesday. They also attend evenings in Dereham and Gressenhall for some extra experience. This year, they have also started ringing for special occasions such as the services for Easter, Mothering Sunday; and Fathers' Day.

Anyone who wants to get involved should telephone Tricia Foreman, tower secretary on 01362 687082.

Scarning Church

This picture shows the church as it is today.

This reproduction of an old postcard showing the church as it was prior to the first World War. The building on the extreme right of this picture was the old Post Office on the other side of Chapel lane.

2011 Scarning Parochial Church Council Report

Scarning Church continues to provide weekly services and to play an important part in the lives of many people in the parish through baptisms, marriages and funerals. It is salutary to think that there has been a church building on this site since the 12^th century and the PCC is committed to doing whatever it can to ensure that St Peter and St Paul remains at the heart of the village.

The Dereham and District Team Ministry is now at full strength with Canon Sally Theakston as the Team Rector, Revd Adrian Aubrey-Jones as the Team Vicar and Revd Edward Thornley as the team curate. The paid clergy team is supported by several retired priests and the Revd Jane Nursey who lives in Scarning.

We are delighted that four people from Scarning are now part of a team which will ring the church bells regularly. The bells themselves are special as they are believed to have been cast on site by an itinerant bell founder.

We are also pleased to welcome the Thalia Theatre Group which uses the church regularly and which recently put on a splendid performance depicting life in Scarning in the time of Dr Augustus Jessopp.

Our main fund raising event last year was the splendid flower festival on the theme of Culinary Delights. Later in the year we held a harvest supper, a concert with fish and chips and a Christmas Fair.

Last year the PCC reported on the measures taken to improve the drainage and to try to get rain water away from the walls. This seems to be having some success in reducing the damp in the building. However, there is now a problem with the lead on the tower and the glazing of the windows in the nave – both of which are allowing water into the building. Our architect visited recently and we await his estimate of the cost of these remedial works.

The PCC is very appreciative of the support that it receives from the community and grateful to the Parish Council for agreeing to be responsible for the grass cutting in the churchyard for the 2011 season. Thanks are also due to the Council for maintaining the church clock.

The issues we face are daunting. This year the congregation is asked to pay £10,000 to the diocese to help fund the clergy. It then has to meet the operational costs of the building and do its utmost to keep it in reasonable condition for the benefit of everyone in the parish.

Our church building is relatively simple but has some special features including a 13^th century font, a 15^th century screen and an exceptionally vibrant 19^th century stained glass east window. The acoustic is superb making the singing very rewarding. A warm welcome is assured to everyone who would like to join us for a service at 1115 each Sunday.
(presented by Sue Rockley 18/04/11)

The choir in the time of Rev.Bignold about 80 or 90 years ago.

barbecue

A Steak Barbecue was held at the home of Charles and Heather Hewson on 1st August 2009

Tucking into steak and sausages cooked and served by Roger Long and family.