Well here we are, gearing up for another Christmas!  Of which more later…..

But that means we’re also gearing up for another New Year.  Most new years bring some sort of change, and that’s the case with the 5 churches in our Glaven Valley Benefice.

As from January, we’re offering a new service schedule around the churches.  Actually a lot of things will remain as they were, but there are also quite a few differences, either times of services or the services themselves.  We hope that many people will be attracted by some of the new things on offer, and will come and give them a go.  They include Café Church at Cley, once a month – an informal service at the back of church, with coffee and pastries, and newspapers as well as song sheets!  There will also be a quarterly “Sacred Space”, a reflective time of readings and recorded music on a particular theme.  Letheringsett will be launching a new service of Morning Prayer in contemporary language, at 9.30, once a month.  Blakeney will be changing its main service time to 9.30 as well, to spread the service times better over the course of the morning.  Some services will be moving to a different Sunday in the month.

You may perhaps have already seen the advert elsewhere in this magazine.  Do look out for more details in future editions from January onwards.  Whatever the service – new or old, formal or informal – a warm and friendly welcome awaits anyone who’d like to come along and join us.  We’re living in stressful times generally for many people, and we can recommend the practice of setting aside some time for reflecting on the deeper things, to get life in order!   It’s one suggestion for a New Year resolution!

But before then, it will be Christmas.  And it goes without saying, it would be a delight to see you at any of our Christmas services too, over the next few weeks.  I hope that the weeks of December, leading up to the great celebration, will not be too hectic and you’ll find some moments to stand back and draw breath.  And when we get there, I wish you all a wonderful, peaceful, and joyful Christmas!

Richard.