Hethersett a norfolk village on the web

Hethersett Methodist Church is a part of the Norwich Methodist Circuit. For more information about the Methodist Church, go to Click Here. Those who attend the church are encouraged to become members of the Methodist Church, although all are welcome to play their part in the life of the church.

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission statement is to encourage people into a personal and deepening relationship with God ... Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

WORSHIP

Services are held each Sunday, at 10 30 a.m and 6 30 p.m. Full details of this month's service are shown on this website click here for details.

Worship varies in style to meet the needs of our congregation. Holy Communion is usually celebrated at the morning service on the first Sunday of the month and at the evening service on the third Sunday. Most of the services are led by the Minister, other services by local (lay) preachers of the Methodist Church. There are also special bite size services which are shorter.

CHURCH ORGANISATION

The Church Council makes the policy decisions which shape our life and mission. The council consists of Ministers, stewards, officers and elected members, and meets three times a year.

The policies of the council are put into practise by four committees who oversee key aspects of the work of the church.

ARTS AND CRAFTS GROUP

The art and craft group meets every Wednesday morning in the upper room at the church from 10am to noon.

It is an informal club where people come to paint, draw, sew or write. There is no tuition and no equipment is supplied.

This is an all ability group where anyone is welcome.

There is a charge of 50p per session to pay for rental costs but this includes coffee or tea.

For further information contact Tina on Norwich 810364.

PRAYER GROUP

On alternate Wednesday afternoons at 1.45 p.m a group of ladies meet together to study and pray at 50 New Road, Hethersett.

This is for anyone who would like to learn more about the love of God, whether or not they attend a church. It is an opportunity to read the Bible together and find out what God has to say on different subjects. Each session has a theme such as forgiveness, fear, trust etc. We look at what other Christians have to say on the matter as well from books and Bible notes. Then we end the afternoon with tea of coffee and informal chat.

For further information ring Jean on Norwich 810845.

CHURCH RESIDENTIAL EVENTS

Regular 'away days' and church weekends are held, usually at the St Gabriel's Conference Centre, Ditchingham. St Gabriel's lies in the Suffolk countryside, and about 40 minutes drive from Hethersett. The theme of the 2001 conference was "Living as a Christian Family"

LADIES BREAKFAST

These breakfasts are prepared by the men of the Church. There is a choice of cooked of continental style breakfast.

We meet three times a year. Breakfast is followed by a speaker at about 9.45 a.m and we finish by 10.30 a.m.

In order to help with catering please make contact with the Church by the Wednesday prior to the Saturday meeting. The co-ordinator is Anne Steward.

MEN'S BREAKFAST

Start your month off with a meal provided for you. Meet with other men where the talk around the breakfast table centres around the important issues of the day such as the future of Norwich City Football Club, women driving us crazy at home. The jobs we should be doing are left aside for a while and an enjoyable time is had.

The food is wonderful from the cereal to the bacon and egg.

Then comes the talk from someone who knows what he is talking about. We end it all by asking a few difficult questions of the speaker. It's been happening for a while now. Why not join us?

We meet at:

9am on the 1st Saturday of the month.

To book a place phone Bonnie on 812582 or Gill on 810545

MUSIC AT HETHERSETT METHODIST CHURCH

There is an active musical life in the church, representing a variety of styles of worship. There's always an opportunity for musicians, experienced or not so experienced to take part.

SINGING FELLOWSHIP

The Singing Fellowship is a group of musical ladies who aim to sing their faith, and grow as Christians together. The Fellowship meets very two weeks for rehearsals, and sings in old people's homes, churches and hospitals in our area as well as contributing to the Sunday services from time to time.

ROOM HIRE AND FACILITIES

There are three rooms available for hire on Church premises:

1. A small room at the rear of the Church seating 12-15
2. A large hall seating approx. 100
3. An upstairs room seating approx. 35

All rooms are served by a kitchen on the ground floor.

The rooms are ideal for small committee or group meetings (no alcohol is permitted on the premises) and for children's parties.

There is parking for 20 cars.

For further information please contact Neville Greenhalgh. Tel: 01603 810364.

THE CHURCH CANDLESTICK

In the autumn of 2000, the church's Worship Committee decided to find a way of signalling the beginning of worship. It was decided to commission a candlestick, place it at the front of the sanctuary, and light the candle as a sign that worshippers might spend some quiet time in preparation for worship. A member of the church, John Adams, was asked to make the candlestick, and this is John's account of his work…………

In 1977 a young couple moved into a house on an estate at East Grinstead in Sussex. The houses were built in 1970 and although the gardens were small, the builders had been obliged to leave a maturing oak tree growing in the middle of the garden at the back. To me it was a lovely tree whose trunk rose straight up about 20 feet before the canopy opened. It was a potential source of beautiful English Oak planks with which to make furniture. To the owners, however it was a menace, which, when in full leaf in spring and summer, overpowered their house and garden.

In 1982 they were given permission to have the tree removed providing they planted another suitable tree somewhere in the garden. In early 1983 they had the tree felled and everything removed except the trunk, which was cut into three pieces 6 or 7 feet in length. Owing to the restricted access to the back garden these pieces had to be split into four quarters with wedges, by a local woodman before he could take them to his yard to dry out. In 1985 he cut them into planks an inch and an inch and a half thick and delivered them to my workshop in Hailsham in Sussex.

Over the next four years it dried out sufficiently for use in furniture making, but I could not find a job which I thought suitable for wood of this quality. The lower grade pieces were used for a garden seat and ornamental garden wheelbarrow, but the best pieces remained and were brought here to Hethersett when we moved in 1996.

When I was asked to make the candlestick it seemed an ideal use for some of it and I enjoyed making it. The sharp eyed among you may have noticed an error in the machining on the candlestick. There is a tradition, among people of many crafts, that "only God is perfect" so a deliberate mistake is made in hand made items and who am I to pass up such a perfect excuse for a mistake! I have a few pieces of the wood left and wonder what they may be used for. My grandson aged seven is interested in helping granddad with 'Jobs', so who knows!

See also the section on Church Groups by clicking here