We had a beautiful sunny day for the Coffee Morning on Thursday 6th November, held in the Village Hall.

In addition to the tasty refreshments there were very popular Tombola  and Cake stalls.  There was also the chance to win a Christmas cake by guessing its weight, win a large tub of chocolate favourites, and buy some good bargains at a bring-and-buy stall.
Our sincere thanks to all who supported and ran this enjoyable event.  Over £200 was raised towards  church funds.

On Remembrance Day we joined the other parishes of the Benefice for a joint service at Elsing church.  It was very well attended .  This our largest church was full to capacity.  In the Act of Remembrance the names of all those from our villages who fell in the two World Wars were read out – some 60 names.  In his sermon, the Rector reminded us of every family in every parish being involved in those terrible global wars, and a complete generation of sons often being lost.

Villagers from Bawdeswell who died in World War I  

1914-1918   PERCY WRIGHT, ROYDON RIX , RUSSEL TOOLEY, BERTIE TOOLEY,  WALTER JOHNSON, RICHARD JOHNSON , JAMES CURRY, EDMUND MORTIMER, CHARLES HATLEY, FREDERICK CLARKE , JAMES WALKER, GEORGE BUGDALE , ALFRED E BAKER, STANLEY SADLER , FREDRICK RISEBOROUGH                                                                                   

World War II    1939-1945   COLIN JOHNSON, 
GEORGE PARKE              

We are looking forward to Christmas now and the celebration of the birth of Jesus.   Our Carol Service is scheduled for Sunday 21st December at 10.30am and there will be a Midnight Mass starting at 11pm on Christmas Eve.

Dear Everybody, hello again.

In the run-up to Christmas, some people will still be buying presents, and others will have got them all wrapped, labelled, and sitting in a cupboard since last January sales.  We give presents in the way we do most things, and how we give tells as much about us as it does about the recipient.

How do you decide what to give someone?  And how do you decide who is on your present list?  Do you ever ask someone what they want, or do you always try to surprise them?  Do you give more expensive presents to people who are richer?  Do you feel disappointed if the presents you receive don’t seem as carefully chosen as the ones you gave?

These days, when credit is easy to obtain and the habit of saving up for things is a memory as distant as the days when we could leave our front doors unlocked, it’s harder and harder to buy things for people.  They probably either have something, or don’t know that they need it.  Children are easier to buy for because they come into the world with nothing; but from an increasingly early age they are influenced by fashions in toys and clothes. 

It’s important not be anxious about what to give.  It’s true that it’s the thought that counts.  People like being thought of (remembered) and thought about (understood).  A little something given with love is better than a lot given with strings attached.

At Christmas, we celebrate a gift given long ago. A new life. Jesus is a sign of God’s thought and love for us, that we are both remembered and understood.

God bless you this Christmas.   

David Head.