St Mary's, Hickling

St Mary's Hickling

The village of Hickling is thought to have had its origins in the fifth century AD. St Mary's was built in the late 14th century. It probably stands on the same site as an earlier church. Bits of this earlier building have been reused within the present structure. We are not sure when the first church was built here. However there was certainly a church on this site at the Norman Conquest. It is recorded in the Domesday Book, 1086, and was probably of considerable age at that time.

In the 13 century the Augustinian Canons of Hickling Priory, (which had been founded in 1185), began building the present church, of stone and knapped flint. It served what by then seems to have been a village of some importance since it supported a weekly market, granted by King John to the Priory in 1204.

The Church was originally dedicated to All Saints. At the Dissolution of the Priory, in 1536, the church took the dedication to St. Mary, which continues to this day. The extent and shape of the building is probably much as it was at the Dissolution, but at about that time the chancel was reduced in length - apparently due to the collapse of the east end - and the earlier dimensions are indicated by the height of the ground outside. The church was heavily restored in 1875, and the immediate effect of the interior - plain, even austere - is as much the result of that as of the medieval builders. Before this restoration there was an oak screen, a gallery at the west end, box pews and a three-decker pulpit.

Take a 360 degree virtual tour of St Mary's

Download Church Guide

Listen to St Mary's church bells

Recorded by Chris Richmond. Visit www.churchbellsofnorfolk.weebly.com to find out more about the bells, how this recording was made, how it is being used at the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre, and to listen to other church bells in Norfolk.

St Mary's church is now open for Sunday Morning Worship

St Mary's is open for regular Sunday Morning Worship every Sunday at 10:30am with the exception of the 2nd Sunday of the month, when it is a 3pm Service of Celebration

Important: Face coverings must be worn to all church services

All are welcome

Please check the Waterside Group opening page for details and updates to all church services taking place in the Waterside Benefice.

Link - Church Services

Worship on Zoom

Benefice wide Zoom Sunday Worship joins
St Catherine's for its Sunday Morning Service.

Please check the Waterside Group opening page for details and updates to all church services taking place in the Waterside Benefice.

To view or download a PDF copy of this week's Zoom Order of Service click the button here.

Zoom order of service

Sunday Morning Worship on Zoom

Should anyone wish to join and participate, please contact me so that I can give you the necessary information.

Contact: Zephney Kennedy 01692 598179 - zlkndy@gmail.com

Hickling Herald

Find out what is happening in the community click on the link below to read the latest news in the Hickling Herald.

Nativity Procession

On Sunday 13 December the Methodists in Hickling led a Nativity Procession through the village and invited St Mary's to join them.

We started at St Mary's walked to the Greyhound, then to the Chapel and finally to the Barn, the village hall.

At each stop a young person read a part of the story of the Nativity before we, safely distanced, sang a carol.

It was a wonderful celebration of Christmas, much enjoyed by all who participated.

Village Advent Calendar

This year the Hickling Parish Council decided to hold a gradual lighting of windows in the village as an Advent Calendar.

On 16 December the porch of St Mary's was lit - thanks to the creative efforts of Debbie Armstrong and Sandra Clarke.

Bible Discussion Group

Thanks to the hospitality of the Methodist Church, the Bible Discussion Group that met at The Greyhound will be able to meet together after a break of six months.

We look forward to welcoming new members and old friends to the meetings in the Church Room of the Methodist Chapel in Hickling.

Please bring your own cup or mug for tea or coffee.

All Covid related precautions will be adhered to when we meet.

Everyone is welcome to join us.

We read a passage from the Bible and discuss issues raised – and others.

If you would like to meet us and join us there, please contact Zephney Kennedy Tel: 01692 598179 email: zlkndy@gmail.com

Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path. Psalm 27:11

Please check the monthly Hickling Herald or here on the Benefice website for any changes.

Benefice Holy Communion
at St Mary's

On the Sunday of Epiphany, 5 January 2020, the Bishop of Thetford, the Right Reverend Alan Winton, celebrated Holy Communion at the Waterside Benefice Service at St Mary's, Hickling.

The meaningful service and thought-provoking address were appreciated by the congregation, as was the opportunity to chat with Bishop Alan over coffee following the service.

A Bell-Ringing Success

In September 2019, Hickling ringers entered the annual striking competition of the Norwich Diocesan Association of Ringers. This was a great achievement on many levels. We have not even had a band for about 20 years, and the bells have been unringable for much of that time.

The competition was on six bells, and there are only five at Hickling, so we only had one practice as a six-bell band (many thanks to Catfield). Four of the band (Doreen Beales, Linda Marquis, Dave and myself) have been learning to ring for only 18 months. The others were two very experienced ringers – Nigel Moody, and one of our teachers.

We entered the novice rounds category, and were delighted to be awarded second place! What an afternoon! We’d like to thank St Mary’s PCC for making this possible, and to so many people in the village who have encouraged us.

We are now ringing for services at both Catfield and Hickling when we have enough ringers to do so.

If you’d like to join us, or learn more about ringing, pop along to St Mary’s on a Friday afternoon to see what’s involved.

Jo Belsten

Julian Prayer Meeting in Hickling every third Tuesday in the month

Suspended - meetings will resume as soon as it is deemed appropriate to do so.

However, contact in the group is being continued via email or post of the reading to folk so that they may pray when we would normally meet.

Are you drawn to Christian Contemplative Prayer and Meditation?

Julian Meetings are meetings for Christian silent, contemplative prayer.

We meet in Hickling every third Tuesday in the month at 10:00am.

People from all denominations are very welcome to join us.

In silent, contemplative prayer we seek to be aware of the presence of God and to remain in that presence, completely open to God.

Waiting, Listening, Open, here we meet with God. "All we can do in prayer is dispose ourselves. The rest is in the power of the Spirit who leads us."
Theresa of Avila 16th C.

The following is material from a recent meeting to aid contemplation.

From Julian Meeting 18 May 2021
Meditation Psalm 42

Psalm 42 describes the human struggle of the author. We see it going back and forth: moments of despair, and then coming back to the refrain in which the author tells his soul to hope in God and to be certain that God is there and will redeem him, so that he can go up again and praise God. Also psalm 43 can be seen as part of the entire psalm. Especially because Psalm 43 has no separate introduction like other psalms do, and the refrain of Psalm 42 we see again at the end of Psalm 43.

It is not certain when this psalm was written. It is clear that it was in a situation in which the author was in exile, away from the house of God. This could have been during the Babylonian exile, but it is also possible that this psalm was written by or on the time of David when David had to flee from Absalom. And there are other possibilities. It would be nice for us to know when this psalm was written, because then we could imagine in what kind of situation the author was. But the Bible doesn’t tell us and the Holy Spirit did not consider this to be important. The reason why this psalm is part of the Bible, is because God uses it to teach us. It speaks about God’s people, and it speaks about Christ, our Saviour.

The author describes his misery. In verse 1 he says that he pants for God. He is seeking God, but cannot go to God. In the Old Testament, the people came to the temple to come before God. Or if this was in the time of David, it was the tabernacle. It was together with the entire people that the author usually went up to God’s dwelling place. But now he is away from God’s people and away from the house of God. In verse 6 he speaks about the land of the Jordan, and of Hermon, and the Hill Mizar. This is the area east of the Jordan, probably north-east. This indicates that it is impossible for him to go to God’s house. It is too far away, but probably also because his enemies prevent him from going there. And he misses it, so much that he is miserable. Especially in the situation that his enemies are making life hard on him, he desires to come before God. But now, being away from God makes him deeply miserable, so much as if he is languishing and dying of thirst.

His soul thirsts for God. This reminds us of what we read in John 7:37-39, where the Lord Jesus Christ tells all those who thirst to come to Him and drink. And at many more places in the Bible God speaks about coming to God to receive the water of life. As Israel was thirsting in the desert, in Exodus 17, and God gave them flowing streams of water, so Christ gives His people living water. It is for God that the author thirsts, it is for God, that God’s people thirsts. If God doesn’t give water, living water, to our souls, then we will die, a miserable death, away from God. He speaks about the waters of God’s wrath. Verse 7: Deep calls to deep, at the noise of your waterfalls; all your waves and billows have gone over me. Instead of refreshing flowing streams of living water, he now has to suffer under the waves of God’s wrath. It is like dying from thirst during a storm at sea.

What is most terrible for him is not so much what his enemies do to him. He doesn’t tell much about his own situation. If this psalm is from David, he doesn’t speak about Absalom, or other enemies and what they did to him. Or if it is during the Babylonian exile, he does not speak about the terrible deeds of the Babylonians. No, it is all about the terrible thing of being away from God. In that, we see the prophecy of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was for Him the deepest suffering and anguish of hell, not when the people mocked Him, but when He was forsaken by God. In verse 3 the author recalls the words of his enemies: Where is your God? And that is the question that haunts him. Where is God? We see that when our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, in Matthew 27:43, there we read: ‘He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God’.” And later the Lord Jesus Himself cried oud: My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? That is the real misery, about which this psalm speaks. This misery, which the author suffers, is a foreshadowing of the suffering and death of Christ. It is because the deepest anguish and misery of our Lord Jesus Christ which He suffered on the cross that the author can now say in response to his suffering and anguish: Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him. Because Christ continued to love God and call on Him, even when He was forsaken by God, now God’s people may know that God will not forsake them and they will stand before God again and praise Him. Because Christ went under in the waters of God’s wrath and died eternal death, we will never be separated from the love of God, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

You may also like to follow the link below to read the Bible Gateway, NRSVA version of Psalm 42

Bible Gateway

For more information contact Zephney Kennedy
Tel: 01692 598179 email: zlkndy@gmail.com

Please check the latest Hickling Herald for any changes.

Hickling Herald

Safeguarding

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults and ensuring their wellbeing.

If you have any concerns for a child or vulnerable adult then please contact Zephney Kennedy tel: 01692 598179

As part of The Church of England, The Waterside Benefice, its clergy and leaders are committed to safeguarding as an integral part of the life and ministry of the Church.

‘The Church of England is called to share the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. The life of our communities and institutions is integral to how we address this task. The good news speaks of welcome for all, with a particular regard for those who are most vulnerable, into a community where the value and dignity of every human being is affirmed and those in positions of responsibility and authority are truly trustworthy. Being faithful to our call to share the gospel therefore compels us to take with the utmost seriousness the challenge of preventing abuse from happening and responding well where it has’.

From ‘Promoting a Safer Church’, The Church of England’s Safeguarding Policy Statement.

Below is a link to the Norwich Diocesan Safeguarding page with contact details for Diocesan Safeguarding.

Norwich Diocesan Safeguarding Page

You can also speak to the ChildLine helpline - call free on 0800 1111

or click on the link below to find out how they can help.

ChildLine

Harvest Service September 2020

Thanksgiving for Creation on 4 October

Photos of our pets were displayed around the church, and the Warden of the Nature Reserve, John Blackburn, addressed us about the reserve and the creatures to be seen there now.

St Mary's Book and Nook History Corner

The door of St Mary's on VE75 Day
decorated by Sandra Clarke
the PCC Treasurer

Remembrance Sunday Service November 2019

Many thanks to all who took part and all who attended.

As usual, the collection will be given to The Royal British Legion. The amount raised at the service was a splendid £300.

Where to find us

St Mary's, The Walk Hickling NR12 0BQ

Who's Who

Vicar - Vacant

For enquiries during the vacancy, please contact:

The Revd Catherine Dobson
Rural Dean St Benet at Waxham & Tunstead

The Rectory
The Hill
Happisburgh
Norwich
NR12 0PW

Tel: 01692 650359
E-mail:revcdobson@live.com

Mr Ian Watton

Licensed Reader, Waterside Group (Benefice);

Tel: 01692 598907

Zephney Kennedy

Authorised Worship Assistant
PCC Member

Tel: 01692 598179
E-mail: zlkndy@gmail.com

Sandra Clarke

Churchwarden and PCC Treasurer, Hickling

Tel: 01692 598368
E-mail: sandra.clarke6@gmail.com