News and events
Can you help save the Tower of St Mary’s?
Please click here for more details.
Women’s World Day of Prayer
A service prepared by the Christian Women of Cameroon, ‘Let everything that has breath praise God’ - Friday, 5th March, 2pm at St James the Less, Nutley. All are welcome - men, women and young people!
Mothering Sunday
All mums, dads, grandmas, grandads and children (of course) are welcome to join us at St Mary’s on Sunday, 14th March for a family service to celebrate Mothering Sunday. (Come to that, uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers etc etc are welcome too!) We hope that Newick School Choir and children will be taking part.
Lent event
Just a one-off event for Lent this year. Again at Barcombe parish church, 7 for 7.30pm, in the Conker Room. Subject: Christian Heroes; speaker: Mr Chris Lear.
Men's Supper
The next Supper (7.45 for 8pm) will be on Friday, 12th March with Imtiaz Ashraf, development manager for The Persecuted Church.
Bible by the Beach
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne
Friday 30th April - Monday 3rd May
This is an annual event for all ages with lively worship and excellent Bible teaching. The theme for 2010 is 'Glory in the Cross' with internationally renowned speakers and musicians. There will be a wide range of seminars with youth and children's programmes running alongside the adult programme. Lou Fellingham and Phatfish will be in concert on the Saturday evening (tickets available from the Congress box office).
Prices for the full weekend are: Adult £60 (£50 for the over-65s); Youth & Students (16-21) £20; Children (Reception to Year 11) £5; Pre-school children - free.
Day rates are: Adult - Friday £15, Saturday £25, Sunday £15, Monday £20; Youth & Students - £5, Sunday evening only - no charge.
Special early-bird rates are available for church group bookings.
See Bible by the Beach for more details.
Christmas Tree festival
The Christmas Tree festival was in the church and barn over the weekend of 12th-13th December 2009. All proceeds in aid of Newick charities / associations and St Mary's Church Restoration Fund. See some trees here. It is hoped to stage another tree festival next Christmas, so watch out for details later in the year, and meanwhile, be planning your entry!
Restful retreats
There are several places not too far away where you can visit to receive teaching or to 'recharge your batteries'.
Day courses (and longer) are run at: Ashburnham Place, Penshurst Retreat Centre and Crowhurst Healing Centre, all near Battle; Burrswood Place, Groombridge; Pilgrim Hall near Halland; Hook Hall, Uckfield.
Some of these are also run as retreat centres where you can have a really restful break.
Parish magazine - help required!
We could do with a bit more help on two fronts: Assembling the magazine (about 2 hours on the afternoon of the Tuesday before the last Sunday of the month) and distributing - delivering magazines once a month, plus collecting subs once a year. Please email (address below) for details. Alternatively, perhaps you could volunteer to stand in once or twice a year to cover someone's round during holidays or sickleave?
Dancing for Fun and Fitness
Dance and exercise sessions suitable for ladies 'of a certain age', aimed at improving flexibility, mobility, balance, fitness, bone density and general wellbeing. The cost is only £2 per session.
Gentle exercise, movement and dance for fun and fitness: Wednesdays 11am - 12.30pm, St Mary's Barn Centre
Fridays 2.30pm - 4pm, St Mary's Barn Centre
The sessions are sponsored by St Mary's Church, Sport Relief, and Wealden Healthcare PCT. For more information please get in touch with Patsy Bailey, or use the email address at the foot of this page.
Church appeal fund
We are very grateful to all those who have been able to contribute towards the renovations, together with the following bodies for grants awarded:
Allchurches Trust Limited
Garfield
Weston Foundation
Gatwick
Airport Community Trust
Sussex Historic Churches Trust
Viridor
Credits Environmental Company
and for all the work done by the Friends
of St Mary's Church.
The church tower and the lightning conductor are our next priorities.
We extend our very grateful thanks
to all those who have
donated so far, while we continue to appeal for more money to come in.
The Friends of St Mary's Church have kindly agreed to fund the
replacement of the lightning conductor.
English parish churches are an essential part of our landscape, and our
visitors' book records visits from people all over the world. Records
show that there was a church in Newick in the year 1080. One Norman
window still survives. The chancel was added around the time of the
Battle of Lewes, 1264. The porch dates from about 1400, with the tower
being added soon after. The church has been a focal point of the
village for so many generations, but it's not all history! We want the
church to be useful, warm and welcoming today, and in a good state to
hand on to those who come after us. We want to keep it open for
weddings, christenings and funerals as well as for weekly worship.
Without care and repair that won't be possible.
If you are able to help by making a donation - perhaps in memory of a
loved one - please use the email address at the foot of this page, for
a Gift Aid form and details of where to send donations. Thank you.
Weekly Prayer Group
A small group meets regularly at Cobbs Nest Farmhouse, Newick, to pray together for our church and the community it serves. We have been meeting on Mondays at 2pm for about half-an-hour of open prayer, followed by tea and coffee for those wishing to stay on for discussion afterwards. Anyone is welcome to come and go as their time allows - it is totally informal. Pleae speak to Kate Francis if you would like to be involved but prefer a different day and/or time. (The times given here may change, so do please check first!)
Open House
If you're feeling down in the dumps, lonely, sad or grieving
for a
departed relative or friend, you might like to join us at Newick
Community Centre on the fourth Thursday of the month, 3.00-4.30pm. We
offer tea, cakes and friendly company. Come for the whole time or just
drop in for part of it. We'll be very pleased to see you. (These 'Open
House' meetings are organised and funded by the Newick TLC Team.)
Newick Distress Trust
The Trust, which is a registered charity, was founded in 1984 and since its foundation has helped many individuals and families in the village who have been in critical financial need. Anyone wishing to apply for assistance, or to obtain further information, should speak to one of the Trustees who can be contacted by emailing the address below, and this will of course be treated in the strictest confidence.
Give us a ring . . .
We're still on the lookout for new ringers. You do not have to be a church-goer to join us, so if you would like to give it a try, please get in touch with Allen Lucas (his phone number is in the Parish Magazine - or use the email address at the foot of this page), he'd be delighted to hear from you!
Projector
We would like to have a projector to show PowerPoint presentations to help us with our Young People's work. If you can help us by donating one, please email us at the address below.
Forthcoming attractions
PCC meetings 2010, 7.30pm - 15th March, 17th May, 12th July, 13th September, 15th November
Annual Parochial Church Meeting - Monday, 26th April, 7.30pm
If you have any items of news regarding the Church or know of a Church event that you would like to see published here, please email details to