Ashbourne Deanery churches - News
October 12th - the Rev'd. Harold Dobbin retired from full time ministry, leaving the parishes of Clifton, Norbury and Snelston. He and Rosemary will remain in Derby diocese - Harold will be a non-stipendiary senior industrial chaplain, working in particular at Bombardier, but with other responsibilities elsewhere within Industrial Mission in Derbyshire.
The Rev'd Christopher Harrison is also moving - to be priest in charge of the churches of All Saints, St Mary and St. Peter, Nottingham - click here for details of the parish. He will be licensed in St. Mary's church at 3.30 pm on Sunday 22nd February. His last service in the parishes of Fenny Bentley, Thorpe, Tissington, Alsop en le Dale and Parwich will probably be on Sunday 8th February.
August - Ashbourne town in collaboration with local churches plans to stage a live nativity play as part of the late night shopping evening on December 12th. This will comprise a series of scenes staged at different places in the town. Volunteers are needed - click here for more details.
August - a splendid article from the Derby Mercury of May 23rd, 1883, has recently been unearthed, describing the reopening of Alsop church following the major rebuilding programme which resulted in the church as we know it today. Ten clergy, including the Archdeacon of Derby, and a large number of gentry including “the misses FitzHerbert”, were present at what appears to have been an event of great celebration and considerable conviviality. The Archdeacon compared the previous building to “something like a lumber room”, also commenting that “the material fabric of a church was designed in order that people might seek in the worship of God the means of building up their own spiritual life”. See a fuller note on the Parwich village website.
On Sunday 13th July at 10.30 am the Bishop of Patna was the chief guest at a service in St. Oswald's church, Ashbourne, at which Ashbourne Methodist church members were also present. All the bishops visiting Derbyshire as part of the preparation for the Lambeth conference attended a Songs of Praise Festival at Carsington Water later that afternoon - see this report on the Ashbourne News Telegraph website.
On Sunday 6th July at 6 pm the Bishop of Repton dedicated a new stained glass window in Parwich church, along with a replica of the ancient Norman tympanum situated over the west door, which has become badly weathered. See the Parwich church page for details of the window and the tympanum.
June - the churches of St. Oswald and St. John, Ashbourne, with St. Mary's Mappleton, welcome a new curate - Mike Doyle, with his wife Sarah and two sons Michael and Benedict - see details in this newpaper article.
On Sunday 4th May a service was held to mark the closing of Parwich Methodist chapel. From now on Methodists in Parwich will worship at St. Peter's church. Click here for more details.
Thursday 1st May, Ascension Day, saw the traditional service for the blessing of the wells at Tissington. The guest preacher was the bishop of Repton, the Rt. Rev'd. Humphrey Southern. The service was led by the vicar of Tissington, Rev. Christopher Harrison. There were six wells dressed according to a wide variety of themes, from the Empty Tomb to "Help exterminate breast cancer", using a pink dalek as the theme. Also present was the Rt. Rev'd Hilary Akeba, from the Sudan, who spoke most movingly about the importance of wells in his diocese.
March - Members of Ashbourne churches were part of the setting of a new world record for the simultaneous eating of Fairtrade bananas, when 361 people each ate a banana in Victoria Square as part of the town's Fair Trade Fortnight celebrations. See this article from the Ashbourne News Telegraph.
March - Barbara Wager of Thorpe has unearthed a splendid account of a confirmation service held at Thorpe church in 1869. Click here for details.