Church and PCC

St Michaels Church lies at the centre of the village and is part of the Upper Alde Benefice

The Rector is The Revd. Jonathan Olanczuk who can be contacted on 01728 638823
or email olanczuk@suffolkonline.net

Benefice website is www.upperaldebenefice.com

Members of Rendham Parochial Church Council

CHAIRMAN: Reverend Jonathan Olanczuk, Rector

CHURCHWARDENS: Mr Charles Seely, Rendham Barnes

Mrs Frances Hill, White Gate Lodge The Green IP17 2AX

HON. TREASURER: Mr Colin Walker, Bamfield at Half Acre, Saxtead Rd,
Dennington

FABRIC OFFICER: Jonathan Stevens, 1 Bridge Farm Cottages Sweffling IP17 2BA

Mrs Jean Palmer, Stonesthrow, Bruisyard Road

Mr Jonathan Stevens, 1 Bridge Farm Cottages, Sweffling (bells)

The Altar of St Michael's Church

John Wright Church Warden 1746

Vicars of St Michael's

Floor Brass to Thomas King Vicar who died 26th April 1313

St Michaels Church Bells (pictures taken during renovation work)

Bell ringing practice every Friday 6-7pm at St Michael's Rendham. If you are interested, please contact Jonathan Stevens 664074 or John Tesh 663518

Old Tombstones under the carpet

Drawing by Jack Godefroy

St Michael's is an Anglican Parish Church but there are other Churches/places of worship in the surrounding areas

Christian Fellowship formally Cransford Baptist Church	Cransford
Quaker	Waterloo Avenue, Leiston
Roman Catholic	St Clare's Fore Street, Framlingham
United Free (United Reform & Methodist)	Framlingham
United Reformed	Rendham Road, Saxmundham

For information about the gravestones in the church go to the following site
www.pope-genealogy.me.uk/Rendham.htm

Churchyard Notes

At the PCC we've been discussing how we look after the churchyard here at St Michael's. Aware as we are of the Church of England's policy to uphold an environmental strategy on its land, we have been trying to keep a balance between the needs of our “users” living and otherwise, and our responsibility to nurture the special plants that live there too.

We invited Sue Stone of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust to share her knowledge and experience with us. She has come over a number of times and following an extensive survey and having found over forty plants that grow here, many indicators of an ancient Suffolk wildflower meadow, has made some recommendations based on her findings; now we would be pleased to hear from all our friends in the village as to how we should proceed.

At present the churchyard is cut overall four times a year. There are three areas that would benefit from being cut one less time, one being left uncut later than the other two, the timing being dependant on the “Wildflower Window” as Sue calls it. Wildflower area one is to the North West of the tower, area two is to the South West of the tower and the third, later flowering area is between the blocked up South door and the diagonal footpath, so loved by our dog-walkers. After each cut on these Wildflower Windows, the clippings would need to be removed, raked off and composted; we'd need some volunteers to help with that.

The rest of the churchyard would be mown, just as it is at the moment. With the right cutting regime we can get to enjoy the colour and form of plants that are suited to the conditions that only an unsprayed sanctuary can provide.

We have a little time before the next season to get things sorted. Here is a sketch of the churchyard showing where the Wildflower Windows would be. If you would like to help or voice an opinion, please do; it would be good to have a churchyard we can be even more proud of.

Jonathan Stevens

jonathanstevens@swefling-furniture.co.uk

Photos taken on 23 rd of July 2014 , showing various species of Bumble bees , a Red Soldier Beetle , cricket and a Hover fly , as well as a very tattered Meadow Brown butterfly. There has been an explosion of Scabious throughout the southern end of the churchyard (area between the church and the Village Hall gate which is our originally designated wildlife area) that has been a particularly pleasant surprise , bearing in mind those seed have waited many years to actually grow and finally manage to flower ! The Churchyard meadow is now becoming a great nectar source for many insects , as well as providing vertical structure and habitat for many other insects . It will be cut for hay in the next week or so, after most of these summer flowers have flowered and seeded - and by beginning of August it will be clear of long grass - to allow for another cut in autumn.

Article in local paper