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Armistice Centenary 

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2018 was the Centenary of the Armistice which took effect from 11.00am on 11th November 1918, resulting in a cessation of hostilities on the Western Front in the First World War. 

We commemorated the Centenary of the Armistice in Rothley with a number events, including the Casualty Walk, A Celebration of Harmony concert, and Service of Remembrance at Rothley Church.

The Roll of Honour at Rothley Parish Church was refurbished in 2018, details are provided below.

 

Casualty Walk - Saturday 10th November

Charles Poole led the Casualty Walk and showed where our casualties grew up, and also saw some of the memorials, which were written about in Marion Vincent's book Rothley Remembers, Men & Memorials (copies are still available from Terry Sheppard for £15).

Charles was accompanied on the walk by Sam Sleath, a representative of a listed casualty, Private Sydney Feltham Bull. Sam's home in Woodgate is next door to that used by the Bull household, and was built by Sam Sleath's great grandfather Frank. Sydney Bull emigrated to Australia before WW1 but joined the Australian Infantry Force (the 'AIF'), returning to the old country only to be killed in action in France.

The walk ended at the Methodist Church on Howe Lane where there is a special plaque placed in his honour by Sydney's father Edwin Bull, a Methodist elder, in 1921. John Garratt, 92 year old nephew of Sidney Bull was present, and is pictured below with Sam Sleath as Sidney Bull.

Donations were given to The Royal British Legion.
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[photo of Sydney Feltham Bull] [Nephew John Garratt and Sam Sleath as Uncle Sid Bull]

A Celebration of Harmony Concert - Saturday 10th November

The concent featured 33 men of the Grand Central Chorus barber shop ensemble, representing the 33 casualties listed on the Great War Reredos in the north aisle of the Rothley Church (view photo in new Window).

Private Bull appeared again in his AIF uniforn, and reading a letter from him to his parents, and called out the words of the Ode of Remembrance after the trumpet sounds the Last Post. The Chorus had a special national award winning quartet called Finest Hour, who sang two tear-jerking pieces including So Long Mother.

 

Service of Remembrance - Sunday 11th November

A Service of Remembrance was held at 10am at Rothley Parish Church, where David Wilson preached a sermon on The Respectful Roman from John 19.1-16a. An MP3 audio recording is available for download (17:32) or can be streamed online from the Sermons MP3 page. A Youth Service was also held at 10am at Rothley Centre. The two services were  both followed by an Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial on Cross Green, including 2 minutes silence at 11.00am.
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[Poppies in First World War shell case] [Centenary of the Armistice - Act of Remembrance at Rothley War Memorial] [Act of Remembrance led by Rev Rob Gladstone]

[Rothley War Memorial]

 

Refurbishment of the Roll of Honour

The restoration of the Roll of Honour during the centenary year of The Great War was the wish of the late John Sheppard DCM, who attended the church regularly and did much voluntary work for Rothley over many decades. The wooden memorial is located near the West Door (Tower).

John Sheppard consulted the Parochial Church Council (PCC) in September 2014. The PCC agreed to go ahead with the work. John died on 26th February 2015 and Frank and Marion Whitby took over the project.

The Roll of Honour in Rothley Parish Church is dedicated to 292 men from Rothley village who served in The Great War 1914-1918. It is unusual in that it records the names of all the Rothley men who served and this provides additional information for local families and researchers. The 28 names of those who died are recorded in gold lettering in the centre panel and the lettering for the 264 names on the folding wings of the memorial is in red. (It is interesting to note that the Great War Reredos in the North aisle lists 33 deaths, and when it came to reviewing the names on the Cross Green Memorial, the missing Bertie Bates was added, making 34 in total). 

Over the years the lettering on the memorial had deteriorated and in some places it was difficult to read. The timber frame, centre panel and wings were also in need of repair, cleaning and protecting for the first time since it was presented by Catherine Broadhurst of Rothley Temple.

The restoration was undertaken by Belgrave Conservation which specialises in fine and decorative art conservation, is accredited by ICON (The Institute of Conservation). Work such as this requires a Faculty (or Permission) from the Diocese of Leicester. Preparing the Faculty Application papers started in spring 2017. On Monday 23 July 2018, Claire Ridley ACR and Dr Campbell Norman-Smith of Belgrave Conservation began work on the memorial. The work took 5 days. The aim of the restoration was to carry out a complete and sympathetic refurbishment which does service to this beautiful and unusual memorial.

The Roll of Honour was rededicated by Rev. Rob Gladstone during the 9am Sunday service on 28th October 2018. An MP3 audio recording of the rededication is available for download (4:48), or can be streamed online from the Sermons MP3 page. 

If you would like to see the Roll of Honour, Rothley Parish Church is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday during the summer months. 
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Glenys
Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello 

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect at our Sunday Services.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Services.  You can check service times on our calendar.  In July and August our service pattern may change so please check the calendar before planning a visit.

Communion (The Lord's Supper)

Check the calendar to see when we celebrate the Lord's death and resurrection by sharing in bread and wine.

9.30am Service with Choir and Organ or said Communion. No service 5th Sunday of every month.

Coffee and Tea will be served after this service at 10:45.  All refreshments are free and its a great way to meet people from the 9:30 and 11:00 services.

11.00am Informal Service with Music Group.  Children's & Youth Work. No service 1st Sunday of every month.

1st Sunday of the month: Shine!  An event for all ages at 4:00pm. 
Shine - something different.  More details here.

2nd Sunday of the month:  Choral Evensong at 6:00pm.

4th Sunday of the month:  Prayer meeting at 6:00pm.

When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: The church does not have a car park, but we have the use of the Victoria Mills car park on Fowke Street for Services.  This is about 75 metres from the church building.
The church building does not have toilets.  Toilets are available in the Old School Rooms which are between the church building and the Victoria Mills car park.  This includes a toilet for people with a disability and baby changing facilities.
If you need to be dropped off nearer the church building, please contact us so that we can explain how you can do this.
The paths from the public footpaths to the church building are uneven.
There is a sound loop for anyone who needs it.  Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up.

11:00am Service

Someone from the church will welcome everyone.  There will be singing (you don't have to join in), readings from the Bible and prayers.  Someone will give a message from the Bible and that we can apply to our everyday life.  We also have news and notices mainly about the life of the church.

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What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for children and young people:

  • Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.  You will be able to hear the service in the creche.
  • Scramblers (3-5 years)
  • Climbers (5-7 years)
  • Explorers (8 - 11 years)
  • GRID (11 - 14 years)
  • Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

We meet during the 11:00am service each Sunday (GRID 2nd and 4th Sundays). We spend a short time in church for the family focus and then for the rest of the service we are in the Old School Rooms.
On the fourth Sunday of each month, we will start together in the Old School Rooms and return to church for communion. Come and learn about Jesus and have lots of fun!

You will have great teachers and make lots of friends!  Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshiping God all together as a family. Someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, Bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play.

Children

Getting Connected


Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. 

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

  • Men's Ministries
  • Women's Ministries
Get in touch with us to plan your visit
If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.
 
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Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.
 

Leadership 

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We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)