St. Andrew’s, Colne Engaine
St Andrew’s Colne Engaine stands on a hilltop in the centre of the village nearby to the local shop, pub and the Primary School, which is strongly associated with the church. We are a friendly and welcoming church community of all ages, and we have strong links with the community as a whole, taking a role in village events.
Our church building is Grade 1 listed, and originated around 1100 AD. The nave and chancel are constructed of flint with rubble (probably Roman) infill, whilst the tower, dating from the 1500’s, is of Tudor brick over a lower flint construction. It was extensively refurbished in 1873-75 and given a major overhaul in 2001-2002.
The church is open everyday of the year, from 9am until dusk. A team of volunteers, including a number of people from outside the congregation, lock and unlock the church. All believe that a place for quiet reflection and worship, an oasis of peace in a busy world, should always be available in the village.
We have a flower arranging group that provides arrangements for all regular services and, in addition, is able to offer wedding and funeral floristry.
The peal of six bells is rung on a regular basis by an active and keen team of ringers and we have four organists who play in rotation each month.
We have a very active and welcoming team of sides-people who look after our congregation and visitors. They provide coffee, cake and refreshments after a number of services each month.
Bellringing
When a bell is rung it starts upside down and swings almost 360° then back again. This is where coordination comes in because good control of the rope is essential. Seeing patterns becomes important as a ringer becomes more proficient. We begin by ringing in order from the lightest bell - the treble - to the heaviest - the tenor. This is ringing in rounds. Then we change the order of bells. We may ring one at a time - this is known as 'call changes' because someone calls the changes. Or we may go into a method whereby all the bells change places on each pull - this is known as 'method ringing'. It is not easy to explain what bell ringing is like in a few paragraphs… rather like swimming or riding a bike! But we welcome new ringers of all abilities.
Practices
Practice night for bell ringing at Colne Engaine is Mondays at 7.30. By their very nature they are very public practices. Everyone can hear our successes and failures, but most people won't know which is which. People often think ringers need to be musical but, in order to become a proficient ringer, it is best both to be well coordinated and to be able to see patterns. If you would like to try ringing, please email Nick.
Nick Chapman
nj_chapman@hotmail.co.uk
Church School
We are happy to have very close links with Colne Engaine CEVA Primary School, which is a vibrant community of happy, confident learners, guided by core Christian values, who believe they can make a difference in our world now and in the future. Rev Mark and other church representatives are Governors at the school which aims to enable learners to be:
ready to embrace new challenges
robust and independent learners who have the courage and confidence to be creative and imaginative
aware of the value of their learning journeys
able to talk and think about how they feel so that they can form empathetic and supportive relationships
fair, respectful and responsible citizens who embrace equality and are eager to contribute to local and global communities
ready to reach out to an ever-developing wider world safely and responsibly, with integrity and energy
aware of what it means to be a committed Christian in today's world