And so, in the blink of an eye, Advent has begun! A very welcome - and much-needed – season in which we are invited to consider with awe and wonder the incredible way in which God loving and wholeheartedly embraced our humanity, in all its grit and glory.
The September to December stretch is always such a busy time in our churches, as we follow the seasons through Harvest, to All Saints and All Souls, through Remembrance Sunday, ending the church’s year with a celebration of Christ the King.
At Alban’s held a successful autumn fair, with so many people involved in baking, donating and organising. St Oswald’s followed suit in November, with a cheery Christmas fair – a haven of warmth on an otherwise miserable day! We are so grateful to all those who made these happen.
We love to greet those who celebrate Halloween with a warm welcome. The team at St Oswald’s had over 420 children stopping by for sweets and chocolates outside the church, as well as giving them and their adults an opportunity to light a candle for a loved one. It really did make the story of the feeding of the 5000 come alive – just in time for the next Messy Church, which took place this time at Christ Church with St Philip. We also put on a Light Party for Halloween at St Alban’s, which was attended by record numbers. Everyone had a great time doing activities, making crafts and playing games!
St Oswald’s have embarked on a partnership with The Paul Alan Project to fund and place a public Defibrillator and Bleed Kit on the outside of the church hall. This is something that will hopefully benefit the whole community. If you can support this at all, do give on their page (writing ‘Brocks’ in the comment section so the donation will go to the right place) https://www.thepaulalanproject.org/support-us
The knitters across our parish have been hard at work making Christmas postbox toppers and knitted angels to give away at our Christmas Crib Services – in addition to the teddies given to everyone who is baptised in our parish, and the blankets and clothes which are given to Lighthouse, the women’s refuge and Sutton Night Watch. It’s great to be able to put our gifts to such good use in the service of others.
We could probably do with a few of those blankets for St Dunstan’s over the festive period….. unfortunately, the heating has permanently broken and so we are embracing using the hall for weekly services, which is bringing us closer together in lots of positive ways We will be holding our Christmas services in the church building – be sure to wrap up warm! The clergy promise that the sermons will be short.
There’s a lot to be excited about on the music front at St Dunstan’s. On Advent Sunday, a group of young singers – who have been taking part in some specially commissioned music workshops - sang some lovely pieces during the service. Following first round interviews, we have taken one candidate forward for a second interview in December, for the post of Director of Music, and we would appreciate your prayers as we make this important decision. We’re also really looking forward to having a different approach to our Carol Service this year. Having reached out to our friends at St Dunstan’s School and She Sings, we’re delighted that both groups will be singing for us at a service that we hope will have a relaxed, community feel.
We would love to see you at any (or all!) of our Advent and Christmas services across the parish – you can find the details on our website, Facebook pages, or noticesheets. And you don’t need to stop there: in addition to the Drop-In Christmas party and church Christmas lunch, St Alban’s (renowned for their excellent food-filled events) are offering a special Epiphany breakfast, to usher in the Magi.
But, wherever you find yourself worshipping this Christmas, may you know the peace and joy of Emmanuel – God-with-us – in your own life, and in the lives of your loved ones.
With every blessing for Christmas and the New Year,
The Clergy Team
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