Tuesday 17th December 6.00pm W Tanfield: Carols at The Bull Inn Thursday 19th December 2.30pm W Tanfield: Carols around the Christmas tree with school. Friday 20th December 1.15pm Masham: School Christmas Service Saturday 21st December 6.30pm N Stainley: Carol Singing around the firepit at the Staveley Arms Sunday 22nd December 3.00pm Masham: Christingle and Puppet Nativity 6.00pm W Tanfield: Carol Service Tuesday 24th December Christmas Eve 4.00pm N Stainley: Christingle Service in Village Hall 9.00pm Snape: ‘Midnight’ Mass 11.00pm Masham: Midnight Mass Wednesday 25th December Christmas Day There will be no 8.00am Holy Communion 9.15am N Stainley: Christmas Eucharist 9.15am Healey: Christmas Eucharist 10.45am Masham: Christmas Eucharist 10.45am Well: Christmas Eucharist 10.45am W Tanfield: Christmas Eucharist
15th – 17th December, St Mary’s, Masham Christmas Tree Festival Running from 10am to 4pm on Friday and Saturday, midday to 4pm on Sunday – beautiful trees decorated by community groups and businesses, tombola, refreshments. Entry £3, under 16’s free. All proceeds to St Mary’s Church. 15th – Compline and Reflection, Masham Starting at 6.00pm, this is a quiet, candlelit service of about 30 minutes – is a wonderful opportunity to pause in the middle of the busyness. 17th December 8.00am BCP Communion Masham 9.15am Parish Eucharist North Stainley 10.45am Parish Eucharist Masham 10.45am Parish Eucharist Well 4.00pm Carols and Decorating Healey 6.00pm Lessons and Carols West Tanfield We will be joined by the West Tanfield choir. 6.00pm Lessons and Carols Masham A joyful and thought-provoking service to conclude our Christmas Tree Festival, with contributions from both the adult and youth choir. Mulled wine and mince pies available from 5.30pm 18th December Carols By The Fire(pit), North Stainley 6.30 - 7pm In the garden of the Staveley Arms 19th Carol Singing in the Bruce Arms, West Tanfield Starting at 7pm and joined by the West Tanfield choir. 24th December, Christmas Eve 8.00am BCP Communion Masham 9.15am Parish Eucharist Healey 10.45am Parish Eucharist Masham 10.45am Parish Eucharist West Tanfield 4.00pm Scratch Nativity Masham Your chance to dress up as your favourite figure from the Nativity Story – room for everyone here! 4.00pm Christingle North Stainley 5.30pm Scratch Nativity Well 9.30pm Midnight Mass Snape Our celebrations begin with the first Mass of Christmas, starting at the same time as the service in Bethlehem. 11.00pm Midnight Mass Masham Please note the slightly earlier start Christmas Day 9.15am Parish Eucharist Healey 9.15am Parish Eucharist North Stainley 10.45am Parish Eucharist Masham 10.45am Parish Eucharist Well 10.45am Parish Eucharist West Tanfield All the family are welcome at our Christmas services – bring your favourite toy, wear your Christmas hat or jumper! 31st December 10.45am United Service North Stainley - All our churches join together for this 5th Sunday service.
Our Christmas celebrations started early this year! At the end of November we had a bumper attendance at JAM which we run in conjunction with North Stainley Primary School. We thought again about the Christmas story - from the perspective of Festive Fred (ask the children or watch the Bible Society film) - and realised that Jesus is the greatest gift at Christmas. The children then took part in lots of different craft activities, including, making a cut out nativity scene, making a tiny manger scene in a matchbox, making a decoration to put on their Christmas trees at home (a candle made with a wooden disc and a pumpkin seed!), and even making finger puppets of all the characters in the story. Huge thanks to all the adults who supported this. On Friday Class 1 came to help set up the stable scene in church. They had been practising hard for their nativity and were able to retell the story brilliantly as they put the figures in the crib. We also have a crocheted nativity set at the back of church which children are welcome to come and play with! On Monday 18th December at 5.30 till 6pm we will be singing carols outside round the fire pit at our local pub, the Staveley Arms. 4pm on Christmas Eve is our Christingle service - this has become one of the best attended services in the year, when all ages meet to think again about Jesus, the light of the world, being born at Christmas. Do come along and bring your friends and family. On Christmas Day at 9.15 we will have our Christmas Holy Communion Service - everyone is welcome to this special celebration. …..And to round off the year we are hosting the Joint Churches Family Eucharist for the Masham Group of Parishes on Sunday 31st December at 10.45amThere are also lots of other services and special events at the other churches in the Group - see our website and Facebook pages for details.
St Mary’s Masham saw a double debut recently as Rev Jane Ball was put into post as the new Vicar of the Masham Group of Parishes. The service was led by the Bishop of Leeds, Rt Rev Nick Baines but also present was the new Bishop of Ripon, Rt Rev Anna Eltringham – who only moved into her new home in Yorkshire the day before! Rev Jane Ball has returned to North Yorkshire where she was ordained in Ripon Cathedral in 2003 and was a curate in Bedale. For the last 18 years she has served down south in a variety of school, parish and military chaplaincy posts. The Masham Group of Parishes covers a wide area north of Ripon at the gateway to Wensleydale, with churches in Masham, Healey, Well, Snape, West Tanfield and North Stainley. A packed congregation of people from these churches and the wider community welcomed Jane and her family, who are delighted and excited to be returning to North Yorkshire. Bishop Anna was also warmly welcomed. She succeeds Rt Rev Helen-Ann Hartley, now Bishop of Newcastle, as the Area Bishop of Ripon. She will begin her main ministry in September. Attached photo shows Rt Rev Nick Baines (Bishop of Leeds), Ven Jonathan Gough (Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven), Rev Jane Ball (Vicar of the Masham Group of Parishes), Rt Rev Anna Eltringham (Bishop of Ripon) after the Service of Institution and Induction in St Mary’s Church Masham.
