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December 2024 / January 2025
Dear Friends,
As the weather turns cold and the final leaves drop from the trees, we are well underway with planning our celebrations for advent and Christmas here at St Giles - and you are warmly invited!
Have you ever wondered what to expect at all of the different services? You are very welcome, regardless of whether you've been to church before or not. Read on to find out about what is coming up…
Café Church: 10am Sunday 1st December As usual on the first Sunday of the month we gather in the Peace Memorial Hall for hot drinks and pastries, with a short talk, some music and some prayers. There are also crafts for all ages. This month the theme of Café Church will be Christmas, so come along and join the festive fun.
Christingle: 4pm on Sunday the 8th of December This is the one with the orange! Suitable for the whole family. There will be carols to sing and a short interactive talk.
Carol service: 6:30pm Sunday 15th December This will be a traditional service of nine 'lessons' (readings from the Bible) and carols by candlelight. Come and soak up the festive atmosphere and join in with all of your favourite carols.
Crib service: Christmas Eve 4:30pm A fun and interactive service for all the family, and an opportunity for children to get involved with telling the Christmas story. This service will last for about 40 minutes and give you plenty of time to get home and get ready for Christmas day.
Midnight Service: Christmas Eve 11pm A service of Holy Communion (sometimes also called ‘midnight mass’) late on Christmas eve. This is the first celebration of Christmas, which is marked by the church being dressed in white and gold. There is something magical about gathering together late at night to celebrate the arrival of the baby Jesus. There will be carols and readings from the Bible, as well as a short sermon.
Christmas Morning: 9:30am All Age Communion Service If you couldn’t quite manage to stay up for midnight mass, this is the next opportunity to celebrate Christmas. This will be a shorter and more interactive service of Holy Communion, which will leave you with plenty of time to get the turkey in the oven.
Everyone is welcome to any one of these services in your village church. We look forward to sharing the joy of Christmas together. In the new year, lots of exciting new things will be happening including the re-launch of our group for babies and toddlers. Read on for more information…
With my prayers and blessings for this joyous season,
Rev’d Christie