As I look out the window today, at the start of January, it is raining again! Not a promising start to the New Year. Here’s hoping that February will bring brighter days and the first signs of spring with the snowdrops and crocuses. Such beauty!

Our Junior Singing Club had their first public appearance at the Christmas Tree Festival. Their performance was excellent, and very well received by an enthusiastic audience.

We had a wonderful Christmas at St Marks with several festive services held in the church with familiar faces and many visitors. It was good to see a large number of parents and grandparents attend the School Key Stage 2 Carol Service. Our Carols by Candlelight service, on Christmas Eve, was a wonderful event, with the children from St Mark’s Junior Singing Club stealing the show! They read a lesson and sang beautifully along with our choir. The church was bursting at the seams with many families coming along to experience this special Christmas celebration.

The Team Epiphany Service was a joyous occasion bringing to a close our Christmas preparations and celebrations. The church smelt wonderful with the essence of incense for days afterwards!

St Marks reputation as a ‘Party Church,’ will continue throughout 2025, welcoming our local community into St Marks, with social events and celebrations, and building on the strong and positive relationship with St Marks School, the pupils, and parents. Little acorns becoming strong oaks!

Next month we begin Lent, with our Ash Wednesday Holy Communion Service at the earlier time of 10:30am. We will be looking towards the Cross and our preparations, with Christ, during Lent and finally, to that glorious resurrection of our Lord, on that first Easter morning.

Until then….

We look for the first signs of spring!

Anne Roper - Church Warden