Vicar’s page – December 2020

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‘Maureen’s Musings’

The Vicar’s monthly letter for the Parish News


The Vicar

December 2020

Usually by mid-November I have all the December and Christmas Services neatly planned out and I know exactly what I am doing and when….usually! But the one thing we know about 2020 is that nothing is usual about it!

So all I can do is tell you what I HOPE will take place and what we are planning for – but those plans will be subject to change at short notice, so please sign up for ChadNet if you have not already done so (email ) or keep an eye on the church porch or on social media and we will try to keep you informed.

One thing I do know is that Christmas is going to look and feel very different this year – whatever happens with lockdown or tiering or whatever new system the government brings in. for the purpose of this magazine, however, I am assuming that total lockdown will be relaxed on December 2nd and that we will once again be able to meet for public worship in church, with proper precautions in place.

Some services will go completely online. We will have a digital-only Christingle – with Christingle kits provided courtesy of Chrissie Ringrose and her helpers, with a first come, first served principle operating. Sunday 13 December for that.

And of course we are unlikely to be able to sing carols as a congregation – but there will be a service of nine lessons and carols. Musical Director Greg Lewin, the choir and myelf, as well as our readers will be recording this over the next few weeks and it will be on the web on the evening of Sunday 20 December. For those who would like to come to view it in church, we are planning a couple of evening screenings, probably on Thursday 17th December and Monday 21st December. These will be booking-only for which we will ask you to reserve a seat – it will not cost anything but we can only seat a limited number safely.

And – weather permitting – we will try an outside Crib/Carol service on the afternoon of Sunday 20th December.

On Christmas Eve I am proposing to hold one communion service at 9pm and on Christmas Day there will be another at 10am – again booking a place will be required I am afraid. Of course we have to organise cleaning of the church between both services, which is one reason why I am not planning to hold the ‘midnight’ service this year – which, in any case, has been diminishing in popularity in recent years while attendance on Christmas morning has grown.

Whatever happens, there will be no services in Church on Wednesday 30th December or Sunday 27th December – although I hope to have a Worship on the Web service ready for that day. And the great advantage of worshipping from home is that you can sing along to your heart’s content!

From January 3rd. we plan to recommence the Sunday pattern of Worship on the Web services screened in church at 10am (and online) with a service of Holy Communion to follow for those who wish to come into church. And from Wednesday 6th January I hope to be able to offer our mid-week Communion as usual.

All I want for Christmas is to get back to something like normal (maybe I should put that in my letter to Santa this year!) but let us not lose sight of the Good News that Christmas always brings us: that God is with us and will never abandon us. O come, O come Immanuel! ♪♪

Blessings for Christmas and a Happy (and healthy) New Year…

Maureen.