Hello and welcome to the beginning of the Christian year at St. Peter's. Every day until Christmas Eve we'll be putting up posts on this site to tell you what's happening the next day, and to let you know how the previous day has gone.
We hope it will help you with finding your own way to celebrate this time of waiting and watching.
The Advent Calendar
In the church hall, you'll find our own St. Peter's Advent Calendar pinned on a display board. As the season progresses we'll hope to surround it with other images and information as we open the daily doors one by one.
A limited edition of about fifty smaller hand-crafted calendars will find their way to various places in the parish.
We are counting down to the arrival of the baby Jesus on Christmas Day.
Our Open Church
During the first week of Advent St.Peter's will be open a lot, because 'Experience Christmas' will be running in both mornings and afternoons for children from local primary schools. In subsequent weeks the church will be open most mornings starting with Morning Prayer at 9 a.m. for everyone who would like to find some space for the 'alert waiting' of Advent. Each week there will be a different 'Prayer Space' focus in the Crispin Chapel.
The CD
We're giving away about two hundred CDs to individuals and families worshipping at St. Peter's' services this week. On the CD is a programme of words and music for meditation on the theme of 'Waiting'. Here's the poem by the Welsh minister, R.S.Thomas, which was the inspiration for the CD:
'Kneeling'
Moments of great calm,
kneeling before an altar
of wood in a stone church
in summer, waiting for the God
to speak; the air a staircase
for silence; the sun's light
ringing me, as though I acted
a great role. And the audience
still; all that close throng
of spirits waiting, as I
for the message.
Prompt me, God;
but not yet. When I speak,
though it be you who speak
through me, something is lost.
The meaning is in the waiting.
Advent Sunday
'Cast away the dreams of darkness, O ye children of the day'.
There will be services at 8.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. as usual, and coffee will be served in the church hall after the ten o'clock. The Traidcraft stall will be selling seasonal and other items then too.
Please pray for the residents of St. John's home as they enjoy Evensong in their lounge at 15.45.
There will be an Advent Connections event in the Hall including activities and refreshments at 16.00, but if you haven't got a ticket, please contact Sue Kirby as soon as possible!
And during the evening Sue Kirby and her team will be dressing the church ready for 'Experience Christmas'.
Keep coming back!
Thank you for visiting the site today. We'll be posting new details each evening, so come back and see us again soon.
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