December Services for December Dec am Holy Communion (BCP) Sunday Club am - Family Communion

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1 Services for December Dec 2 nd Sunday of Advent 8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP) Sunday Club am - Family Communion 6.30 pm no service at Christ Church - see p Dec 20-Dec 24-Dec 25-Dec 27-Dec 03-Jan 3 rd Sunday of Advent 8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP) am Parade (Christingle) 6.30 pm no service at Christ Church - see p.18 4 th Sunday of Advent 8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP) am Holy Communion 6.30 pm Carol Service Christmas Eve 4pm Crib Service (7pm 7.30pm Market Place Carols) (8pm Hospital Service) 11.30pm Midnight Communion Christmas Day am Christmas Communion (said service) 1 st Sunday of Christmas 8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP) am - Holy Communion 6.30 pm no service 2 nd Sunday of Christmas 8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP) December 2015 Sunday Club am - Family Communion 6.30 pm no service 20 Issue 6

2 Christ Church, Vicarage Street, Ilkeston, Derbys DE7 8TS website: Who s Who? Vicar - Rev d Peter Davey Tel: Associate Priest - Rev d Geoffrey Halliday Reader - Barbara Clayton Tel: Church Wardens - Glenice Boulton Tel: Julie Hart Mob: Church Hall Bookings - Joan Bacon christchurchjb@outlook.com Tel: Baptisms/Service of Thanksgiving - Barbara Clayton Organist/Choirmaster - Bill Langton 2 Tel: PCC Members Glenice Boulton, Margaret Bromby, Michael Bromby (Sec), Barbara Clayton, Rev d Peter Davey, Geoffrey Halliday (Observer), Julie Hart, Sally Hrycyk, David Martin (Vice- Chair), Iris Roe, Lorraine Turnbull (Treasurer), Lu Vitale. Christ Church News is edited by Ele McGhee Contact Tel: elemcghee@outlook.com if you would like to contribute or to receive a copy via Deadline for contributions for January issue: Friday 18th Dec Additional material Parish Pump CALENDAR December 2015 DATE TIME EVENT 1st 10.15am Coffee Morning 2nd Lunch Club 8th 10.15am Coffee Morning 9th Lunch Club 15th 7pm Ladies Group Christmas Party 15th 10.15am Coffee Morning 16th Lunch Club 18th 6.30pm Carols at Hazlewood Care Home, Skeavingtons Lane 23th Lunch Club 24th 5pm 6.30pm Family Buffet after Crib Service Lunch Club - Communion Service usually takes place monthly Dates for your diary Next TRAIDCRAFT stall will be at the: Christmas Fayre on 5th December and on Sunday 6th December - 10am Decorating the Church for Christmas on: Saturday 19th December at 10am - all welcome! Buffet Tea following Christmas Eve Crib Service Everyone is invited to the buffet tea that will follow the Crib Service. The tea is likely to finish by 6.30pm. To help give some idea of numbers please add your name to the sheet that will be in the foyer from 6th December. 19

3 People serving in church this month Date Welcomers Reader Prayers 6th Dec 13th Dec 20th Dec 27th Dec 3rd Jan 2016 Shirley Read Eleanor Read Family Communion Planning Group (FCPG) * With one other person, depending on clergy presence 18 Family Communion Planning Group (FCPG) Assisting at Communion * David Jones Scouts Scouts Scouts Maurice Lynn Ann Hooker Sally Hyrcyk David Martin Ele McGhee Sue Wood Dreena Simpson David Jones Val Norgain Sally Hyrcyk Val Norgain Iris Roe David Martin Family Communion Planning Group (FCPG) Family Communion Planning Group (FCPG) tbc Getting Ready I am writing this in a wet, windy and (relatively) warm November and it is strange to think that Christmas is only a month away. But by the time you read this it will be December and many of us will be in the pre-christmas groove of presents, cards, decorations and planning. For those who worry about church tradition, this is all wrong. Christmas, they remind us, starts on 25th December and the celebration ends on 5th January - the 12 days of Christmas. Nowadays, the only time the 12 days are remembered is when we are singing about a partridge in a pear tree and even those who merrily sing along generally regard Christmas as being all done by Boxing Day. So the celebration of Christmas is brought forward and Advent is reduced to the warm-up act for the main event. Traditionally Advent wasn t really a preparation for Christmas but a serious penitential time. I have no desire to turn the clock back, but it is interesting to remember that in some traditions it was the time to consider and prepare, not for the celebration of Jesus birth in Bethlehem, but for the four last things : death, judgement, heaven and hell. Now that s a pretty depressing list, especially as it omits the glorious resurrection which comes after heaven (or rather Paradise) and which is definitely also a last thing. 3

4 So perhaps the intrusion of Christmas into Advent is a good thing if it makes us focus not on impending doom but rather on Jesus and the salvation that he brings. As the Angel Gabriel said to Joseph,... you are to give him the name Jesus (which means the Lord saves ), because he will save the people from their sins. 1 God is on our side; he wants to help; he can help. That s all well and good for us in church, but a recent poll found that although 51% of people in the UK thought the birth of Jesus was important to their Christmas, 46% didn t. Christmas - the birth of the Saviour of the World - is good news and important for everyone; 100% of people ought to know all about it. Some of that 46% are our family and friends, workmates or the people we chat to in the queue for the checkout. Perhaps we might want to share the good news with those that have yet to hear, or at least invite them along to church. So I hope that you enjoy Christmas, and may you not be too frazzled by all the preparations. And amidst all the business and merriment, may we not lose sight of the reason for the season: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 2 Good news for us; good news for others. Let them know! God s Grace and Peace to you this Advent and Christmas, Peter 1 Matthew 1: 21 2 John 3:17 4 Tuesday Coffee Morning 10.15am am Held in the small hall beyond the kitchen. Coffee Morning is a time to relax and chat with a drink and home made cake - 1 only! Please come and bring a friend. December 15th last one till January. DAISY CHAIN Play session for children 0-3 years and their parents/carers. Held during term time only. Cost 1 for first child, 50p each for subsequent children. Refreshments included. Tuesday session 1: Tuesday session 2: am am 1pm - 3pm Last session this term Tuesday 15th December Friday Time Out coffee break 9.45am - 11am A chance for parents and carers to relax whilst the children play together. 50p per session. Last session this term Friday 19th December Please contact Iris Roe ( ) for more information. Restart dates in the new year to be confirmed.

5 Ladies Group Our November meeting was a great success with Kevin and Brian from the group Warizit. The mince pies, beautifully baked by member Shirley Pritchet, were very well received. Thanks also go to Christine and Janet, Shirley and Jean for their most valuable help in clearing away at the end of what was a most enjoyable evening. Our Christmas Party will be on: Tuesday 15th December at 7pm in the church hall. NO MEETINGS in JANUARY or FEBRUARY but meetings will start again on: Tuesday 8th March 2016 at 7pm with a talk from our favourite historian Stephen Flinders. Pam Bailey Uniformed Groups normally meet during term-time: Wednesday - 6pm Beavers pm Cubs pm Scouts Thursday pm Rainbows & Brownies Friday - 7pm Guides 16 CHURCH FAMILY NEWS Eva Derbyshire Many of our long standing members will be sad to hear of the death of Eva Derbyshire at the age of 94 following a short final illness. Her funeral service was held at church on 25th November. Eva worshipped regularly at Christ Church for many years, contributing to the life of the church and helping with Lunch Club. More recently Eva has been a regular home communicant. Barbara Rollinson describes her as a wonderful friend and support. She and Eva had become neighbours, then friends and also worked together at Cotmanhay School. They particularly shared the challenges of bringing up young families in the post war years when Eva was always there to help out. Ken and Eva had 6 lovely daughters who were all married at Christ Church. We remember Eva s family and friends in our prayers. Book Presentation On 1st November children and young people up to the age of 16 years, who are either Sunday Club members or who attend church regularly, all received books. The books - a mark of appreciation - were either a bible, bible readings notes or for the younger ones bible stories. It was good to see so many young people in church and to share in that celebration. 5

6 Christmas Hampers 2015 Christmas Fayre Update Saturday 5th December at 2pm The story of the Admission 25p To raise funds for the Christmas Hampers a special coffee morning, followed by an even more special lunch, happened at the end of October. The beautiful food prepared by Iris Roe, Margaret Bromby and team was greatly enjoyed by all. Ticket sales, together with the proceeds from the raffle and tombola Come along and enjoy Raffle Tombola Bottle Stall Face Painting by Nessi Weleda Products Usborne Books Gifts, Toys, Crafts Jewellery Live Music by Pigeon Pie Fair Trade Stall Refreshments See Santa for free! Included in admission price stall, contributed to a fantastic total raised on the day over 560! A big thank you to all who contributed. This money has been added to that received from the earlier gift day to enable 30 local families to have a special Christmas. Date for Filling the Hampers morning of FRIDAY 18th December (time to be decided) 6 Bottle Stall contributions wanted! Lu and Denise Vitale would welcome donations of bottles; champagne, orange squash, water, wine anything, as long as it is in a bottle! 15

7 Coffee Morning Christmas Outing On Tuesday 24th November a few of us from the Coffee Morning went to Trowell Garden Centre to look at their excellent Christmas decorations. We had a lovely lunch and Alma even charmed the young waiter who brought her a free bowl of chips! Sadly, Santa wasn t in his grotto so he was spared having each of us sitting on his knee!! However, a great time was had by all. Barbara Clayton Ho! Ho! Ho! A. What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations? B. What do you call a snowman with a suntan? C. What's brown and sneaks round the kitchen? Christingle The idea of the Christingle is thought to have begun in Marienborn, Germany in At a children s service, Bishop Johannes de Watteville looked for a simple way to explain the happiness that comes from Jesus. He decided to give the children a symbol to do this. This was a lighted candle wrapped in a red ribbon. At the end of the service, whilst the children held their candles, the bishop said the prayer, Lord Jesus, kindle a flame in these children's hearts that theirs like thine become. The Children s Society first introduced the Christingle Service to The Church of England in 1968, and it has since become a popular event in the church calendar. This candlelit celebration is an ideal way to share the key messages of the Christian faith, while helping to raise vital funds to help vulnerable children across the country. and visit ww.childrenssociety.org.uk Parish Pump Members of the Uniformed Groups have been collecting using the Christingle collecting candles to return at the Christingle Service on Sunday 13th December at 10am Envelopes and collecting candles are also available in the foyer for all church members - please take one. Answers: A. tinselitus. B. a puddle. C. mince spies. Help to prepare the Christingles is also needed on: Sat 12th December at 10am in the church hall 14 7

8 Advent Prayer Advent God, we journey with you, to Bethlehem s stable and a new-born King, ears attuned to the song of angels, eyes alert for Bethlehem s star. Forgive us if on our journey we are distracted by the tempting offers of this world. Keep our hearts aflame with the hope of Christmas, and the promise of a Saviour. Amen Christmas Cards As we are very aware, this is a difficult time for Christians living in the Middle East. As we have done in recent years, Morven and I will be sending just one Christmas card to all our friends at church and will instead make a donation to the work of Embrace the Middle East, (formerly the Biblelands charity). Perhaps this year a few others might consider doing something similar? The Barnabas Fund and Open Doors charities also do important work with our Christian brothers and sisters who are facing persecution and hardship overseas. There will be a space set aside on one of the notice boards in the foyer to pin your card. Peter Thoughts for Reflection Not just the promise of a Saviour but we have a Saviour, God's gift to us. A Saviour who is real and alive - in us, for us and for all mankind. He wants us to look to Him even in the darkness we see around us. He offers us His love, His peace and His blessing. May we open our hearts to receive all these wonderful gifts and in so doing declare our love for Him. Iris 8 Internal Christmas Post The post box for internal Christ Church Christmas Cards is in the foyer at church. You can use it both to post cards for your friends at Christ Church and to leave your donation for the work of The Children's Society. If you are posting a large number of cards it would be very helpful if they could be held together and in alphabetical order too. Thank you from Sue and Barbara! 13

9 Parochial Church Council (PCC) The PCC met on October 13 th and here are some key points from that meeting: Church Fire Door: Mike Bromby has written to architects for an estimate for preparing drawings. Hall Toilets: Work will begin as soon as possible to refurbish the hall toilets. Investment Fund: Main Balance left after hall toilets have been refurbished will be invested with The CBF Church of England Investment Fund. David Martin Bishop Alastair s Advent Addresses Bishop Alastair Redfern will be in Ilkeston each Sunday evening in Advent to deliver a series of Advent Addresses as part of Sunday evening worship at these churches: Sunday 29th November 6pm Holy Trinity Church, Awsworth Road, Ilkeston Good News to the Poor Sunday 6th December 6pm All Saints Church, Kirk Hallam Release of Captives Sunday 13th December 6pm St John s Church, Nottingham Road, Ilkeston Parking for Christ Church Hall on Vicarage Street It has been reported that unthoughtful parking by some people attending events in the church hall has caused considerable inconvenience to our neighbours, even preventing access to their driveways. This is a reminder to park carefully at all times and to use the church carpark whenever possible. Peter Sight to the Blind Sunday 20th December 6pm St Mary s Church, Market Place, Ilkeston The Year of the Lord s Favour Please come to every service, or just one or two, joining with Bishop Alastair as we journey through Advent. Refreshments served following each service. 12 9

10 The Visit It was a dark and tedious journey With uncomfortable conditions. Years we searched, following a star. Tired, hungry and cold We could not believe it When the star stopped over a stable. A hovel for a King? In despair we slowly entered The light and peace enfolded us. Nothing else mattered. Here was our King. A tiny infant, in his mother s arms Surrounded in love and joy Which filled the stable, Entered our hearts, and Stayed with us. Ann Hooker 10 In Ravenna, Italy, there is a beautiful ancient mosaic that is 1,500 years old. It depicts the wise men in oriental garb of trousers and Phrygian caps, carrying their gifts towards the star that they followed... straight to Jesus. In her own poem, opposite, Ann also paints a vivid picture of the journey of the Magi and their encounter with their King - their King is ours too. Why was Jesus born in a barn? Our pretty Christmas cards do not do it justice the stable that Jesus was born in would have been smelly, dirty, and full of mess. So why did God not provide something better for his beloved Son? Why a smelly stable? Perhaps it is because the King of Kings being born in a foul stable is a perfect picture of redemption. Jesus came from glory into a world filled with the dirt, filth and darkness of sin. But Jesus was not put off by darkness instead, He came to be the Light of the World. St Augustine wrote Filling the world, He lies in a manger! Thank God for his unspeakable gift. No wonder the angels sang Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:14) Parish Pump 11