Christmas 2023

Christmas this year was a total delight of carols, candlelight, and a children-assisted crèche scene. December 24th was busy with three services and one the next morning! We began Sunday morning as we celebrated the Fourth Sunday of Advent with our usual Service of the Word, before swiftly transitioning to Christmas Eve at 4pm that afternoon.


At the first Christmas Eve service, we celebrated Songs & Stories and the Gospel story was told to us in an original script written by MaryEllen which incorporated the traditional Friendly Beasts carol. Children were invited to the front to help Rev. Nicole take the nativity figures (plus a few extra toy animals!) up to the high altar where they were lovingly arranged on a bed of straw. This scene stayed at the high altar for the remainder of our Christmas services and was a joyful symbol of the Gospel story.


At 9pm, we had a more traditional service of Choral Eucharist, where our choir led us through service music and a new anthem for the evening. While a quieter service than the earlier story-led service, it was full and glorious, ending with the whole church singing Silent Night by candlelight.


Christmas Day dawned bright and cool, and a smaller congregation gathered for a friendly communion service at 10am. We were treated to music and carols led by Helen Ackerman and Kimberly Matheson, and spent a lovely morning together in the afterglow of Christmas Eve.


What a wonderful Christmas! Thanks to all who volunteered, attended, and worshiped with us. We live-streamed all of our Christmas offerings for the first time - thanks to the Stream Team who volunteered their time this Christmas to keep our online community connected with our in-person community (Click here for the Playlist).


We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas season, and we look forward to the coming year together.

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