Tuesday 12th December 2023

Yesterday we started our Christmas celebrations with our Carol Service - if you missed the service, you can watch it here.  The church was packed with our largest Christmas congregation since before the pandemic.  I spoke to several visitors who really enjoyed the service and I want to say a big thank you to the many who were involved.  Singers, musicians, readers, welcomers, wardens, the technical support team, those involved in catering and clearing up and many more – thank you all.  In particular, I want to thank James Harvey who planned the service back in July and has been rehearsing the choir week by week for the past few months – thank you James.
 
Next weekend our service pattern is different because Sunday is also Christmas Eve: 

• On Sunday 24th our 9am Communion Service will take place as usual but there is no post service café and no 10.30am service.  
• At 4.30pm we have our popular Carols, Christingle and Nativity service which is usually the biggest service of the season.   All children are encouraged to come dressed as a nativity character or to borrow a church costume when they arrive.   Do come in good time as it gets very busy!  
• At 11pm we celebrate Midnight Communion – a traditional service as we welcome Christmas Day. 
• On Christmas morning at 10.30am have a fun Christmas Celebration with Communion.  Children of all ages are welcome to bring a small present to show to us all. 
• There are no services in Church or online in the week after Christmas.  On Sunday 31st December there will just be one service at 10.30am followed by our Café.

Over Christmas we are having a special collection to be shared between Tearfund (for their appeal to help those in Gaza and the Middle East) and the Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter (helping the homeless in Ealing).  Over £700 was donated at last night’s Carol Service but there is time to give either by  cash or card at church or on the website here.
 
At 11am on Saturday 30th December there will be a Thanksgiving Service for the life of Ann Turk.  Ann’s family would love us to also join them for a Buffet Lunch at the Drayton Court Hotel from 12.30pm – please confirm with the family here ann.turk.life@gmail.com  As Ann loved fabric and colour we are asked to reflect this in our dress on the day.
 
Due to the Christmas holidays, there will not be a weekly Vicar’s Update or St Stephen’s News until the New Year.
 
I hope to see you over Christmas but if you are going away I pray that you would have a good time and enjoy worshipping elsewhere.

With my love and prayers for a happy and blessed Christmas

Steve