Advent begins on Sunday 2nd December this year. It is the season when the church has traditionally prepared for the return of Christ to the earth. The reality is of course that Advent has now been taken over by Christmas in our culture so that you can expect people to wish you a Happy Christmas as early as the first week of December! And although Christmas itself doesn't officially start till 25th December and runs for 12 days till 6th January, it is not unknown to be asked on Boxing Day "did you have a good Christmas?"!
We at All Saints do not believe Christmas starts till Christmas Day but as a sign of adapting to our popular culture we like many churches have many Christmas orientated services and activites in Advent, and even before Advent begins in terms of our Christmas fair.
Let us start with that..!
It is this Saturday 24th November from 10am to 1.30pm at All Saints Church hall
Here is a poster to show what is happening:
Advent Sunday begins, as I say, on Sunday 2nd December and at 6.30pm we have a special Advent Carol Service at All Saints. Please note Advent carols are not the same as Christmas carols but they are still very special.
Later that evening is the first of four evenings of listening to John's gospel with an optional discussion in the Monument pub opposite the church afterwards.
No need to let us know if you can come to this.
Our next event in a very busy December is the Christingle Family Service. Please bring your normal donation for All Saints church to this service but also an additional donation to the Children's Society which will be our retiring collection.
Our Christingle Family service is at 10am on Sunday 9th December.
Later that afternoon there is a concert at 3pm by the Oyster Singers at All Saints. I am pleased to say they have asked me to sing a few of my own songs at this concert too. I am not yet sure of the ticket prices but they will I am sure be available on the door. Please check our notices for details nearer the time.
Then the following weekend we have a traditional service of Lessons and Carols at All Saints at 6.30pm on Sunday 16th December. This is the first time we have had such a service for many years. It will follow a similar order of service to the Carols from Kings that we hear on Christmas Eve at 3pm.
If you are looking for a more relaxed and informal event, suitable for the whole family, then the following Wednesday may be even more suitable for you. It is our famous "Carols under the Yew Tree" with Whitstable Brass
Please note this will be in the church if weather is unsuitable for the musicians to play (ie it is raining or below a certain temperature for instruments to work properly)
Please note this will be in the church if weather is unsuitable for the musicians to play (ie it is raining or below a certain temperature for instruments to work properly)
By this time we are fast approaching Christmas and sure enough our next Christmas events are on Christmas Eve. Our famous Crib services are at 3pm and 4.15pm. This year they are led by myself, Paula Trewin MBE, and Elena Markova our Children and Families' Minister. Please note the request for children to come as their favourite characters from the crib.
That is quite a lot of Christmas services to be getting on with isn't it? No doubt they will make a refreshing change from all the doom and gloom we are hearing about on our TVs and radios these days. Hopefully they will help us to focus on the spiritual truths of Christmas - peace, joy, fellowship, God come to earth in Christ, Immanuel, the sacredness of creation as God has narrowed the gap between heaven and earth - and so many more themes besides.
My prayers for you and your loved ones for a really blessed Advent and Christmas when it arrives.
MORE NEWS
Outside of All Saints directly, I have been asked to organise a carol singing event at the Talk of Tankerton's "Fairytale Christmas" event on Saturday December 8th. We will be singing carols on Tankerton High Street between 12 noon and 1pm. It is important please that you kindly let me know if you are intending to sing as I am not yet sure if I have a large enough group of singers to make this viable. Please email me at tillotsons@gmail.com to let me know or call 01227 275947 and leave a message at the office.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Here is the news on our children and youth activities.
Tiny Singers on Wednesdays is going from strength to strength
Sunday Club has one or two new members. Please do consider coming along!
Parents/guardians and children start off in church at 10am
Junior Church continues to take place on Thursdays run by Victoria
However, if you wish to contact our Junior Choir leader direct, Victoria Hall, her email address is
Cameo continues on Mondays in December from 2 to 3.30pm at the church hall. Cameo stands for "Come And Meet Each Other". You would be most welcome to come along.
Singing For Fun and Health takes place in December on Wednesday 19th December from 2.30pm to 4pm. I have been asked to lead it this month and I am really looking forward to it.
Film Club continues throughout much of December. Here are the films for the next few weeks. Membership is £10 from now till the end of 2019 and refreshments are £1 a week.
11.15am to 1.30pm (approx.) Thursdays All Saints Church Hall, Church Street, Whitstable, CT5 1PG
You are encouraged to bring a cushion as these are not cinema seats!
If you have questions best thing is come along at about 11am one Thursday or email the vicar at tillotsons@gmail.com
If you have questions best thing is come along at about 11am one Thursday or email the vicar at tillotsons@gmail.com
29th November Elizabeth The Golden Age (2007) - "The Golden Age" finds Queen Elizabeth I facing bloodlust for her throne and familial betrayal. Growing keenly aware of the changing religious and political tides of late 16th century Europe, Elizabeth finds her rule openly challenged by the Spanish King Philip II--with his powerful army and sea-dominating armada--determined to restore England to Catholicism. Preparing to go to war to defend her empire, Elizabeth struggles to balance ancient royal duties with an unexpected vulnerability in her love for Sir Walter Raleigh. But he remains forbidden for a queen who has sworn body and soul to her country. 1 hour 55 minutes Certificate 12
6th December Death on the Nile (1978 version) Peter Ustinov stars as detective Hercule Poirot in this classic British thriller adapted from the novel by Agatha Christie. Set in the 1930s, the film follows Poirot as he hunts a killer responsible for the murder of a rich heiress aboard a steamship travelling down the Nile. After discovering that a number of the passengers had a reason to kill her, Poirot faces a race against time to solve the case before the ship reaches port. The cast also includes Jane Birkin, Bette Davis and Mia Farrow. Certificate PG 2 hours 20 minutes
OUR TEAM UNITY UPDATE FOR DECEMBER
for the five churches of the Whitstable Team
The Team Boxing Day lunch this year will be
held at Seasalter Christian Centre on Wednesday 26 December from 12.30. Feel free to invite anyone you know who would
otherwise be alone at Christmas and please let me know so I can send them an
invitation.
We need
your help please:
- Drivers to transport the guests to and from the lunch. Guests need to be collected between 11.15am – 12 noon and then
taken home from 3.00 pm onwards.
- Hosts and hostesses for the tables to chat and serve lunches
- Food - raw vegetables, Christmas puddings, and other items
(Please note that all food will be cooked on
the premises this year. Items should be
brought in by Christmas Eve at the latest.)
Please
telephone Chris or Ann Skingley (272508), or email ann.skingley@btinternet.com with any offers of help.
Thank you.
NEWS FROM OTHER CHURCHES OR ORGANISATIONS
This 'round-robin' email is just to remind you of the AMOS TRUST Carol Service at St Peter’s Methodist Church, Canterbury (in the High Street, not far from West Gate) on Thursday 6th December at 7.00 pm as part of this year’s series of Amos Trust Carol Services being held in a number of towns throughout the UK.
We will be welcoming leading peace activists Zoughbi Zoughbi and Lucy Talgieh from Wi’am Reconciliation Centre [click to follow the link] in Bethlehem, also 6 members of the Choir of Bethlehem on their first UK visit.
The service will be followed by refreshments of home-made (at Morrison's !!) mince pies, and tea/coffee.
You can read more, and book your free tickets here (simply to give us an indication of numbers). We do hope you can join us (whether you book a ticket, or not!).
In the meantime, please do let others know about this event. We are attaching a poster which you can email to your friends and networks and/or download and print to display. And, if you use Facebook, then you will find the Canterbury event on the Amos Trust Facebook page, and you can share it on your page or you can access it here.
Thank you for your support.
With our best wishes,
Katie Hagley of Amos Trust;
Richard Llewellin.
All Welcome! Learning from disability - It’s not just ramps and large print!
An Inclusive Church event at St Stephen’s Canterbury Saturday 16th February 2019 Midday to 5 pm
God welcomes us all, whatever our strengths and weaknesses, our abilities and limitations and uses them to advance the Kingdom. Churches are not always so good at this, often unwittingly making people feel excluded. In this study afternoon the experts in this field – people who have various limitations – will share with us their experiences of being included and excluded in church. In this light we will discuss what we can do practically to make our churches more welcoming to all and how we can all benefit from the gifts people with disabilities have to offer. The day will start by sharing a light lunch and end by sharing the Eucharist.
No charge but please book a place by emailing petertoon@aol.com for catering purposes
Peter D Toon
48 Broad Street CT1 2Ls
01227 451 991
That is enough to be getting on with! May I take this opportunity of wishing you and your loved ones a very Blessed Christmas when it arrives and a Holy and Happy Advent in the meantime.
Rev Simon Tillotson - Team Vicar All Saints and St Peter's Whitstable
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