It's nearly Christmas, but where are our Worshippers?

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Stop Press. The Nine Lessons and Carols service due to be held on Sunday December 19th at 6pm in St Mary's Church, has sadly been cancelled due to an increase in Covid/Omnicron cases. We apologise to those who always come to this service but we discussed everything and decided the risk was too high. We do apologise most sincerely but we really want everyone to have a safe Christmas. We are instead holding a Christmas Carol informal singing session around our Christmas Tree in the Churchyard. Please come along and join with us in the fresh winter air, but wrap up well as the weather is getting colder! Take Care.

We are in Advent and fast approaching Christmas and usually in previous years, the numbers attending church increase quite sharply to participate in the many seasonal services that always happen, but sadly this year, it is not happening! Last weekend we saw quite a low attendance for the Friends and Family service which to say the least is very unusual. It is a service the children really love, but another one they really love and always attend in large numbers is our traditional Christingle service, a candlelit procession round the church and goodies for the children as well. But where were the children? A total of sixteen people were at the service, this included helpers, members of the clergy, the organist, but only two of the sixteen, were youngsters, members of the Scout group. We did put this service out on Zoom as well but cannot be certain how many watched it from home. A lot of work goes into preparing for these services, and in the case of the Christingle, the Christingles have to be hand made and were made by one lady, a lot of work for no real return. I suggested last week, maybe people have been more worried about the Omicron variant, but in the church we do run very stringent sanitising, the whole church was cleansed immediately after the low attendance morning service, and masks must once more, have to be used. With the final Christmas services almost upon us, we do hope that more people will come along. The Benefice services for next week are shown below, please support your Parish Churches by coming along if you can.

Our organist and music group leader, Nick Wilson is scheduled to give his Thought for the Day, on BigglesFM, on Friday, December 24th. This is at 8.15am on Alan’s Breakfast Show and Nick has assured us that he will be there even if it is Christmas Eve. So listen out for St Mary’s final Christmas information as we get nearer the big day!

The final children’s Christmas services are the Crib Service on Christmas Eve at St Mary’s and Sutton Church, both at 4pm. On December 19th each of our churches will hold a Carol Service, 3pm at Cockayne Hatley, 4.30pm at Sutton and 6pm at St Marys Church for the Nine Lessons and Carols traditional service. We hope all these services will be well attended and getting us all into the Christmas Spirit! Finally at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve, a Midnight Mass will be held at St Mary’s, leading us all into Christmas Day.

Services for next Sunday 19th December, Advent Four. 8am St Mary’s Church, Potton, Morning Prayer with Ordinand Paulet Brown Wilsher. 9am All Saints Church, Sutton, Holy Communion with Rev Alex Wheatley. 10.30am St Mary’s Church, Potton, Holy Communion with Rev Alex Wheatley. 3pm St John’s Church, Cockayne Hatley, Carol Service. 4.30pm All Saints Church, Sutton, Carol Service 6pm St Mary’s Church, Potton, Nine Lessons and Carols, with St Mary’s Choir and a young Soloist.

Services for Christmas Eve, December 24th. 4pm All Saints Church, Sutton, Crib Service 4pm St Mary’s Church, Potton, Crib Service 11.30pm St Mary’s Church, Potton. Midnight Holy Communion

Services for Christmas Day, December 25th. 9am Cockayne Hatley & Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81503383687 Meeting ID: 815 0338 3687) Holy Communion, with Rev Alex Wheatley. 10.30am All Saints Church, Sutton, Holy Communion with Rev Alex Wheatley. 10.30am St Mary’s Church, Potton, Morning Worship with Rdr Simon Gutteridge

Service for December 26th, First Sunday of Christmas (Boxing Day) 10.30am, St Mary’s Church, Potton, Short Holy Communion, with Rev Alex Wheatley. No other services that day.