roots down walls down
Join us this Sunday 17th December 2023 at 6:30pm at St Mary’s for Carols by Candlelight. A wonderful service and a super start to the Christmas break. All welcome!
St Mary’s, Vale Rd, GU12 5JE
Saturday 25th Nov—Christmas at The Chapel on Wharf Rd: Join us 2pm-5pm for festive fun, amazing cake sale, raffle, free card making craft, second hand toys, clothes and more. Free admission.
Saturday 2nd December St Nicholas Day Lantern Walk (time slots start from 4pm): An atmospheric lantern walk from The Chapel on Wharf Rd to St Mary’s on Vale Rd, finishing with a bonfire party, hot chocolate and sweets from St Nicholas! Text / WhatsApp to book: 07730 609446
Sunday 17th December Carols by Candlelight 6.30pm: Come and share the joy of singing our favourite Christmas Carols by candlelight at this very special service at St Mary’s. Let’s rejoice! (free / donations)
24th Dec—Christingle Journey (time slots start from 3pm): Make Christingle, visit the Inn, see the Wise Men, stoke the shepherd’s bonfire, and get a selfie with baby Jesus! Not forgetting Revd Neil’s amazing pizza! Text to book 07730 609446 (Children’s Society donations welcomed)
24th Dec—Christmas Communion 11.30pm: Come and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the first communion of Christmas.
25th Dec: Christmas Day Service Join us to celebrate our Lord Jesus’s birth. Children welcome, why not bring along your favourite present to show & tell?
Christmas Donations: This year we are asking for donations of Christmas treats & gifts for local food parcels please, and we are fundraising for tree planting in Uganda as well as local refugees. To donate items for any of our projects please contact us, or you can follow this link and select a project to support by donation. Thank you! https://givealittle.co/c/75npOYB3aZl4vFFBN2Ve3p
Keeping in touch: Visit us at Community Cafe on Fridays 10:00-13:00, Sunday services at 10:30am Email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk | Facebook @StMarysAshVale | Church Blog is available online here: www.ash-vale.org.uk and includes The Parishioner Magazine. Project Manager Tel.: 07730 609446
Have a blessed and happy Christmas!
‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’)
Matthew 1v23 (NIV)
Do you ever feel like you’re on your own? Just you, no one else… Do you ever fell like no-one is interested, that no-one sees you or hears you? Well, I’ve got news for you! Because, as we learn in Matthew chapter 1, God is with us: Immanuel.
The truth is, you are never on your own, and as it says in our communion prayer:
“Though we chose the path of rebellion, you would not abandon us.”
In fact, you became us! Again, as it says in our communion prayer:
“embracing our humanity, Jesus showed us the way of salvation; loving us to the end”
Have you noticed that it says “God with us” rather than “God with me”? That’s important. We are a family, and especially at Christmas we come together to celebrate the fact that God is with us. ALL of us, not just people who go to church.
And as we remember at Christmas that God actually IS with us, we realise that He is here, even at a time in our history where we see wars, famine, uncertainty about our future—not only our future but the future of the world. Christmas is something we do together with God. And it’s not just for children, it’s for everyone.
Our resident composer Matt Weeks wrote a beautiful song which we will be singing this Christmas called ‘Emmanuel’. Here is the first verse:
Expectantly we wait for you
You are a faithful God in all you do
Your promises have been fulfilled
When a baby boy was born to us
Was born to us
Lord Jesus Christ…
You can find the whole song and listen to the melody here:
We would love you to join us to celebrate the truth that God is with us and has not abandoned his own. One of my favourite parts of Christmas is our Christingle event on Christmas Eve in the afternoon, and the Midnight service, as we wait with anticipation and celebrate the greatest love of all, the love of God for us. Emmanuel.
There is a warm welcome waiting for you at St Mary’s. Our Christmas events are below, come and join us!
Neil
Revd Neil Lambert: revneil@me.com
Christmas 2023: You are invited!
Saturday 25th Nov—Christmas at The Chapel on Wharf Rd: Join us 2pm-5pm for festive fun, amazing cake sale, raffle, free card making craft, second hand toys, clothes and more. Free admission.
Saturday 2nd December St Nicholas Day Lantern Walk (time slots start from 4pm): An atmospheric lantern walk from The Chapel on Wharf Rd to St Mary’s on Vale Rd, finishing with a bonfire party, hot chocolate and sweets from St Nicholas! Text / WhatsApp to book: 07730 609446
Sunday 17th December Carols by Candlelight 6.30pm: Come and share the joy of singing our favourite Christmas Carols by candlelight at this very special service at St Mary’s. Let’s rejoice! (free / donations)
24th Dec—Christingle Journey (time slots start from 3pm): Make Christingle, visit the Inn, see the Wise Men, stoke the shepherd’s bonfire, and get a selfie with baby Jesus! Not forgetting Revd Neil’s amazing pizza! Text to book 07730 609446 (Children’s Society donations welcomed)
24th Dec—Christmas Communion 11.30pm: Come and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the first communion of Christmas.
25th Dec: Christmas Day Service 10:30am Join us to celebrate our Lord Jesus’s birth. Children welcome, why not bring along your favourite present to show & tell?
Christmas Donations: This year we are asking for donations of Christmas treats & gifts for local food parcels please, and we are fundraising for tree planting in Uganda as well as local refugees. To donate items for any of our projects please contact us, or you can follow this link and select a project to support by donation. Thank you! https://givealittle.co/c/75npOYB3aZl4vFFBN2Ve3p
Keeping in touch: Visit us at Community Cafe on Fridays 10:00-13:00, Sunday services at 10:30am Email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk | Facebook @StMarysAshVale | Church Blog is available online here: www.ash-vale.org.uk and includes The Parishioner Magazine. Project Manager Tel.: 07730 609446
Have a blessed and happy Christmas!
The annual St Nicholas Lantern Walk & Bonfire party is on Saturday 2nd Dec 2023 – it’s time to book your places!
Start your adventure at The Chapel garden, on Wharf road (GU12 5AY) and enjoy a walk by the light of your lanterns to St Mary’s on Vale Road (GU12 5JE), where we enjoy the garden, meet St Nicholas, and enjoy a hot chocolate & food by the bonfire.
Start times are staggered, from 4pm-6pm, so that everyone has their moment to say hello to St Nic. Text or WhatsApp to book! 07730609446 (Dress for the weather and bring a torch!)
Free/by donation if you can on the night / or you can donate online here any time. Thank you! https://givealittle.co/c/4xeePyTgOWHmZiKvQqePOb
If you don’t have a lantern we can send you instructions to make one, or you can have one of our paper ones made by volunteers on the night. It’s a lovely experience, and a great way to start Advent, seeing all the lanterns in the dark! See you soon xx 💕⭐️✨
#StNicholasDay2023 #LanternWalk #StNicholasLanternWalk #Community #FamilyFun #AdventAdventures #AshValeChapel #StMarysAshVale
Please mark your diaries for the Chapel Project Christmas Fair. Join us at The Chapel on Wharf Rd, Ash Vale, GU12 5AY on Saturday 25th Nov 2-5pm
It looks like a wonderfully festive day for the community. Why not visit the Ash Fantasia event in the village from 12, and then come over to us from 2pm for even more festive fun and Christmas bargains! Nearly New, cakes and biscuits, gifts and games, amazing raffle, children’s society stall, hotdogs for tea and a free Christmas craft for the kids. Please pop in and support your local Chapel Project. See you there!
Would you like to join in and volunteer, or donate a raffle prize? Please do get in touch! 07730 609446 Facebook: @AshValeChapel
Christmas Appeal: The Ash Villages Food Parcels project will be packing and delivering food parcels for (we estimate) 40-50 families in Ash, Ash Vale, Ash Green and Tongham in the week before Christmas, and we like to send gifts for the children and Christmassy treats along with the emergency essentials if we can. Can you help? Anything our wonderful community can donate will be amazing, and add some lovely Christmas cheer to the parcels. We will share out whatever is received from the community between the families on our list on the day.
Need some inspiration? How about donating Christmas puddings, custard, mince pies, treats, crackers, nibbles, stuffing mix, gravy granules, cranberry sauce, sweets, nice toiletries, warm socks, gloves, tangerines, chocolate coins, children’s toys, board games, juice, squash, hot chocolate, pretty napkins… what ever you would you be pleased to receive if you were in need yourself. (We can’t take alcohol sorry!)
Dropping off donations: All items need to reach us at St Mary’s church (GU12 5JE) or at The Chapel (GU12 5AY) by Thursday 14th December please. Contact us if you need to book a time 07730 609446 or you can pop in to donate whenever we are open.
If you prefer to donate cash to help us buy each family the ingredients for a roast dinner, our link is here: https://givealittle.co/c/3ijYS6zC4gbOGqwer2tmdY
Thank you for your support and have a wonderful Christmas!
Join us for a lovely lantern walk starting from The Chapel garden on Wharf Rd and finishing at St Mary’s church garden on Vale Road with a bonfire, hot chocolate, food and the chance to meet St Nicholas (there will be sweets!) Start times are staggered from 4pm – 6pm and we need to know numbers for catering, so please text to book your start time. 07730 609446 we still have a few places, text us asap! (Free / by donation)
We do recommend that you dress for the cold weather, bring a torch and wear wellies or sturdy shoes. The canal walk is beautiful by lantern light but it can be muddy.
#StNicholasLanternWalk #StNicholasDay #StNicholasLanterns #MeetSaintNicholas #Community #FamilyFriendly #LanternWalk #BonfireParty #FollowTheStar
William is visiting us All the way from Uganda this year. Do please bring some pennies to support Amaha We Ugandas tree projects if you can. This is one of the St Mary’s chosen charities.Thank you! Xx
By Stephanie Farry
We have so many boxes and parcels arriving at this time of year with all sorts of deliveries – why not reuse them and create some beautiful seasonal decorations?
You will need:
– cardboard packaging
– scrap paper (we used plain white packing paper that came as padding inside a delivery, and scraps of leftover wrapping paper)
– glue
– scissors
– pen or pencil
– tape – recyclable, if possible!
– two short ribbons
– anything you like to decorate – ribbon, holly, glitter, pens, stickers
Step 1: draw your shape on cardboard, with a nice thick border, and cut out. We did a simple circle to make a wreath, but you could make stars, hearts, holly leaves – it’s up to you. Note: if you want to hang your decoration somewhere where the back can be seen, you might like to make two identical shapes, then secure them back-to-back before displaying!
Step 2: cut your paper into strips. Thinner strips work better as they are easier to position, but thicker strips might be quicker!
Step 3: decide which side of your shape is the front and which is the back. Spread glue over the front, then begin carefully wrapping the strips of paper around. Start each new strip at the back, and make sure they overlap to fix down the loose ends and neaten the edges.
Step 4: continue to wrap strips around until the card is fully covered. If you have different types of paper you can create a pattern as you go. We used two layers of white to create a solid look, then added on the other colours. Add more glue as needed.
Step 5: use small pieces of tape to secure any loose ends or edges on the back.
Step 6: tie one piece of ribbon around your shape at the top and secure loose ends at the back, and then tie the other piece of ribbon into the first to create a hanging loop.
Step 7: finish off your decoration with any embellishments you have to hand – we added a miniature bauble and some sparkly tape.
Step 8: hang your decoration and enjoy it all season! Then when it’s time to tidy away, you can recycle it – just remember to remove any non-recyclable parts, of course!
You are invited to celebrate Christmas 2022
Advent Evenings—Churches Together in Ash, Ash Vale & Tongham: Gather for reflections on Hope, Peace, Love and Joy with prayer, multimedia, and song. Dec 1st (St Mary’s), 7th (Holy Angels), 13th (St Peter’s), 19th (St Paul’s) 7-8pm followed by refreshments. Come to one or do them all.
26th Nov—Christmas at The Chapel on Wharf Rd: Join us 14:30-17:30 for festive fun, amazing raffle, lucky dip, free card making craft, second hand toys and more. Free admission.
10th Dec—St Nicholas Day Lantern Walk: An atmospheric lantern walk from The Chapel on Wharf Rd to St Mary’s on Vale Rd, finishing with a bonfire party, hot chocolate and sweets from St Nicholas! Text to book your staggered start time: 07730 609446 (free / donations)
11th Dec—Carols by Candlelight 6.30pm: Come and share the joy of singing our favourite Christmas Carols by candlelight at St Mary’s. Let’s rejoice! (free / donations)
24th Dec—Christingle Trail (time slots start from 3pm): Make Christingle, visit the Inn, see the Wise Men, stoke the shepherd’s bonfire, and get a selfie with baby Jesus! Not forgetting Revd Neil’s pizza! Text to book 07730 609446 (Children’s Society donations)
24th Dec—Christmas Communion 11.30pm: Come and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the first communion of Christmas. 11:30pm start.
25th Dec: Sunday Service 10am Join us to celebrate our Lord Jesus’s birth. Children, why not bring along your favourite present to show & tell?
Christmas Donations: This year we are asking for ‘winter warmer’ donations for local food parcels please, and fundraising for Amaha We Uganda tree planting. To donate items for any of our projects contact us, or you can donate online and select a project to support by donation. Thank you! https://givealittle.co/campaigns/e912dae4-3af1-4453-99dc-0330f32faf15
Keeping in touch: Text or call on 07730 609446 / follow on Facebook @StMarysAshVale / come along in person to our Warm Hub on Fridays 10:00-13:00 / email to parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk / contact Revd Neil on revneil@me.com / Church Blog is here: www.ash-vale.org.uk including The Parishioner Magazine online. Happy Christmas!
By Revd. Neil Lambert
I think I might not be alone in looking back and feeling that 2022 has been the fastest passing year yet? We have experienced some dizzying highs— gathering together again after Covid restrictions lifted, celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee both in Ash Vale and in London on The Mall, and the women’s football team’s international victory—just to name a few. In stark contrast to these highs, there have been deep and difficult lows too, with the outbreak of war in the Ukraine, the impacts on all of us of climate change, Her Majesty’s passing, the difficulties we face in coping with the increasing cost of living, political uncertainty, and deep personal losses including some very precious friends within our church community. Certainly 2022 is a year we will not forget.
Whatever life throws at us, Jesus is here for us, and Christmas is a very special time that reminds us that He understands. He came to earth as a vulnerable little child —both fully God and fully human— to join us in our highs and lows, and not just tell us, but personally show us, the way back to a good relationship with God. I pray we can all take a step closer to Him this Christmas, and enjoy the blessings that brings.
As some of you may know, I am following the work of Waldensian church in Italy at the moment—a study project I chose for my Sabbatical—to bring fresh inspiration to my ministry. These churches have much to share with us, especially their expertise in working together with other churches, reaching out to the poor, and having compassion for refugees. I would love to tell you more about it. Why not come along to the St Nicholas Lantern Walk on 10th December or our Christingle event on Christmas Eve and say hello, or have a chat after the Carols by Candlelight over a mince pie. I hope to see you soon! (diary dates are all on the what’s on page)
Wishing you, your families and neighbours every blessing, and a peaceful Christmas.
Neil
St Mary’s Church, Vale Rd, Ash Vale, GU12 5JE
We would like to thank artist Daniel Austin for our beautiful Christingle cover image.
