St Mary’s invites you to celebrate Christmas 2020

We love our beautiful cover this issue, a Christingle Orange by Dan Austin. We will be celebrating Christingle out in our community on Christmas Eve this year. Please join us! We wish you a peaceful and blessed Christmas.

Sun 29th Nov 10am – Advent Service on Zoom

Start Advent with beautiful music & worship for the season. For details email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Sun 6th Dec – St Nicholas Day Lantern Walk

Enjoy a socially distanced lantern walk from The Chapel on Wharf Rd to St Mary’s and see St Nicholas! (Slots available starting from Chapel 3:30pm — 6:30pm) Please dress for the weather and bring a lantern or torch. Booking is essential. Text / phone 07730 609446

Sun 13th Dec 10am—Service & Christmas Hampers

Zoom church service and the opportunity to donate towards hampers for local people in need. For Zoom details contact parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk  For hamper donations (to give funds or donate items) please contact us on 07730 609446 or the local Covid Support group.

Sun 20th Dec 6:30pm – Carols by Candlelight

Join us from home on Zoom (if restrictions permit we will also have limited tickets in church, booking essential). For Zoom details & to enquire about tickets please email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Thur 24th Dec 4:30pm— Christingle Carol Singing

We can’t gather in church for Christingle, so we will come to you! Look out for carol singers out and about in Ash Vale, and join in with the fun on Zoom. Christingle donations are welcomed for the Children’s Society, and a link will be shared on Facebook & Zoom. At 6pm we will be finishing with everyone bell ringing on their doorsteps too! Email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk for links.

Thur 24th Dec 11:30pm – Midnight Mass

Church Service to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will be on Zoom (and some seating in church if regulations allow). Contact parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Fri 25th Dec 10am – Christmas Morning Service

This is our main Christmas Day Morning Service on Zoom (and some seating in church if regulations allow). Contact parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk for details.

Gifts to help our neighbours. We would like to encourage everyone to ‘buy local’ in 2020, to donate for Christmas hampers here, and also to support our twinned communities in Uganda with Christmas Trees for Christmas. www.amahaweuganda.org Thank You.  

All events are subject to change due to Covid-19 safety rules. Please keep in touch via our mailing list for weekly notices by email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk or keep an eye on Facebook @StMarysAshVale  St  Mary’s Church, Ash Vale, GU12 5JE

Christmas Cake recipe

Ingredients: 

225g Plain Flour

225g Butter

225g Soft dark brown sugar

225g Currants

225g Raisins

225g Sultanas

0.5 tsp Cinnamon

0.5 tsp Cloves

0.5 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

125g Chopped Almonds

125g Mixed Peel (Optional)

125g Glacé Cherries (Optional)

Rind of one lemon

Rind of one orange

4 Large Eggs, Beaten

1-2 Tablespoons Brandy

Method:

Grease and line an 8 inch spring-form cake tin. 

Sift flour with spices. In another bowl beat butter with sugar till light and fluffy. Add the citrus rinds and gradually add beaten egg. Fold flour and spice mix in alternately to the fruit and nuts. Finally add Brandy. 

Pour mixture into cake tin and make a slight well in the centre. Bake on bottom shelf of oven at 145’C for about 3 and a half hours. After cooking turn off oven and leave tin, in the oven to cool. 

Once fully cooled, prick cake with a skewer and add 2 tablespoons of Brandy/Rum of your choice, wrap in brown paper and tinfoil and a couple of days before Christmas cover with marzipan and Royal Icing. 

You can find Vicki on Instagram: @vixxihibiscus

By Victoria Fox

No, it’s not cancelled! Christingle is coming to you!

24th December 2020  4:30pm-6:00pm

In the streets of Ash Vale, doorsteps & Zoom 

Join us on Zoom for a virtual Christingle, or join our roving carol singers to bring some Christmas cheer to our neighbours too! At 6pm we will finish off with bell ringing on our doorsteps to wish the whole community a blessed and peaceful Christmas. We will be collecting donations in aid of the Children’s Society online:  https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/

If you’d like the zoom link and a Christingle Kit to make at home, or are interested in joining in with the roving carol singing groups outside please get in touch asap on 07730 609446 or email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Please note—we will be following the covid rules, so the carols will be in households, bubbles or small groups according to the laws on the day.

#Christingle2020 #ChildrensSociety #ChristmasEve #CopingWithCovid #LoveWhereWeLive #AshVale #StMarysAshVale #ChristingleAndCarols

Love & Light Trail 2020 Map

You will probably have seen details of the Love & Light Trail in the latest Parishioner Magazine. The map has now been published – and here it is! The trail is open on Saturday 31st Oct 2020 10am – 8pm for you to enjoy with your household or bubble. Have fun!

Love & Light Trail 2020 – map and instructions
Love & Light Trail 2020 – map and instructions

We have a few copies available in the church foyer if you don’t have a printer and would like to pick one up.

You can download the file here, to print at home:

With love from all at St Mary’s and The Chapel.

#LoveAndLight2020 #LoveAndLightTrail #Community #LoveYourNeighbour #LoveWhereWeLive #AshVale