roots down walls down
** Coats ** if you need a coat please come down to the Community Cafe Warm Hub this Friday at St Mary’s 10:00-13:00 we have had lots donated as part of our ‘winter warmers’ appeal and they are free to whoever needs them. Lots of different sizes, mostly childrens but there are a few adults ones. We also have some blankets available. Tea and coffee available all morning, Soup lunch is served at 12:00 . No need to book just pop in.
All are welcome!
Midnight Mass / Christmas Communion will be on Christmas Eve 11.30pm. All welcome.
Christmas Day Service is at 10am on Sunday. Neil will be taking the service and the service will be relaxed and shorter than a normal Sunday. Please note the change of time for this service.All welcome and children can bring a new toy to show us!
May you have a blessed and peaceful Christmas.
Come on in and get warm!
Fridays 10:00-13:00
St Mary’s, Vale Rd, Ash Vale GU12 5JE
Join us for cuppa, biscuits and a chat.
We have free wifi for anyone needing to
get online and toys, books and
colouring to entertain the children.
Free Soup Lunch served at 12:00.
All free / by donation.
All welcome.
SCC is also sending us winter
essentials for those in need,
just ask for Alex or Nikki
Please support Amaha We Uganda’s tree planting projects this Christmas. Your gift of trees will reforest mountains, stop landslides and feed families.
Amaha We Uganda is one of St Mary’s chosen charities again this year and we are so excited to see that another 30,000 trees have been planted this season. You can read all about it on their website www.AmahaWeUganda.org.uk
Gift certificate cards are available for your family and friends. Email alex@amahaweuganda.org for your PDF certificate.
Donations link: https://givealittle.co/campaigns/ba64796b-7c63-4d16-944f-bacf9b8dc098
Join us for an evening of Carols, music and readings by candlelight to celebrate the joy of Christmas. Sunday 11th December 2022 at St Marys, Vale Rd in Ash Vale, 6.30pm
Free to attend, all welcome, please stay for refreshments afterwards. (We are back indoors this year for the first time since covid)
#ChristmasJoy #AshVale #CarolsByCandlelight #StMarysAshVale #ChristmasCarolshttps://fb.me/e/2PNl2uQEf
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.
Christmas Food Parcels 2022
Can you help?
The local Food Parcels Project for Ash, Ash Vale and Ash Green is appealing for Christmas Hamper items and winter warmers for local families this Christmas.
Not everyone will be in a position to help this year, but if you can, we will be very thankful. Donations can be dropped off on or before Saturday 17th December at St Mary’s Church Vale Rd on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays 9:00-12:00 or at other times by arrangement (please text 07730609446) THANK YOU!
Ideas for things to donate? Hot water bottles, warm socks, blankets, childrens toys (no cuddly toys please), sweets and treats, cranberry sauce, mince pies, biscuits, Christmas cake, crackers, Christmas pudding, custard, chocolates, seasonal fruit and veg, tinned ham, christmas activity books, board games, festive toiletries… think about what makes your Christmas special – let’s share some of that Christmas joy! Thank you for your support.
