MESSY CHURCH

What an amazing Christmas it was too!  Advent seemed to get a little overlooked as our Christmas celebrations got off to a very early start indeed.  We began with "Messy Church" on Advent Sunday when a large number of children and families gathered at St. Mary's to be creative and to worship.  Decorations were made to adorn the Messy Church Christmas tree for our first Christmas Tree Festival the following weekend.  At the end of the short service - the Crib figures in the stable started their long journey around various homes within the United Benefice eventually arriving back at St. Mary's on Christmas Eve.  Looking to the future - the next Messy Church session will be at All Saints' Feering on SUNDAY, 7th MARCH at 4 o'clock, when we begin our preparations for Easter.

CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL

Wow, what can one say about that - except what an overwhelming success it was!  Well done to the Fund Raising Committee who organised such an outstanding weekend. Hundreds and hundreds of people visited St. Mary's during the first weekend of December in order to see the beautifully adorned and lit trees.  In all thirty eight trees were displayed in church representing various organisations, families and individuals (look at the Kelvedon Church Website to see photographs of the end result).  It was an event which brought the entire community together.  Thanks to St. Mary's Church School Choir and the Church Choir itself for leading the seasonal singing.  Throughout the whole weekend top class catering and refreshment was available.  Over £2,000 was raised - a quarter of which went as a donation to the Night Shelter at Colchester to bring a little Christmas cheer to the homeless.  Looking to the future a little bird tells me that plans are already afoot for the 2010 Christmas Tree Festival to take place over the weekend of SATURDAY 4th and SUNDAY 5th DECEMBER.  I believe that the target is to have no less than 50 Christmas trees in church.

NATIVITIES

We are truly blessed in having two Church of England Schools within our United Benefice.  I absolutely adored the traditional Nativity Plays put on by both schools - there wasn't an elf or an alien in sight in either of them.  During December I saw the film NATIVITY - about two rival Coventry schools' Nativity plays - one of which was a kind of Dance Drama based upon King Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents!  Per-lease! Kelvedon's play centred upon the school preparing for the Nativity at a time when the Ofsted inspectors were due to make a visit.  Well done children - particularly the young lad who took the part of Mr. Taylor, the Acting Headmaster.  Looking to the future we look forward to welcoming Mr. Mike Walsh as our new Headmaster.  Mr. Walsh will be commissioned at a service which will also include a Christingle on 31st JANUARY at 4 o'clock at St. Mary's.  I am sure that Mr. Walsh will be relieved to know that the Ofsted inspectors in the school Nativity play gave a report which included a great big tick.  I loved the music of both schools nativities and I especially loved the Angels Dancing in Heaven at Feering School - having a party to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.  I must say, in all the years I have been going to Nativity plays - I've never seen such "cool" sheep as those at Feering School - each one wearing sun shades - no doubt to shield them from the radiance which emanated from the baby in the manger.
Our two churches also hosted the School Carol Services - Kelvedon's telling of the origins of many of our much loved traditional carols and Feering's including the School Choir singing a Latin anthem in two parts.

O COME LET US ADORE HIM

My word - how we did that during Christmas 2009.  Nothing warms my heart more than seeing a church full of people singing the Lord's praises.  As usual the Crib Service on Christmas Eve was absolutely packed to the rafters when the famous wardrobe this year was painted bright red and turned into a post box.  We welcomed Postman Pat as he brought the very best Christmas Cards bearing scenes of the Nativity.  Then the post box was opened to reveal parcels of headdresses for both shepherds and kings and the very best Christmas gift of all - the Bambino - which Mary carefully placed in the manger under the altar.  At the six o'clock Carol Service at Feering, also on Christmas Eve - there wasn't a single seat unoccupied in the entire nave of the church; a lovely service which was much appreciated by all who came.
Then, of course, Incarnation occurred in our three Christmas celebrations of the Holy Eucharist when the Blessed Lord incarnated Himself in the sacrament of the altar - mercifully now restored to communion in both kinds following the Church authorities' over reaction to the swine flu scare.  Looking to the future the Lord doesn't just incarnate Himself at Christmas alone - but He is present each and every Sunday as the People of God assemble to worship and adore Him.  So, don't put him away in the attic along with the tinsel and the Christmas lights and the baubles until next Christmas - remember He is a Living Lord for all the days of the New Year.  So make sure that 2010 is indeed a Year of the Lord.

With New Year Blessings,

FATHER DAVID