PARISH CHURCH OF ST. PETER & ST. PAUL

Dear Friends,

            As always, lots coming up at St Peter and St Paul’s, your Parish Church, and as we approach Christmas I really do mean lots. Let me just draw out one or two services and events that help us all join in the great celebrations of the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

            And an exciting concert coming up is that done by York Waits. If you’ve ever heard them (live or on CD) you’ll know you’re in for a real treat; if you’ve not heard them then you’ve got much to enjoy. They’re a group who’ll be performing music and carols for Christmas as it might have sounded in medieval times: they have an astonishing and varied range of instruments and our famous wall-paintings make this a perfect venue. We’ll also be serving mulled wine and mince pies just to add to the occasion. York Waits are great fun, and you’ll be tapping your feet for the rest of Christmas. The concert’s on Friday 4th December at 7.30pm. Tickets available from the Tourist Information Office.

            Last year we had a large tree for the first time, lit with hundreds and  hundreds of twinkling white lights, each representing the life of some person of Pickering especially brought to mind at Christmas. It exceeded every expectation and since then people have asked if we’re doing it again? Of course we are: it’s clearly far too  important for all of us not to do so. So there’ll be a special Carol Service during which the Town Mayor will switch on the lights. Information should have arrived in your home by now, so if you want a name included in the Book of Blessings, do please get it back to me quickly. The ‘A Light For Christmas’ Carol Service is on Sunday 6th December at 3.30pm, and this special Christmas Tree is up until Twelfth Night. The famous Annual Christmas Tree Festival is on from 11th - 29th December. It will be launched again by The Chanticleer Singers with their concert, ‘Chanticleer Carols’, on Friday 11th December at 7.30pm. Refreshments during the Christmas Tree Festival are available in church on 12th & 14th December.

Stape Silver Band have a concert on Sunday 13th December at 2pm, and at 6pm it’s the Parish Church Carol Service – another wonderful opportunity to sing your favourite seasonal carols.

            The Town Carol Service takes place at 6.30pm (please note the later time from previous years) on Wednesday 16th December. I’m not writing separately to all organisations this year: please take this as your invitation and come along and join in the fun!

            Everything we do at Christmas is based around the Christian belief that God became Man: our carol services and events all lead up to that. So on Christmas Eve,  24th December, we prepare the Crib and hand out Christingles. The Christingle Service starts at 3pm: kids big and small welcome, as you all are to anything we do at your Parish Church, of course. And then at 11.30pm it’s Midnight Mass by Candlelight: it’s a magical and beautiful and awe-inspiring occasion and people are still talking about last year’s Midnight Mass. Be one of them, this Christmas!

            Christmas Day, starts with a said service of Holy Communion at 8am, and then a special service of Communion for the whole family at 10am.

            People sometimes stop me in the streets and ask if they can contribute to something specific in the Parish Church. So now the organ restoration is over, there are other projects on the go which might be of interest. I’m trying to get pew runners for many of the seats in church to add to people’s comfort: a lot of the money needed has already  been  raised,  but   we   still   need another £125 per pew to do the job. Do let me know if you want to donate towards this useful project. And bearing in mind that Christmas is approaching, I’m in the process of buying a new Crib Set. If you wish to contribute anything towards that, then please do let me know.

            But as always, about anything, do contact me ( vicar@pickeringchurch.com ) or my colleague Lynn Grove ( lynn@pickeringchurch.com ). And do look us up on our website, www.pickeringchurch.com  (which I’m hoping will be up and running from mid November, and much more to be added).

            Finally, I wish you all a very Blessed and a Very Happy Christmas.

Fr. Antony Pritchett, Parish Priest