Canterbury Community Gospel Choir performed a wonderful Christmas concert at St Nicholas Church on the 10th December. The church was packed, the music was uplifting and the refreshments were plentiful. Money raised from the concert was shared between the choir and the church. We would like to thank all those who took part.The choir meet at St Nicholas Church on Monday evenings during the school term and welcome new members.To find out more, please you can email CanterburyCommunityGospelChoir@gmail.com
I wonder if you have an Advent calendar on the go? My family love them. There’s a little something to look forward to each day – whether that be a sweet treat, a figure to add to the nativity set, or the next part of the nativity story. And there’s a sense of anticipation – Christmas is coming !I wonder what you are looking forward to most about Christmas? Is it time off work, time with family and friends, mulled wine and mince pies, presents, carols, or something else? Of course, there may be aspects of Christmas you’re not looking forward to. And for some, it can be a time which is stressful, exhausting, cold, lonely, or sad. But at the heart of Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ. This is who we sing about in our carols. This is God’s gift of love to the world, echoed in our gifts to one another. This is the one who came to reveal God’s love, to forgive sin, to heal and restore, even to overcome death. This is what we will be celebrating at St NIcholas Church and all are welcome to join in. And, whatever our circumstances, Matthew’s gospel reminds us that Jesus was no less than “God with Us", the God who is with us through all the ups and downs of life and even beyond the grave. My prayer is that you will know God’s love for you and share it with others, this Christmas and always. Revd Nick White
Thanks to all those who brought items of food to the Harvest services at St Nicholas and St Faiths.The following day these were passed onto the foodbank at Thanington Neighbourhood Resource Centre. Here they are made available to people in our local community who may be struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table. Staff at the Resource Centre expressed their thanks for the church's ongoing support of the foodbank.As we approach winter, with rising energy costs, the demand for the foodbank is likely to increase. So, if you are able, please consider giving items of food on a regular basis. You can take it directly to Thanington Neighbourhood Resource Centre or put into the box at the back of St Nicholas Church on Sunday mornings.
I’ve been walking through the local orchards recently. There’s so much fruit, looking ripe and ready to eat. It’s harvest time!In the church calendar, this is a time of year when we remember with gratitude all that God provides, especially the things that we eat and drink. But as we give thanks to God for the gifts of creation, we also give thanks for those who work hard to grow and harvest the food we enjoy, both locally and around the world. As we think about where our food comes from, it is also a good time to recommit to a fair wage and working conditions for those who work the land around the world. One way of doing this is to buy ‘fair trade’ food whenever possible. This harvest, as we reflect on God’s generosity, may we be thankful people, may we be generous people, and may we work toegther for a fairer world.Revd Nick White( Photo by Sokmean Nou on Unsplash )
