This three-day festival will take place from Friday 12th December to Sunday 14th December. It is an opportunity for members of the community to sponsor a tree and promote their organisation or business, and for the community to come together and enjoy the spectacle! This year’s theme for decorating your tree is Christmas Songs.· If you would like to decorate and display a tree to promote your organisation or business, please contact christina.harry@icloud.com for further information. Trees will need to be decorated on Thursday 11th December in preparation for the festival. · There will be Family Fun on Saturday 13th December in the church, all activities are free, and free refreshments will be available · We will join together at the end of the festival to celebrate Christmas with a Christingle service at 4pm on Sunday 14th December. Come and enjoy this magical service which finishes in candlelight.
Several people from St. Martin’s Church attended the festival this year, as part of a festival of contemporary Christian music and community worship. There were 5 different music stages and a range of Christian organisations and resources. It was attended by 35,000 people, with at least 30% of the attendees aged between 16-26. It was a great worship experience.We had four young people in our group, and they really enjoyed the range of Christian music and the youth programme. There was also a programme for families. A resources exhibition refreshed our knowledge of books, organisations and possibilities for Christian service along with Christian based cards and gifts.
On the news of the election of Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Rose stated:'I warmly welcome the news of the election of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and assure him of my prayers as he begins his ministry.The election of a new Pope is a moment of profound significance not only for Roman Catholics worldwide but also for the wider Christian family.We give thanks for his calling and pray that he will be granted wisdom, grace, and strength as he leads the Church in speaking to God's world with a message of love, forgiveness and reconciliation.I look forward to continued dialogue and cooperation between our churches, and to working together in witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.'+Rose
