Throughout December we have joined in worship preparing for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to Father Shaun Conlon, Reverand Muriel Peters and our church wardens Jean Hutchinson and Doris Binks who have led our Advent services and inspired us with their sermons, words and prayers. Throughout the month community has been at the heart of everything we do at Holy Trinity. Our Christmas Fayre, held in Wingate Community Centre demonstrated the strong links between the church and the parish, we really do appreciate all of the support shown to us and thank everyone who came along. Wellfield School demonstrated this support with their generous donation to our food bank; it was wonderful to welcome the students to church, and they were an absolute credit to their school and to their families. Our food bank operates on a Saturday morning at Holy Trinity and anyone who needs to can access this. The glad tidings and great joy of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ were celebrated in our Christmas services. We began with our Carols around the village Christmas tree which was our whole community service. Our family service of shepherds and angels on Christmas Eve allowed for the blessing of the crib by Father Shaun who also led our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services of Holy Communion as we gave thanks for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and reaffirmed the light of faith in our hearts and minds. During December we have remembered in our prayers all those who find Christmas time to be difficult or challenging, whatever the reason. We pray that the light of our Lord shines upon all those who need his love and that his presence brings peace and solace in the new year. May the New Year bring joy, peace and God’s blessing to you and to those you hold dear. Amen
We began November with our service of All Souls, ‘Echoes of Easter’, recalling the great Easter mystery at the heart of the Christian faith, that Christ has conquered death and has opened for us the way to new and eternal life with God. During this service we prayed by name for all those who have died during this past two years, as well as remembering other members of our families and friends whom we love but see no longer. The service was well attended and provided us with the opportunity to find solace and comfort through prayer and reflection.On Remembrance Sunday our service included the reading aloud of the names of all of the men from the parish who died during World War I and World War II. Prayers of remembrance and gratitude for their sacrifice were said. 'For our tomorrow, they gave their today'.We ended the month, and the church year, with a service of Christ the King in preparation for Advent. The service reflected upon the gospels and the worship of Jesus as our lord and saviour.God the Father, help us to hear the call of Christ the King and to follow in his service, whose kingdom has no end; for he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, one glory, Amen.
Holy Trinity has achieved the bronze award in recognition of our ministry and mission in preaching the importance of positive stewardship of God's creation and putting into practice our commitment to nature and the natural environment in our church grounds. Our Outdoor Team have made a huge contribution in this area and, in partnership with Action For Station Town, have received a Thriving Award in the RHS 'In Your Neighbourhood' project for consistent improvement of our church grounds and a commitment to community involvement. The award recognised the rare tree planting, bird boxes, insect lagoons and hedgehog hotels alongside the work to make our churchyard a place to find peace and engage in contemplation.
Many of you will have seen the harrowing television pictures from Ukraine over the last few days and we would like to alert you to some of the ways in which you can help support the Ukrainian people. Money can be donated to the Diocese of Europe which is working closely with the mission agency USPG. Funds raised will support Christian charities and churches carrying out humanitarian work both in Ukraine and responding to the arrival of refugees in neighbouring countries. Visit ukraine-emergency-appeal.raisely.com for how to donate.From the Durham Diocesan Communications Team
