Christmas Events at St Matthew's Church
Thank you for visiting our website; a very important tool for sharing and celebrating with you, the activities and events we enjoy within our Church and also our local communities. As you browse the pages, you will also find information which we hope will help support you as you face life’s various challenges and festivities. we pride ourselves in offering a warm, hospitable welcome to all who visit St Matthew’s and we are a recognised Dementia friendly Church. As you can see from our photographs and events calendar, we are more than happy to take Church out of the building too! Please pay us a visit at one of our social events advertised on our news page or join us for worship at 10.30 a.m. each Sunday – we look forward to meeting you!Donnington Christmas FestivalSt Matthew’s was pleased to be able to join in this lively community event and to raise money for the Children’s Society by selling ‘Make your own Christingle’ bags to take home. Donations were also made to church funds for prayer candles to be placed in church and invitations were handed out to join in Christmas services and activities. £120 was raised for the Children’s Society.On 2nd December we were pleased to welcome in excess of 40 adults and children, (some from afar afield as Australia!) to our annual installation and illumination of the Nativity stable in theChurchyard. We enjoyed hot chocolate, mulled wine and mince pies before singing few of our favourite carols to get us in the mood for Christmas. Our thanks go to the children of St Matthew’s Primary School who provided Christmas prayers for our Churchyard display based on the Church ofEngland’s Christmas theme“Follow the Star – The Great Invitation”.Once again, through the generosity of members of the congregation, we were able to donate a Christmas hamper to the Christians Against Poverty, (CAP) Christmas Hamper Appeal. CAP is a valuable resource for those struggling with money management and the hampers are a welcome gift for many.December 2022 – Christmas service at AccordSt Matthew’s continues to develop close links with Accord, a residential home for adults with complex needs. We aim to demonstrate our Christian faith and values by visiting regularly, offering friendship and support to residents and staff and leading special services, the most recent being a Christmas Celebration service at the home followed by a ‘sing-a-long’ where we were supported musically by friends from other local churches. Residents and staff were pleased to receive Christmas gifts from St Matthew’s.Experience ChristmasWe were joined by children from St. Matthew’s school in the weeks before Christmas. Year 3 and 4 visited for “experience Christmas “. The Christmas story is told through a series of interactive stations designed to help the children have fun while learning about the birth of Christ.At the end of term, the school choir joined us for a candlelight service when they performed a mixture of new songs and traditional carols. All the children sang beautifully and there were some amazing solo performances.The St. Matthew's Team
For the comfort and confidence of those around us, please note the following: Bookings are no longer required for Sunday worship; Wear a face covering when entering, singing, moving around and leaving Church and also if someone you are talking to is wearing one. Use the sanitizer provided on entry, and as you leave the church; Use QR code reader to check in or give your details to a welcomer; The maximum capacity for our Church is 50. Once capacity is reached, for health & safety reasons, we will not be able to let more people in;If you have to share a pew with someone who has not come with you, please allow a space of 1m+ between you both; if an orange card is present, please leave the seat empty;Service sheets and hymn books will be available on designated seats. (Please take single sheet service sheets home with you to use during the week);Parents/ carers must supervise children while they are in Church; A plate will be available for your donations at the entrance to Church. Cheques should be made payable to St Matthew’s PCC. If possible please use bank standing order, contactless device or JustGiving page.
