pulse December 2017 - January 2018
Services in December 1st
7.00 p.m.
rd
11.00 a.m.
3
6.00 p.m.
Carol Aid Advent Sunday - Family Worship including the lighting of Christingles Evening Communion Service
10th
11.00 a.m.
Family Worship
17th
11.00 a.m.
Junior Church Christmas Celebration and Holy Communion
6.00 p.m.
Christchurch 50th Anniversary “Carols by Candlelight�, preceded by afternoon tea from 4.30 pm onwards
23rd
11.00 a.m.
th
8.00 p.m.
Christmas Eve Worship (Please note there will be no morning service)
25th
9.30 a.m.
Christmas Family Praise
st
11.00 a.m.
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Carols at the Maelfa centre
Family Worship for the last day of the year
Services in January 7th
11.00 a.m. 6.00 p.m.
Family Worship Evening Communion Service
14th
11.00 a.m.
Family Worship
21
st
11.00 a.m.
Family Worship with Holy Communion
28
th
11.00 a.m.
Family Worship
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Minister’s Letter Christmas Timing “Peaking too early” is a problem for athletes getting ready for a major competition. All the months of training, their psychological preparation and even their diet, are supposed to come together so that their body will be at its absolute best on the day of their chosen event. But if they get the timing wrong, and come to that point of perfection a week too early, it is unlikely that they will succeed. All their efforts will have been in vain. The same can be true for musicians: every pianist or violinist knows how easy it is to over-rehearse, which means they will not only lack spontaneity but trip over their fingers and make mistakes during their performance. And perhaps gardeners, growing their flowers or vegetables for show, have the hardest task of all: we just cannot imagine a Chelsea exhibit with wilting blooms or drooping leaves. It’s no use saying, “But they looked wonderful yesterday!” I think that many people make the same mistake with Christmas. Weeks, even months, before the big day they start planning their festivities, buying presents and getting in the food and drink. They put up their decorations at the
very beginning of December and attend countless events and parties during the month. By the time Christmas finally comes round they are not only exhausted, but bored with the whole thing. What should be the climax of their celebrations goes off like a damp squib. Of course, we’re all placed under a lot of pressure to start Christmas early. It’s a common complaint that decorations are on sale by the end of September, muddled up with Hallowe’en paraphernalia. The “festive issues” of some magazines – complete with calendars detailing everything that needs to be done before the big day – are published by the end of October. Messages pop up on our computers announcing “Black Friday” specials. The newspapers rate the supermarkets’ lavish Christmas adverts: will M&S manage to pip John Lewis this year? The inference is plain: wellorganised, sensible people get stuck into Christmas many weeks in advance. But the Church of Christ has a powerful antidote to all this: the season of Advent (even though, as the writer Alan Bennett bemoans, it is often replaced today by the more prosaic “run-up to Christmas”). These four weeks, if used correctly, gently stir us to just the right level 3
of anticipation. Lighting candles week by week, reading the stories of the families involved in Jesus’ birth, slowly building the decorations (and not glutting oneself on mince pies!) all act as preludes, whetting our appetite for the main event.
together perfectly – neither moment too soon nor too late”.
a
So, although we’ve already had our Christmas Fair and we’ll be enjoying “Carol Aid” on the very first day of December, let’s pace ourselves through Advent, savouring the anticipation of Christmas. Let’s enjoy the development of the Nativity story throughout the month, pondering on the preparations that God had to make for his Son’s birth. Let’s try not to become frantic and frazzled because we have set ourselves unrealistic expectations for the Day. And then, neither too soon nor too late, let’s join with Mary, Joseph and the shepherds in the sheer wonder of the angels’ message: “Christ is born today!”
The Pastor of a church I once attended never quite understood this. He knew that people like singing Christmas carols, so our services throughout December were stuffed full of them. The result, of course, was that we were heartily sick of carols by the time Christmas actually arrived! More important, any sense of climax and arrival was completely lost – in fact, we were quite relieved to go back to singing “ordinary hymns”. And Epiphany never got a look in, as we’d already thought of I hope that Christmas will peak for all the story of the Wise Men nearly a of us at precisely the right time. It fortnight earlier. certainly did, for God! St. Paul tells us that God sent his Son With best wishes, to the world in the “fullness of time”. Andrew The Jewish people, inspired by the prophets, had anticipated the coming of their Messiah for centuries; by the time Christ was born they were smarting under the weight of Roman rule and desperately pleading with God to “do something”. Several pretenders announced themselves as the Chosen One, but all were ultimately mistaken. It was only the coming of Jesus (and later reflection on events) which allowed the Christian Church to say, “Yes! God’s plans all came 4
Playgroup December is a very busy month for us all I am sure, but in Playgroup we are trying to juggle so many things firstly, learning our Christmas songs for our concert on December 19th. We are encouraging the children to sit on the stage (on chairs) most mornings, so it won't be so strange nearer the date. However, we can't practise seeing the parents watching them! We are also being creative with various Christmassy crafts, and we haven't forgotten to make decorations for our own Christmas tree in the church. Then there will be the costumes to try on for our concert, and the decision must be made - who will be Mary and Joseph etc.?
We will be making our annual trip up to All Saints School for their dress rehearsal on Monday, December 11th, and its Reception class will visit us for ours on Monday, December 18th. Although some of our children will be leaving us at Christmas, we have a good number of new children/ parents to meet in December, and they will be starting with us in January.
Mark, from the local library, will be On behalf of us all at Playgroup, may visiting us for a Christmas story/craft I wish you a very happy Christmas session this month, and Andrew has and New Year. offered to help us make Christingles Debbie Munton in Playgroup one morning with the Playgroup Leader children. Parents, with their children, have been invited to the Christchurch service on the morning of Sunday, December 3rd, and we hope to sing a Christmas song for you.
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Christmas at Christchurch Christmas Eve 8:00pm (no morning service) We will be able to meet together in the hall before the evening service from 7.00pm for tea/coffee and mince pies/cakes. The offering on Christmas Eve will be donated to Christian Aid .
Christmas Day 9:30am On Christmas Day, there will be a Gift offering for the work of Christchurch. Christian Aid envelopes will be available in the porch as well as printed envelopes for your Gift offering to Christchurch. If you are unable to be in church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, then please use these envelopes at any time before or after Christmas. If you wish to Gift Aid your Christian Aid donation, then please complete the envelope as required, and, if you wish to Gift Aid your Christmas Day Gift offering, put your number on the envelope, or see one of the Deacons if you don’t yet use Gift Aid. These envelopes will be available from Sunday, 10th December.
Carol Aid All Saints Church in Wales Primary School, Llanedeyrn Primary School and Ysgol y Berllan Deg have all confirmed their participation in this year's Carol Aid on Friday, December 1st starting at 7.00pm. Please come along and support a great evening. All charity donations will be shared between Unicef and MIND.
Candlelight Service A candlelight service of Lessons and Carols will be held on Sunday, December 17th at 6.00pm. This is the last event of our Golden Anniversary year. An Afternoon Tea of sandwiches and seasonal cakes will be available from 4.30pm onwards, in the hall, before this special service. This will also allow time to visit the Christmas Tree Festival. All are welcome.
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Christmas Cards We will be having a Christmas Card board again this year in the porch from Sunday, 3rd December, for those who wish to send greetings to friends at Christchurch. So bring your card and pin it onto the board from this date on!! There will be a box on the table with pins, and also a box with envelopes for any donations you may wish to make in lieu of postage stamps (if you wish to Gift Aid your donation, please put your number on the envelope, or see one of the Deacons if you don’t yet use Gift Aid). It was agreed at the church meeting that donations would go to the work of Tearfund.
Junior Church Service A reminder that our Junior Church Service will be taking place on Sunday, 17th December at 11.00am and will include a nativity play. Don't miss this opportunity to support the children, and enjoy hearing the Christmas story once again. For those involved: we are rehearsing during Junior Church on Sunday, 10th December and will be meeting at 10.40am on Sunday 17th. Liz, Ruth and Carole
Ladies’ Circle Come and celebrate Christmas with the Ladies’ Circle on the 5th of December.
There will be a buffet lunch at 1.15pm followed by carol singing. Tickets are available priced at £4. Jean Richards
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DECEMBER 2017
Sunday
Monday
26th
27th
28th
3rd
4th
5th
11.00am Advent Sunday -Family Worship including lighting of Christingles 6.00pm Evening Communion Service
10th
1.15pm Ladies’ Circle Buffet followed by carols
11th
11.00am Family Worship 6.30pm Sunday Takeaway
17th
12th 2.00pm Ladies’ Circle
18th
11.00am Junior Church Christmas Celebration and Holy Communion 6.00pm Candlelight Service
24th
19th 2.00pm Ladies’ Circle
25th
8.00pm Christmas Eve Worship 11.00am Christmas Family Praise
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Tuesday
26th
Wednesday 29th
Thursday 30th
Friday 1st
Saturday 2nd
11.00am Prayer Meeting 7.00pm Carol Aid
6th
7th
8th
1.45pm Toddlers’ Group
7.30pm Fellowship Group
11.00am Prayer Meeting 7.00pm Seven11
13th
14th
15th
16th
11.00am Prayer Meeting 7.00pm Seven11
2.00pm-4.00pm Christmas Tree Festival
22nd
23rd
11.00am Prayer Meeting 7.00pm Seven11
11.00am Carols at the Maelfa centre
29th
30th
1.45pm Toddlers’ Group 7.00pm Deacons’ Meeting
20th
21st
1.45pm Toddlers’ Group
27th
28th
9th
11.00am Prayer Meeting
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Sunday 31st(December)
Monday
Tuesday
1st
2nd
8th
9th
11.00am Family Worship
7th
JANUARY 2018
11.00am Family Worship 6.00pm Evening Worship and Communion
14th
15th
11.00am Family Worship 6.30pm Sunday Takeaway
21st
11.00am Family Worship
16th 2.00pm Ladies’ Circle
22nd
11.00am Family Worship and Communion
28th
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2.00pm Ladies’ Circle
23rd 2.00pm Ladies’ Circle
29th
30th 2.00pm Ladies’ Circle
Wednesday 3rd
Thursday 4th
Friday 5th
Saturday 6th
11.00am Prayer Meeting
10th
11th
1.45pm Toddlers’ Group
17th
12th
13th
11.00am Prayer Meeting 7.00pm Seven11
18th
1.45pm Toddlers’ Group 7.00pm Deacons’ Meeting
19th
20th
11.00am Prayer Meeting 7.00pm Seven11
24th
25th
26th
27th
1.45pm Toddlers’ Group
7.30pm Pantomime
11.00am Prayer Meeting 7.30pm Pantomime
2.30pm Pantomime 7.00pm Pantomime
31st
1st
2nd
3rd
1.45pm Toddlers’ Group
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From the Archives Let me take you back to December 1979… well, I can’t as I wasn’t there, but fortunately the collection of magazines sat in my house can assist! On Christmas morning in 1979 Christchurch was broadcast live to the world via the BBC. Our former ‘People and Events’ section of the magazine described the scene: "After very long, hot, tedious and often boring rehearsals, the big day eventually arrived. It was an early start for the children, who were so excited, but I think they behaved admirably and remembered all their cues. It was a strange experience being televised, but I am sure that by giving up our normal Christmas morning service for the BBC Service we gave a great deal of pleasure to very many people in their homes. Thank you to everyone who helped in any way at all, and a big thank you to all our children, who looked so angelic." Many letters of encouragement were received by the church following this service and Rev. Davies posed the question "I wonder if we encourage one another enough?" A question still pertinent to us today in Christchurch. Liz Dickinson
The Advent Virus WARNING…WARNING: ADVENT VIRUS Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus, and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world. Some signs and symptoms of The •
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A tendency to think and act
Advent Virus: spontaneously rather than on fears
based on past experiences. •
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
•
A loss of interest in judging other people.
•
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
•
A loss of interest in conflict.
•
A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
•
Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
•
Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
•
Frequent attacks of smiling.
•
An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
•
An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it. Anonymous (Submitted by Linda Jones)
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News Care of Grounds Many thanks to the small team of men and ladies who have worked hard again this year to keep the gardens around our church looking so good. The 'grass cutting team' are Gerard, Ian Kelly, Jane Parry and Gareth, who hope that they will have a couple of months off until the grass starts growing again! Mary Bowen and Angela plan and maintain the beautiful flower beds, which have looked particularly colourful this year. Your hard work is much appreciated, and makes the church look cared for and inviting. Enjoy a short rest before Spring arrives! Trudy Joshua
Thank You A huge thank you to everyone at church for the lovely messages of congratulation, and the numerous cards and gifts we received on Carwyn’s birth. We are overwhelmed by your kind words and appreciate all the warmth, love and concern shown over the last few weeks. Carwyn is an absolute delight and looks forward to meeting you all soon. Frances and Matthew Pitt
Pantomime We can fly, we can fly, we can fly! Rehearsals are well underway now for ‘Peter Pan, the Pantomime’ and the cast and crew are hard at work ready to entertain you. The performances will be on: •
Thursday, January 25th at 7:30pm
•
Friday, January 26th at 7:30pm
•
Saturday, January 27th at 2:30pm and 7.00pm
Tickets cost £7 for adults, £3 for children, and will be available from December onwards. Don't leave it until the last week of January, or you may miss out! The Players 16
Carpenter Trevor! Our grateful thanks to Trevor, who is always so willing to use his skills to repair, maintain and make so many 'weird and wonderful things' from wood for the benefit of the church. Again this year, he made items for us to decorate for the Christmas Crafts stall at the Fair, which were popular and sold well. We are already working on ideas for next year, Trev, so keep your tools sharpened! Angela, Ruth and Trudy
Baby Bags At the back of the church are 4 brightly coloured bags with activities suitable for under 5s. This means that parents will be able to stay in church and take part, while their child is engaged with a colourful board book or some of the small toys in the bags. When the service has finished, please return the bags to the steward at the door or leave beside the hymn book table. Moira
Turkey Breakfast Cyncoed Ministry Area Men’s Group Invite you for Turkey Rolls on Saturday, December 2nd, 9.30 am at All Saints’ Cyncoed. Donations to cover costs. Please contact Rhys Collins for further information. Rhys Collins
Viney Hill To all the children within the church aged 8 - 17, a reminder to get your forms in for Viney Hill as soon as possible to secure your place. If you haven't had a form, or have lost it, please let Liz know. Liz Dickinson
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Rotas - December Stewards December
Cleaning
Ian Travis, Gerard and Barbara Garness
(Further details from Jean Richards or Gareth Joshua)
Week commencing December 4th
Diane Thorne
December 11th Sian and Gareth Wood December 18th Tesni and Erfyl Williams December 25th Jan Derrett and Hywel Williams
Flowers
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December 3rd
Advent
December 10th
Advent
December 17th
Christmas Tree Festival
December 24th
Christmas
December 31st
Christmas
Rotas - January Stewards January
To be confirmed
February
To be confirmed
Cleaning
(Further details from Jean Richards or Gareth Joshua)
Week commencing January 1st
Kundai Chuma and Sandy
January 8th
Travis family
January 15th
Sandra Bastable and Linda Jones
January 22nd
Ruth and Liz Dickinson
January 29th
Trudy and Gareth Joshua
Flowers—see noticeboard January 7th January 14th January 21st January 28th February 4th
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Christchurch United Church Llanedeyrn Drive Llanedeyrn Cardiff CF23 9JQ
Welcome to Christchurch We are a united church in east Cardiff, and offer a warm welcome to all visitors. Worship reflects the inter-denominational composition of our congregation. Baptist, Methodist and Covenant Rite Liturgies are used, infant and believer’s baptism and infant dedication are practised. We have an open Communion table at which the invitation is to ‘All who love our Lord Jesus Christ’. There are many church and community activities during the week, and some special events each month. We have strong links with other churches in our area. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChristchurchUnitedChurch
www.christchurchunitedcardiff.org.uk
Items for the February edition of PULSE to Eirian by lunchtime on January 21st. Contact:
editor@christchurchunitedcardiff.org.uk 029 2065 5691 PULSE box in the church porch