Fourth Sunday of Advent, 20 December 2020

Love and blessings to you on the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Guide and direct us in all our ways, Lord,
that we may travel the path you set before us.

Fill us with love for you and for one another;
give us a passion for your kingdom
that readies us to meet you in the crib,
in our hearts, and at your coming again in glory.
Amen.

Dear friends,

It seems incredible that we have almost reached the end of this strangest – and for many: most difficult – of all years. Back in March, when church buildings were suddenly closed for public worship, we wanted to find a different way to reach out to everyone. So the ‘Walmsley Parish News’ began, and we started to send it out with prayers and resources from across the Turton Moorland Team Ministry. This is now edition FORTY!!

On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we light the first, second, third, and fourth candles of the Advent wreath. And we give thanks for our friends across our parishes and community, who have reached out to show kindness and hope.

There is also a message from me at the end of this e-mail about future ‘Parish News’ editions.

Love and blessings from,
Dawn Hitchen – Church Warden & Authorised Lay Minister for Pastoral Care

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Services & Celebrations

Please come and join us for a SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION this fourth Sunday of Advent, led by Reverend Carol Hayden, at Christ Church Walmsley: 9.30am.

There will be a mid-week Service of Holy Communion on Wednesday 23 December at 11am led by Reverend Carol.

Christmas Carols

SUNDAY 20 DECEMBER at 3pm: We invite you to join us outside Christ Church Walmsley – where we can socially distance – and sing some of our favourite carols around our Christmas tree. There is still time to add a decoration, prayer, name of a loved one… 

You can download or print off your own copy of the carols we’ll be singing. 

Thank you to Mark Head, Choir Master at Walmsley Church, who has created the carol booklet for us.

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Comfort & Joy

A reminder to let Reverend Carol know if you would like a booklet for ‘Comfort and Joy’ – the Church of England’s 2020 Christmas campaign.

Please contact her on 01204 587150

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HAVE YOU TAKEN A PEAK AT THE BEAUTIFUL ORIGAMI ANGELS flying over the font at CHRIST CHURCH? What a stunning display! Thank you to Angie Foster & Team + to anyone who has helped in any way.

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Online Services

This week, there is a very special online service from the TURTON MOORLAND TEAM: THE VIRTUAL CAROL SERVICE: There are readers contributing from all four parishes (including Ronnie I and Amelie S from our own Walmsley Parish), and a choir from all the parishes; there are hand-bells from St Peter’s, and images from across our wonderful Team area, including lots of Christmas decorations and lights etc. We hope the service will give joy and hope and peace to those who can’t get to church, and to our communities.  Watch HERE.

Virtual Evening Prayer

From our own Walmsley Parish, we share with you another ‘VIRTUAL EVENING PRAYER’, recorded in church and led this week by Adrian Golland. Iain Stewart (Church Warden) reads from the Old Testament and the New Testament reading is given by John Evans (ALM for Worship). Those of you who usually attend Evensong at Christ Church Walmsley may wish to wait until 6.30pm for an element of ‘normality’, but this link is available to watch NOW.

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Advent

An Advent Symphony Jesus

The final week of the Advent Symphony Course by Canon Peter Reiss is now available on the website (and as attachment 1b). Week 4 focuses on the various names of Jesus. It begins on Sunday and ends on Christmas Day. If you have not got involved so far, why not read up on this final movement – as we focus on the meaning of Christmas.  An Advent Symphony | St Anne’s with St James

Advent Acts of Kindness

Here is a chance to make a difference each day! One ACT for each day until Christmas Day.

Light a Virtual Candle

We want to continue to offer all the things we normally would, so we have developed a page on our team website with the altar as the backdrop and candles in rows that we hope people will dedicate in memory of their deceased loved ones this Advent.  You can view these from the Team website homepage: https://turtonmoorlandteam.co.uk/

The candles will remain ‘virtually lit’ until January 2nd.

1. Each person can have a maximum of 3 candles but each candle should be in memory of a different person.
2. You can have two people named on one candle if they shared the same surname.
3. Your brief message should be a maximum of 50 characters.

There is no obligation to donate but we would be delighted if you wished to support us.  A donation button is on our website.

Please have a look at our Light a Virtual Candle page if you would like to have a candle ‘virtually lit’ in memory of your loved one >>>

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Christmas Shopping Online

A reminder for you if you place orders through Amazon, as a registered charity, Walmsley Parish PCC has a link with Amazon Smile, which allows supporters to click this code:  https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1165756-0  to make Amazon purchases as normal, but 0.5% of the sale will go – at no cost to yourself – to Walmsley Parish (The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Christ Church, Walmsley With St Andrews, Bromley Cross.)