What are your local Advent and Christmas traditions? As we approach the season of Advent, which starts this Sunday, people all across the diocese are busy with local traditions, some old, some new. Here are a few, with more in the weeks to come.
Rev'd Preb Stephanie Fountain, Priest-in-Charge of Bishop's Castle benefice, says, "We do a ' Pop in, Drop in' Carol singing evening in Bishops Castle every year. The local Bishops Castle Orchestra plays. It's a very informal community event. People can come and go and we serve mince pies, coffee and hot chocolate throughout the evening. It's always great fun, and usually features a few Christmas pop favourites as well!" The service, pictured above, is on 19th December at 6.30pm in St John the Baptist Church.
In Much Wenlock, a well-established tradition is the 8-day-long Tree and Crib Festival. A mix of schools, church groups, community groups, charities and local businesses decorate and exhibit a tree and/ or a Nativity Crib that celebrates what they do in the Much Wenlock Community. The church is open every day for people to visit, and holds a Review Evening on 10th December at 7 pm with refreshments and carols led by the Salvation Army Band, and an informal ‘Candlelit Carols for All’ with choirs led by local schools and the Church Choir at 5pm on Friday 13th December.
A similar event at St. Mary the Virgin, Burghill and Tillington, invites local organisations to each decorate a window in the church, with over a dozen organisations participating, from Scouts to Burghill in Bloom and the Gardening Club.
In Stretton Parish they hold a Messy Christingle 'church type' intergenerational service in St Laurence church - this year it is on Saturday, 30th November at 4pm, as well as an 'Experience Advent' week in the schools in this week before Advent. Like many parishes, volunteers come together to hold a Christmas Day dinner for local people who may otherwise be spending Christmas Day alone.