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Saturday 11 December |
Carols by Candlelight - come along and sing some Christmas favourites |
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Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 December |
Family Christmas Crafts - themed craft activities |
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Nine Lessons and Carols - a traditional service of carols and readings |
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Friday 24 December |
Crib Service - a 30-minute service for families, telling the Christmas story with carols and candle lighting |
A poster of all the events is available to download here. Further details will be advertised on the Cathedral website here and look out for updates in eNews in the coming weeks.
Doorstep Carols
Listen to Archdeacon Sally Gaze talk about Doorstep carols on Radio Suffolk here:
Radio Suffolk | weblink
Sing along with Radio Suffolk on 15 December 2021. Parishes are warmly invited to organise carol singing on doorsteps across the county this Christmas to spread some much needed cheer and raise funds for local charities with the help of Radio Suffolk. Tune in to Radio Suffolk at Ipswich - 103.9 FM | West Suffolk - 104.6 FM | Lowestoft - 95.5 FM | Aldeburgh - 95.5 FM. This is also on DAB and on BBC Sounds.
Inspiring Angels
In December Inspiring Angels are coming to Ipswich! Ipswich will be 'angel-bombed' with images of angels (messengers of good news).
The angels will be a variety of shapes and sizes all over the town - in schools, shops, on public buildings, on the pavements, in bedroom windows, wherever people's imagination takes them! Activities include:
Angel Bomb Ipswich - help us flood the town with angels...on pavements, trees, railings, your kitchen window, you name it...
Angel Trail - grab your friends between Saturday 11 December and Thursday 6 January and follow a trail of large-scale angel wings all over the town including on the town hall.
Carol Singing - join us on Saturday 18 December at 5.00pm on the steps of the town hall to sing 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing'! Carol Services - QR codes will take you to our angelic website (coming soon!) advertising all the town's carol services to add a bit of heart and soul to your Christmas.
For more information email: ipswich@inspiringangels.org.uk.
Helpful practices through Advent
Four Tuesdays starting Tuesday 30 November 7.00pm to 8.30pm
A course through Advent with Bishop Mike, this time taking a look at some spiritual disciplines, habits of mind, heart and body which are seasonally appropriate and offer opportunities for deeper formation in Christ. All very welcome. Please email Lesley Steed for more information. To book please visit Eventbrite here.
An Advent Journey
St Edmundsbury Cathedral is hosting an Advent service in partnership with the Royal School of Church Music and Cantus Firmus Trust. The service will explore four Advent themes - Hoping, Waiting, Fearing and Preparing - using a blend of words and music. Music will be led by Cantus Firmus Choir and musicians from around the county, under the direction of Richard Hubbard (St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Music Development Director). The VivaVoce chamber choir from London School of Theology will also be taking part. There will be a retiring offering for the work of the RSCM in Suffolk. The service takes place on Sunday 5 December 5.00pm at
St Edmundsbury Cathedral. You can find more information, including a poster for display on church noticeboards here.
Advent Around the World
Advent Around the World is a collaboration between Send a Cow, Movement and the Diocese of Bath and Wells. This is a resource for young people that not only journeys through the account of the birth of Jesus found in Luke’s gospel, but gives a global perspective too. A flexible resource for use by church youth groups, school groups and households during Advent 2021.
Each week of Advent will begin with a two-minute video along with group session material and a daily social media post. There are also extra information and links giving a spotlight on the life changing work of Send a Cow in Africa based on each of the four themes: Hope, Joy, Peace and Love. Find out more here. Four group sessions are available here and the videos can also be watched on Send a Cow’s YouTube channel here.
LecDeck Year C
LecDeck is a lectionary-based youth discipleship resource which was launched in 2019 as a joint venture between the Diocese of Bristol and the Go Team at the Diocese of Bath and Wells. It is available as a pack of cards and app for Android or Apple devices. The third pack of cards is now available for Lectionary Year C which begins on Advent Sunday 2021. Buy LecDeck cards from their website shop here or download the app for Android/Apple iOS from your app store here.
Growing in God Growth Fund grants are available for your church’s Christmas festivities!
The diocesan Growing in God Growth Fund is open again offering grants to help you and your church reach out creatively to encourage sharing of the Christian faith and so grow our church family in number. Last Christmas over £1,850 was given to support five projects including Christmas goody bags, Christmas boxes, angel crafts, prayer trees and church displays. Grants of up to £500 are available, for more information and the application form please visit our page here.
Christingle
If you are thinking of holding a virtual Christingle service everything you need to know is here. Christingle services usually take place between Advent and Candlemas (2 February), with Christmas Eve the most popular time to celebrate.
If you are thinking about how you’re going to fundraise see how you can join in with The Children's Society here.
For further information
Christmas services in our Diocese | Weblink
At the Heart of Christmas | Weblink
Church of England Christmas | Weblink
Christingle Services | Weblink
