VILLAGE VOICE JANUARY
Happy New Year everyone from the clergy and parishioners of St Andrews Hatfield Peverel and All Saints Ulting.
We had a busy and joyous advent in the 24 days leading up to Christmas day . We tried to deliver to all homes in Hatfield Peverel a Christmas card with details of our services. Previously our card went out with the Review but with that no longer in existence it was all down to volunteer deliverers . This was a massive effort and huge thanks to all deliverers We are sorry if we missed some homes but got round to just under 2000!
Christmas services started on 7th December with carols by Candlelight at All Saints with the Hadfelda Singers under the leadership of Barbara Mason , then on the 14th a Messy Christmas service at St Andrews being entertained by a very grumpy owl! On the 21st it was Carols at St Andrews and then on Christmas Eve we had our hugely popular Light of the World Service at St Andrews supporting Home -Start with gifts of toys and finance, followed later by our Midnight services welcoming the wondrous birth of Jesus. Our Christmas trees inside and outside our two churches were much admired and we hope gave pleasure to all who saw them.
Christian services celebrating the birth of Jesus don’t just stop on Christmas day. The Feast of the Epiphany, traditionally taking place on the 6th January ,records the arrival of the three Wise men/ Magi/ Kings and so the revelation of Jesus to the world at large. That is also the day when Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down, but meantime this arrival can be celebrated by “chalking the doorway” of your house. If you have some woodwork above your front door, you can achieve this by chalking there the following for the year 2026 : 20+C+M+B+26 C being Caspar, M being Melchior and B Balthazar, then see if anyone else has done the same!
We will have our first Coffee Morning of the year on Saturday 3rd January from 10am to 12 noon. You don’t have to bring unwanted Christmas presents although you are welcome to do so if you wish-the bric a brac stall is ready and waiting! But we do want to see you to wish you in person a Happy New Year.
Our first Soup and Roll lunch of the year will be on the 13th January from 12.30 to 2.00pm, in aid of CHESS Churches Homeless Emergency Support Scheme, a local charity .This follows our last event in December when brave souls defied the drizzle, enjoyed food and company and raised £161.20 for Home-Start.
We are delighted to confirm that the Vicarage at St Andrews, which has been empty since Father Stephen left for his new home in Dovercourt, is to be occupied by Rev Noah Cockett, a member of the Witham and Villages Team Ministry. Noah will not officially be part of our parish team, but we hope he will find time to attend some of our services and events and to enable us to welcome him personally .