Christmas at All Saints
As in past years All Saints church was privileged to welcome many thousands of people to a number of carol services/concerts/nativity plays. Once again it was possible for the local community to use the building of All Saints to sing and act the Good News of the birth of Jesus.
The month began with ‘Sing Around Christmas’ – the annual gathering of pupils from local Primary Schools who came to the church at 10.15am on Thursday the 4th December. The day began under the musical direction of Derek Blease with a rehearsal of carols to be sung at the ‘performance’ at 2.00pm. About 640 children came to sing and each school either sang a solo carol themselves or gave a reading. When parents and other supporters came to the performance at 2.00pm the church was full to over flowing with over 1000. A collection, which amounted to £354.00 was taken during the service in aid of Demelza House Children’s Hospice. The growing popularity of this event suggests that in 2004 we shall need to arrange two events.
On the 6th December All Saints was host to the Kent Youth Trust for their Carol Service and on the 13th December to Kent Youth Choirs for their Carol Concert. The annual Carol Service for Maidstone Business Community was held on Wednesday 17th December with choir carols sung by the Chamber Choir of Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. The collection this year was divided between Kent Leukaemia and Cancer Equipment Fund (£442.00) and All Saints Restoration and Development Trust (£442.00). This was the fifth year that the service had been held in All Saints and we are grateful to Robert Martine of Martine Waghorn Chartered Surveyors for the time he takes every year in encouraging support from local businesses for this service (not forgetting his Secretary Sarah Elvy without whom …..). Special mention must be made at this point of the Punch Brewing of Brian Neaves which has now reached speciality levels and was much appreciated by the business community at the end of the service.
The days continued with local schools coming to the church for their carols – All Saints School, St Stephen’s School, Madginford Park Junior School, Sandling School, Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Maplesden Noakes School and Maidstone Grammar School.
On Saturday 13th December All Saints Choir were invited to sing carols at Allington Shopping Centre. This resulted in an excellent buffet lunch and a donation to All Saints Restoration Fund of £300.00 as well as raising £220.00 for Demelza House Children’s Hospice.
While all this was going on in the warmth of All Saints church (when younger occupants remembered that doors close as well as open!) John Fowler and his team of Carol Singers were touring the parish. John writes:- Perhaps you’ve never tried to carry £405.70 in mixed coins to the bank. It is not a task for anyone less than fully fit – and it was a task I undertook with great pleasure, despite the amazing weight of coins, because these were the proceeds from three night’s carol singing around the parish. This excellent sum was raised by parishioners, staff and pupils of our two Church schools and friends, all of whom made a joyous noise and took the Christmas message to a good proportion of the streets of the Parish.
It seldom rains when we go – and this year was true to form. However it was cold and in West Park Road we were covered in salt and sand by a council gritting lorry. In Courtenay Road we gathered in amazement in the glow of the fantastic lights and watched a life size model of Father Christmas which danced and sang ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’. However, this was no match for our ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’.
The three nights of Carol Singing are a very important tradition in the life of the parish and give an opportunity for members of our churches to be seen together around the Parish. It’s also a chance to raise money for some of the charities whose work impacts on parish life. The money we raised this year will be shared equally by the children’s hospice at Demelza House and Whizz Kidz, a charity specialising in equipment to enable children with disabilities to participate in regular education.
Plans are already being made for next year’s singing and for the associated distribution of leaflets which provide details of all the events in the Parish over Christmas as well as the Vicar’s Christmas message. The first steps are likely to be a full audit of every road in the Parish (the number increases each year) so we know exactly how many homes there are. Please watch for future announcements in ‘Community’ and be ready to join in next year. We have an excellent time and all enjoy warming up with a mug of hot soup at the end of the evening.
I look forward to an even more burdensome journey to the bank in December 2004!
John Fowler
The conclusion of carols in All Saints was the traditional Service of Nine Lessons and Christmas Carols on Saturday the 21st December, the Christingle Service at 4.00pm on Christmas Eve and the 11.30pm Choral Eucharist.
All of these services were very well attended and once again the Service of Nine
Lessons and Christmas Carols the accompaniment of the congregational carols was
enhanced by the playing of Astley Brass. The collection at this service was in
aid of All Saints Restoration and Development Trust and came to £1,030.00. The
collection at the Christingle Service was £151.00 and has been donated to the
Children’s Society.
To enable all of these events to take place means that a lot of time and effort has been made by a small number of people to the advantage (and pleasure) of a much greater number. The Vicar, Churchwardens, Deputy Churchwardens, church cleaners, servers, organists, and choir and especially the ‘Flower Department’ all played their part as no doubt will some that I have omitted to mention. It is always a good feeling when something in which one is involved goes well. It is even better when the building is full, warm and ‘alive’.
We can all now settle down to enjoying the New Year.
A Happy New Year to you all.
Lionel Marchant