ST ANDREW’S, DEARNLEY
THIS is a very enjoyable and busy time of year at churches of all denominations and beliefs throughout this bothered and bewildered world of ours, but we can all benefit this Christmas from our four topics for
Advent as we build towards the big day on Monday.
Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are all wrapped up in Santa’s best-ever Chrissie present and, one way or another, we will be praying for all of those to touch the world, just as the baby Jesus would have wanted, when we have our Christmas Eve Sung Eucharist at 9.30am tomorrow (Sunday) and our Midnight Service, popularly known as Midnight Mass, which starts at 11.30pm, thus timed so that we are taking Holy Communion after midnight and therefore on Christmas Day in the morning.
We will also be using the High Altar, which these days is used only for special occasions, given that it is constructed of marble and is attached to the East Wall, thus making it impossible for the Celebrant to prepare the Sacraments from behind the altar and facing the communicants.
To get round this we have a second altar, basically a clothed table, from which we conduct Communion at the front of the Nave.
On this occasion, however, it is felt the benefits of using the High Altar at the traditional Christmas Eve ‘Midnight Mass’ will outstrip the disadvantages and also give most people the chance to see at first hand and from close-up the beautiful marble steps in our chancel which have been the subject of much debate in recent weeks. given that they were covered by carpet many years ago and were only “rediscovered” several months ago.
One person who thinks they add to the magnificence of St Andrew’s is our Lay Reader Geoff Hurst - not to be confused with THE Geoff Hurst of England’s historic 1966 World Cup soccer triumph at Wembley - who can’t wait to see people kneeling at the High Altar on new altar kneelers and marvelling at the wonderful marble. which was donated by our great benefactor Isaac Kilpatrick, ex-rochdale AFC chairman David Kilpatrick’s granddad, at some point in the early 1900s.
We currently have at the back of church two samples of new kneelers with a facility for people to state their preference. but these may not be here in time for Midnight Mass.
We pride ourselves on the beauty and the brilliance of OUR Church, but the ‘team’ behind the ministry ‘team’ - led so well by our vicar, the Rev Rachel Battershell - has surpassed even its own high standards this year to give St Andrew’s that warm, welcoming Christmas feeling enjoyed by so many at last Sunday’s
Christingle, last Tuesday’s hour-long Festive Singalong and last Wednesday’s Carol Service.
Print deadlines dictated that these notes had to be submitted before the Carol Service, but we had no reason to be anything but positive about the expected footfall and confident that the time and expense in printing prechristmas fliers about St Andrew’s and distributing them to thousands of homes in the locality would prove a worthwhile venture.
Certainly, it was hugely encouraging and great to see so many new faces at the Christingle and particularly those of the many children. It was great to see the reaction too of both children and adults when invited to take part in an ad-hoc presentation of the Nativity Story, complete with puppets. Well done to all concerned!
All that remains to do now is to remember what’s happening tomorrow - Christmas Eve Eucharist at 9.30am and Midnight Mass at 11.30pm - and make a mental note of the Christmas Day Eucharist and Family Service at 9.30am, to which children are urged to bring a favourite toy. Over the years we’ve had dolls, Barby, cars, ships, table soccer, even scarves supporting United, City, the Dale and Hornets.
Bliss for kids - and a stark reminder to those of a certain age that things do change (even in Church and even at Christmas) and that we must change too if the Church is to be relevant and taken seriously in a modern society.
A happy and blessed Christmas to you all!