Preparing the Christingles

Nine people gathered in the social area at St Paul’s on Friday afternoon to prepare the christingles for the special service on Christmas Eve at 6.30pm.  This service has now become a tradition as we welcome the figures into the stable which has been ready and waiting for them since the beginning of Advent.  During the telling of the Christmas story the young people bring up the figures and place them in position, with the baby Jesus brought up last to complete the tableau.

The Christmas carols are sung as we listen again to the story of the coming of Christ into our world to live among us.  The queue forms to collect the christingles at the altar, and then the candles are lit and the lights are extinguished as we sing ‘Away in a manger’.

The collection from this service goes to support the work of the Children’s Society.