It’s “That Time" of year again!

For many of us this is the way we feel when Christmas comes around.  We get to hate it as we queue to get in the car park or we hear the song “so here it is Merry Christmas” for the umpteenth time!  For Christians it is a special time as we remember the birth of God’s own Son and the reason that He came to earth and was born a man.  The great thing is that we get all the presents!  Every year we go shopping to get presents not for God but for our friends and family, and they do likewise.  That first Christmas God gave us the greatest gift that He could, that of His Son because through Him, all who believe, receive the promise of eternal life.

However, this year, for me and hopefully the whole Benefice of Poringland, it will be an extra special year.  For the first time I will be able to preside at a Christmas Communion service.   This is a first for this Benefice because it is the first time that someone who has trained locally and been ordained in All Saints church will preside at Christmas Communion.  For in October I became the first person in the history of All Saints to be ordained there, for many this is a service that takes place in the Cathedral.  For me, however, as an Ordained Local Minister (that is a minister who will always serve this community) my ordination as a priest took place in one of the local churches and as All Saints was the biggest it was the one used.  It was a great day with representatives from all the Benefice churches, ministers from the Deanery, other local non-Anglican churches, and the Diocesan Training Team, as well as friends and family attending.  The service was taken by Bishop Alan. 

So this year I hope that you will come along to one of our services in the Benefice and meet your new OLM.  I know for many the Christmas service is the real start of Christmas.  Whether I see you or not have a great and blessed Christmas, and I hope that God truly blesses you in the New Year.

Love

Reverend Debbie