The outdoors event planned for New Year’s Eve will NOT now take place.

Friday, December 31st, New Year’s Eve 11.45 pm 
This event will take place OUTSIDE, so please dress appropriately. People are invited to gather at the main door of the church at 11.45 pm to say a brief liturgical farewell to 2021 and to welcome 2022.  Our parish chimes will ring in the new year.  Who knows we may even sing a verse or two of Auld Lang Syne, socially distanced and with our masks on of course!  This will be followed immediately by some bubbles and nibbles.  All are welcome.

The much-loved service on Christmas Day at 10.30 am inside a packed St Paul’s CANNOT take place under current Covid-19 restrictions, which have reduced the safe capacity of the church to about 120. To try to accommodate everyone who would like to attend church this Christmas, the services listed above will take place over the Christmas weekend. With your cooperation the larger seasonal numbers can be redistributed more evenly and accommodated safely.
Both the 11.30 pm on Christmas Eve and the 8.15 am service on Christmas Day are quieter and more reflective, so you might consider one of these services as an option this Christmas.
If you want to go to one of the two all-age services on Christmas morning, you are asked to attend at 9.45 am if your surname begins with the letter A through to K, and at 10.45 am if your surname begins with the letter L through to Z. Those attending the earlier  service are asked not to linger afterwards as the church must be cleaned and ventilated before the next service.
Both these all-age services will last for approximately 30 minutes and each will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
GUIDELINES
Please do everything you can to make sure that everyone who wants to participate in worship at St Pauls’ this Christmas can do so as safely as possible. Remember mask-wearing is mandatory indoors. Arrive in good time prior to your service of choice and wait until called by a steward before you enter the building. Sit where advised by a steward (at least one metre apart from non-family) and leave the church promptly afterwards. If you, or any member of your family is feeling unwell or has recently been advised to limit their close contacts, please do not come to church. If it appears that the capacity limit at your chosen service has been reached, please do not stay. We thank you for making the effort and we apologise if that we were unable to accommodate you. There may be no room in the inn this Christmas either!

Rev Gary Dowd writes:
The much-loved service on Christmas Day at 10.30 am inside a packed St Paul’s CANNOT take place under current Covid-19 restrictions, which have reduced the safe capacity of the church to about 120. To accommodate everyone who would like to attend church this Christmas, the following services will take place over the Christmas weekend. With your cooperation the larger seasonal numbers can be redistributed more evenly and accommodated safely.

Christmas Eve, Friday, December 24th
11.30 pm The First Eucharist of Christmas with Carols (average attendance over last five years, pre Covid, 69)

Christmas Day, Saturday, December 25th
8.15 am Holy Communion (average attendance over the last five years, pre Covid, 25)
9.45 am All Age worship (surnames beginning with A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K)
10.45 am All Age worship (surnames beginning with L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)

You will see from above that both the 11.30 pm on Christmas Eve and the 8.15 am service on Christmas Day could accommodate substantially more people. They each have their own unique atmosphere. They are quieter and more reflective, so you might consider one of these services as an option this Christmas.
If you want to go to one of the two all-age services on Christmas morning, you are asked to attend at 9.45 am if your surname begins with the letter A through to K, and at 10.45 am if your surname begins with the letter L through to Z. Those attending the earlier  service are asked not to linger afterwards as the church must be cleaned and ventilated before the next service.
Both these all-age services will last for approximately 30 minutes and each will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel.

St Stephen’s Day/the First Sunday of Christmas, December 26th
10.30 am Parish Communion with Carols

While most people probably feel that Christmas is already over by December 26th, it has only just begun!  So you might like to wait until the Parish Communion Service on St Stephen’s Day at 10.30 am. Capacity issues then will be unlikely and the fact that there will be no sermon is a bonus!

GUIDELINES
Please do everything you can to make sure that everyone who wants to participate in worship at St Pauls’ this Christmas can do so as safely as possible. Remember mask-wearing is mandatory indoors. Arrive in good time prior to your service of choice and wait until called by a steward before you enter the building. Sit where advised by a steward (at least one metre apart from non-family) and leave the church promptly afterwards. If you, or any member of your family is feeling unwell or has recently been advised to limit their close contacts, please do not come to church. If it appears that the capacity limit at your chosen service has been reached, please do not stay. We thank you for making the effort and we apologise if that we were unable to accommodate you. There may be no room in the inn this Christmas either!