Advent and Christmas 2020
for the communities of Saint Stephen’s and Holy Trinity
In Preparing for Advent & Christmas 2020 we are joining in with the Church of England theme of Comfort & Joy. This is to hold together the hope that Christmas will bring joy and celebration after a uniquely difficult year with an acknowledgement that – for those who have lost loved ones or livelihoods, or who are potentially still not able to be together with loved ones – it may be a time of consolation as well as jubilation.
This Christmas will be a time to ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep’. St Paul in Romans 12.15. It will be a time to look back on a year when so much has changed. To remember those who have died, to support those who have lost jobs, to be thankful for all who have cared for the sick and the vulnerable.
What has not changed is the story and the meaning of Jesus’ birth. God is with us. With us in the mess as in the good, in the disappointment and the difficulty, in sorrow and in celebration.
We know things will be very different this year with regards to how we gather for Advent and Christmas.
On this page you will find details and links to many ways that you could gather and connect
with our own church communities and beyond.
We will keep this page updated so please keep checking back as we move through advent & christmas.
Worship with Saint Stephen’s & Holy Trinity
We will continue to live stream our weekly services on Saint Stephen’s Facebook page. You can find more information and additional resources for each of these services on this webpage.
29th November 10:30am – 1st Sunday of Advent - online only
6th December 10:30am – 2nd Sunday of Advent - online only
13th December 10:30am – 3rd Sunday of Advent - online & at Saint Stephen’s please use this link to book a seat
20th December 10:30am – 4th Sunday of Advent - online
25th December 10:30am - Christmas Day - online & at Holy Trinity please use this link to book a seat
27th December - no Sunday Service, please join the Bristol Cathedral Eucharist at 10:00am if you wish.
Other Worship
Children’s Christmas clips - more details coming soon - online link/s to be added here
Worship with Others
Carols for Bristol - Friday 11th December, 7:00pm. Join thousands of others in this unique online event from the comfort of your own home. Watch live here on YouTube.
With contributors including: Pat Lam, City Primary Schools, Charities, Agencies and Individuals serving Bristol, the Mayor of Bristol, Lady Nade & Elles Bailey, NHS Staff from the BRI and Southmead, Bristol Cathedral Choir.
In collaboration with a range of Christian charities and organisations, the Church of England will produce nine online services throughout Advent and Christmas. They will all be broadcast on the Church's YouTube and Facebook pages.
29 November 9:00am - Worship at Home for the First Sunday of Advent with St Martin-in-the-Fields
6 December 9:00am - Worship at Home for the Second Sunday of Advent with HOPE Together
13 December 9:00am - Worship at Home for the Third Sunday of Advent. A Christingle service with The Children's Society
20 December 9:00am - Worship at Home for the Fourth Sunday of Advent with Marie Curie
22 December 9:00am - Worship at Home: A service of Lessons and Carols with Christian Aid
24 December 11:30pm - Worship at Home: Midnight Mass with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Dover
27 December 9:00am - Worship at Home for the First Sunday of Christmas with Church Army
31 December 9:00am - Worship at Home: A service with the Archbishop of York on New Year's Eve
3 January 9:00am - Worship at Home for Epiphany with Embrace the Middle East
serving the community
Whilst are churches are not currently able to host community activities such as the Trinity Lunch Club and various support groups we have been finding new ways to reach those in need in our communities.
Members from both churches are offering a Telephone Befriending service and the Trinity Lunch Club team have been making monthly doorstep deliveries to older and isolated members in the local community - the fish & chips proving most popular so far!
We will be preparing & delivering Christmas Hampers to over 50 people in our local communities who we are aware will be alone or feeling isolated at this time.
Further Christmas Hampers will be delivered to local Bristol charities for the families they are supporting at this time.
If you know of anyone in our local communities who we could bless in this way, please get in touch with maria@holytrinityhotwells.org
Prayer
We are hoping the churches may be open for Private Prayer on a few occasions in December, we will update this page with the details once it’s confirmed.
Details to be added here.
Our virtual Daily Prayer Gathering will continue to meet for informal prayer online from 9am - 9.25am, Monday to Friday, up to Dec 18th. Here’s the link to the meeting: https://zoom.us/j/757618106
If you would like us to pray for you or your loved ones at this time, please send us your request.
The Church of England will be sharing Comfort and Joy reflections for each Sunday of Advent and each day from Christmas Day to 2 January. These will be freely available via social media, app and smart speakers or you can sign up here to receive these reflections by email.
Lectio 365 from 24-7 Prayer International is a daily devotional resource that helps you pray the Bible every day. Join their O Come Emmanuel reflections as they explore the hope of Jesus arriving into our uncertain world. This is published as an app, available here.
Children’s Resources
Here are some resources for family preparations for Advent & Christmas. . .
COMFORT & JOY COLOUR & PRAY SHEETS
Here are some links to Bristol based activities for children. . .
CREATIVE WAYS TO CONNECT THIS CHRISTMAS
Carols by Window-Light is a creative way to bring the joy of singing Christmas carols to communities throughout Bristol in 2020. We can't have our usual carol services in our Churches this year, so instead let’s spread the joy of Christmas carols to our communities through the windows of our homes this December. Create something to go in your window, on the theme of a carol, and encourage others to do it too! See the Carols by Windowlight Facebook Page (started by our neighbours at Christ Church Clifton) for more details, inspiration and carol playlists to enjoy too. Please also remember to share pictures of the window you create to help spread the HOPE and JOY. #carolsbywindowlight
How to Support What We Do
We are very grateful to the members of our community for the donations that finance our churches and enable us to continue to offer all that we do. If you would like to contribute in this way please see full details of the various ways you can give on the following pages:
You can also support the community work that we do from Holy Trinity by shopping with the Co-Op Community Fund and choosing us as your local charity for this next year: https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/53438
Finally, you can help us raise funds for FREE just by shopping via Give as you Live Online!
