Carol Service

At St. Mary's of Weldam we traditionally hold our Festival of Lessons and Carols a fortnight before Christmas.

Our Chapel will again be the scene of the traditional Lessons and Carols service. The ladies of the flower guild will do their utmost to provide the congregation with beautiful floral arrangements.(For timing see: Service and Readings)

The traditional readings, alternating with Carols and supported by additional musicians, are held. After the service a fellowship get together with members of the congregation and guests is organized outside the Hut. Hot chocolate, mulled wine and cakes will be served.

On Christmas Eve there is another service commemmorating the birth of Jesus. In the text below (Source: Wikipedia) explaining the origin of the Lessons and Carols service this refers to Christmas Eve.

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a service of Christian worship celebrating the birth of Jesus that is traditionally followed at Christmas. The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns and choir music.

The format was based on an Order drawn up by Edward Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury but at that time Bishop of Truro, in Cornwall, for use on Christmas Eve (24 December) 1880. Tradition says that he organized a 10:00 p.m. service on Christmas Eve in a temporary wooden structure serving as his cathedral and that the purpose of the service was to keep men out of the pubs.

The original liturgy has since been adapted and used by other churches all over the world. Lessons and Carols most often occur in Anglican churches. However, numerous Christian denominations have adopted this service, or a variation on this service, as part of their Christmas celebrations. In the UK, the service has become the standard format for schools' Christmas Carol services.