Our first service tomorrow is at 10.30 a.m. and is a service of readings and music for Christmas. There will be prose and poetry, traditional and modern words which will start in the stable at Bethlehem, include the travelling Magi and excerpts from the diary of the Reverend Francis Kilvert who was a curate in the 1870s and recorded church life in days which are very different from today. We will be reminded of a Christmas in space and of the importance that Handel’s Messiah played in Yorkshire in times past . We’ll sing several traditional carols and listen to a number of musical items on the organ, including John Rutter’s Angel’s Carol, the traditional Scots Rorate Caeli Desuper and the popular Parade of the Tin Soldiers.

At 5 p.m. we have a service in which we remember those who have died and whose presence we miss, and whose absence we feel always, but especially at Christmastime. There will be a time for reflection, a ceremony of remembrance using the advent candles and a short communion service. Everyone is always welcome at Fogo Parish Church.