St Andrew's Church, Chesterton
Cambridge. Diocese of Ely

The February edition of Chesterton Chimes, the parish magazine, is now available. This edition includes some thoughts about life after Christmas, and detailed information on the events happening at St Andrew's Hall.

Members of St Andrew's have again proved themselves to be generous in financial giving by supporting the "Hospice at Home" appeal locally, and the Azul Wasi "Blue House" project for homeless children in Peru. Just a little over £5,000 has been raised for the two charities so far from personal donations and a raft of fund-raising activities.

St Andrew's Church has a permanent and personal link into the Blue House project and will continue to support this work through 2007. Whilst there is a need to provide financial support to maintain the fabric and on-going activity of the church, giving to external causes is seen as part of the Christian stewardship of the congregation. Every year funds are raised and sent to various charitable causes on behalf of the whole church.

The next event in aid of the Blue House will be a Beetle Drive in St Andrew's Hall, on Saturday, 20th January 2007. Contact the Parish Administrator for further details (303469).

The many, varied Christmas and Epiphany services were well supported once again at St Andrew's. From the noisy, bustling Crib Service (where many in the congregation were under five years of age), to the quieter more reflective Epiphany service and procession of Wise Men, the people of Chesterton helped to dispel the myth that Christianity is dead in the UK. Over 600 people came to St Andrew's across the Christmas period, the largest congregations present at the service of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve and the Family Worship for Christmas morning.

At the candlelit carol service the central focus was the crib, with the African crib figures central and lit, raised on a stage so more people could see them easily. A large choir of some 60 singers led the congregation through the familiar carols and Christmas narrative. On Christmas Day "Alice the red-haired Angel" kept the children's attention as the story of the first Christmas was told once again.

Comments of appreciation from members of the congregation were offered at each service, reflecting the considerable amount of hard work that so many church members had put into the decoration of the church, the music and the liturgy.

Christmas has been a joyful and happy time and whilst numbers in attendance is not the means by which to measure success, it has been encouraging (especially during the interregnum) that so many have come to explore again the truth and meaning of Christmas.