Welcome to St. Nick’s – Sunday 3rd December
Dear Friends,
This coming Sunday we will be celebrating two great days in the church year at once!
The first is Advent Sunday and the second of course is our Patronal Festival, the feast of St Nicholas which falls on December 6th.
There are lots of stories and legends about St Nicolas. Perhaps the best known is his generosity to three girls who, after their father lost his fortune were at risk of being forced into prostitution. Nicolas helped them anonymously, posting a bag of gold for each girl through the window of their house.
There is also the story of 3 children who had been killed by a butcher, who pickled them in brine and stored their bodies in a barrel. Nicolas miraculously resurrected them.
These stories led to his strong association with generous gift giving and with children.
One of my favourite tales however is that when he was a delegate at the Council of Nicaea – where the Nicene creed that we still say today was agreed- he hit one of the other delegates in a dispute about the nature of the Trinity!
Nicolas is celebrated all over the world with December 6th being almost as big a celebration as Christmas day in some countries.
I’m looking forward to our own celebration on Sunday, both to the service and the meal after. It will be lovely to join you all to celebrate faith and generosity.
With love and prayers,
Cate
Our service on Sunday 3rd December begins at 10.30 am. We look forward to welcoming back Rev. Cate Allison to preside and preach at our service. Our organist and MD, Ollie Mills will accompany the hymns and lead the singing. Here are details of the readings and hymns for the service:
Nestled in the heart of the communities of East Didsbury and Burnage, St Nicholas Church stands as a beacon of faith, hope, and love. Under the devoted leadership of our Lead Minister, Revd Dr Augustine Tanner-Ihm, OMS, we are a vibrant, inclusive, and intergenerational Christian community committed to living out the bold faith of Jesus Christ.
