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From
the Vicarage December 2008 - January 2009
 As
I write to you we have just returned from Durham where several
people from the parish travelled to the Cathedral for the
Marriage Ceremony of Chris Totney to Jenny Yates, conducted
by The Dean. It was a wonderful occasion, with Holy Communion
as a part of the service, and, it being the day when we celebrate
St Cecilia, the patron Saint of Music, there were some interesting
contributions from the Cathedral Choir and the Organist. The
City of Durham is highly influenced by its long established
University, and this is where Chris and Jenny met when they
were both studying there. We wish them every happiness in
their new life together.
 This
Christmas will prove to be very different for many of you.
For some it may have been a very happy year with milestones
having been reached, or the celebration of a new birth, marriage
or a new relationship. Others may have lost loved ones or
had to face a life threatening illness for them or other members
of their family. As we come together to celebrate Christ’s
birth, I pray that, whatever your own personal situation is
in life, and the way in which things may have changed for
you during the past year, you will be assured of the never
ending love of God, revealed to us not just through Christ’s
birth, but through his life, death and resurrection. And of
course we must remember those for whom Christmas will be a
very sad, lonely or hungry time. We hope and pray that the
Toy Service, to be held on 7th December this year, will help
us in our own small way to bring the light of Christ into
the lives of others.
I should
like to thank everyone who has contributed to the life and
worship at St Thomas’s throughout 2008, many of you
working quietly in the background. Also, on your behalf, I
should like to thank Joy Baylis and Margaret Boxley for the
excellent work they have done in editing the Parish Magazine
for many years, and wish Wendy Gwynne, our new Editor, every
success in the role. Claire and I wish you every blessing
for Christmas, and hope that you will join us at the Vicarage
on Sunday 4th January 2009, any time between 12 noon and 3.00pm,
to celebrate the New Year.
Rev Ron
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