St John’s Itchen Abbas was packed with families for the annual Christingle Service in Itchen Valley Parish.  The choir from Itchen Abbas Primary School had been practising for weeks.  And the results were really very pleasing – a delightful rendition of O Suo Gan (Gentle Baby), Like a Candle Flame and Christmas Calypso.  The congregation joined in with the Hymns ‘Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising’ and ‘Shine Jesus Shine’.  Francesca read from the Message version of John 8 verse 12.

Revd Amanda Denniss gave a talk describing the Christingle with a mammoth version of the Christingle orange hiding under the seats of over 100 congregation members – the orange representing the world, the sticks representing the four seasons, the sweets (or, in this case green scratchy sponges) representing God’s amazing gifts and provision for the world and the red ribbon representing – most importantly Jesus’ blood by which our sins are atoned for. Ellie helped hold the mammoth Christingle.

A delightful start to the Christmas Season for the children in our parish.

Revd Alex Pease