The Christingle Service
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Christingle - quite a compelling word but what does it actually mean?....That one I can answer, it actually means 'Christ Light' and celebrates the light of Jesus coming into the world: but no one is really sure how the Christingles came into being.

There is an ancient Welsh service called a 'Celenig' where Christingles are used - and the Moravian Church (part of the Czech Republic) has held Christingle services for over 200 years. There are several stories told as to how the custom was started, but the Czech people think this is how first Christingle came into being.:

Many years ago, children were asked to take a gift to put beside the crib in Church. One family had no money for gifts but were determined to take something. They found an orange which they felt would be okay, but were disappointed to find it was going moldy at the top. However, they thought they would scoop out the bad bits and put a candle in the top and turn it into a lantern. Thinking that it looked a bit ordinary, one of the girls took a red ribbon from her hair and tied it around the middle. They had difficulty getting it to stay in place, so fastened it with four small sticks, on the ends of which they put a few raisins. They took their lantern to church and were afraid of the reactions of the other children. However, the priest acknowledged their gift and told the congregation how special it was for the following reasons:
The orange is round like the world.
The candle stands tall and straight and gives light in the dark like the love of God.
The red ribbon goes all around the 'world' and is a symbol of the blood Jesus shed when he died for us.
The four sticks point in all directions and symbolize North, South, East and West - they also represent the four seasons.
The fruit and nuts (or sometimes sweets!) represent the fruits of the earth, nurtured by the sunshine and the rain.

Today, in addition to the above, Christingles are lit as part of Church Services that raise money for children's charities.


  
This year (2006) - the Christingle Service was held in a candle-lit church on Christmas Eve itself. Words such as "Magical"and "Exquisite" easily come to mind when trying to describe such a special event. This was the first time I had personally seen this particular service, let alone been involved in part. How choked up some parents must have been watching their children as they worked their way through the lessons and set pieces. I was there as photographer, and I am not ashamed to admit that it got the better of my emotions on several occasions.

 

As is now traditional with All Saints' - the flower displays were simply stunning, This one on the East Window ledge above the Alter came courtesy of Cynthia Ponsford , who moved with her husband Ian to Cornwall, 10 days before Christmas.  As many will know, Ian sadly died shortly after Christmas. Both were - during their years in East Garston - loyal supporters of All Saints Church, and with this last gesture, Cynthia asked for white lilies to be put in church on Christmas Day.

We were fortunate in having Gemma and Stephanie Lewis (Gemma being a trained florist) to create a beautiful, exceptionally fitting arrangement of the lilies with ivy and yew in the east window, thus providing a perfect backcloth to the alter.



 

Following on from a memorable candlelight Carol Service on 10th December, which was enjoyed by a large congregation of 120, the Christingle Service attracted an even larger number. A group of 145 people crowded into the little church, some pleading to stand at the back if they couldn't have seats, to take part in a Christingle service with a difference The first people arrived as early as 5-20 pm. and by the time the service was ready to begin the church was completely full.

Jessica, and Shannon on "welcoming" duty while Mollie carefully looks after the porch lighting

It can't possibly have escaped your notice that our ushers are dressed a little differently than normal. This year it was decided that the Christingle service would have an added element here in East Garston. The beneficiary of the Christingle collection of £450 - would be the Children's Society, so it seemed appropriate that the story of it's founder, Edward Rudolf, would be re-enacted by young people of the parish in Victorian dress.


Edward Rudolf



It is 125 years since Edward Rudolf in 1881 was so horrified by finding destitute small children begging for food on the streets of London, that he set up The Church of England Children's Society to provide small family homes (one of which in 1902, was in Newbury), where children could be properly looked after in a loving environment.

The Children and young people of East Garston enacted this now famous story, dressed in Victorian costume. This cameo of Victorian life was inter leaved with the traditional Christingle service to great effect. The young people aged 7 to 15 rose to the occasion spectacularly, with dance drama and song, delighting the congregation with their efforts. It was a very moving experience for everyone. The culmination was a comparison of the situation in 1881 and 125 years later in 2006. Sadly and tragically the need today for children to be protected and supported is as great as ever. Around 100,000 under 16s run away form home each year; 15,000 of them are actually thrown out by parents or carers; 25% of first time runaways are under 11.

 

Tom as Edward Rudolf
   
Revd. Cumberlidge reminded everyone that not every child would be spending Christmas tomorrow in a loving home, with a Christmas tree, plenty of food, presents, a warm bed and a happy family - a sobering reminder to all.


Projects such as this one take time to prepare and there were several rehearsals and a tremendous amount of hard work under taken before the event went live on Christmas Eve. So lets just pause here for a second and take a step back. Rehearsals started at the home of Churchwarden Sally Wright and I went along to shoot a few photos and get an idea of what would unfold.
The three lead characters - Victoria - George and Tom were in costume on that evening as publicity shots were required prior to the event
All our other characters would be photographed on the last dress rehearsal within the church, immediately preceding the performance.

Below left to right
James : Joe : Henry : Vig
Mollie : Tabitha : Jessica : Shannon


 
 


The Christingle service itself was under the direction of The Revd Tony Cumberlidge.
After the Children had collected their Christingles, those remaining were - to everyone's delight - distributed among the congregation by Revd Cumberlidge, Sally Wright, Victoria Rabbitts and Tom Highnett.
   

 

Mollie delivers a solo version of Silent Night in a Church illuminated only by candle light.

 
 

Resplendently attired in Victorian dress, Susan Holmes provided the musical accompaniment for the evening. Congratulations to everyone who took part or contributed to what was a fitting and quality laden start to Christmas 2006. A few hours later on Christmas morning, a happy group of 78 parishioners, including families, young children and babies, attended the Holy Communion Service.

Former Parochial Church Council Member, Joan Jefferys commented that she couldn't remember the last time that we ran out of hymn books on Christmas morning! Churchwarden, Sally Wright commented that in 2006, the church in East Garston has enjoyed a resurgence of interest and happily is a focal point in the village community once more.

With East Garston Church gaining record congregations for all three of the Christmas Services, and coupled with the fact that the amount from collections and donations has increased dramatically - I would tend to agree whole-heartedly with our Churchwarden . - Long may it continue -

Photos : Ken Tarbox
Text  : Sally Wright and Ken Tarbox
All images appear with the full parental permission where neccessary
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