Are you familiar with this sarcastic chant? It seems to be a very British thing, spontaneously arising when crowds of us unexpectedly find ourselves waiting, perhaps for the start of a football match. Someone pointed out to me that it's to the tune of O Come All Ye Faithful – which must make it the most adventy bit of sarcasm going. We could almost sing it in church, fully accompanied by the organ (Don’t worry – we won’t!)
But it would fit, wouldn’t it.

This time of year serves us well, forcing us to confront the waiting, the counting down of chocolates in calendars – or perhaps the building up of charitable gifts in a ‘reverse advent calendar,’ which is a great idea worth exploring. Advent, at least at church, helps us live in the tension that there is joy and fun, but that everything is not yet right with the world, that there are things worth waiting for. That one day, God will put all things right.

That’s why we’re waiting.
Until then, come wait with us.

God bless,
Rob

Sunday 4th December
We invite you to join us at one of our Sunday services at the usual times of 9:15am & 11am this week. As it's the Second Sunday of Advent we'll be lighting the next Advent candle in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ.

Also, a reminder that we'll be collecting Christmas gifts at both services for Leeds Women's Aid this week. They do a fantastic job of assisting women and their children effected by domestic violence and abuse. If you would like to give a gift, please ensure gifts are new/un-used and un-wrapped.
Some suggestions for suitable gifts:

For Women:
Toiletries Gift Sets
Hats, Scarves, & Gloves
Fluffy Socks
Pyjamas
Box of Biscuits or Chocolates

For Children:
Playdough
Arts & Crafts sets
Toy Cars
Dinosaur/animal figures
Baby dolls/Teddy bears
Lego
Footballs
Skipping Ropes
Books

For Teenagers:
Books
Toiletries Gift Sets
Hats, Scarves, & Gloves
Socks
Chocolate Selection Boxes

Christmas Services
You should already have received details about this year’s Christmas services.
If not, grab a leaflet or two from church or click here to view online.
Feel free to pass to family and friends, and why not invite them to a service and share the true meaning of Christmas? Please note this year we are only requiring bookings for the Christingle services on Saturday 17th at 4pm and Sunday 18th at 11am. Therefore, if you usually attend the 11am service on a Sunday, you will need to book.
Please contact the [email protected] to reserve your place.
For all other services listed, just turn up!

Friday Coffee Shop
Breaks up this morning, and will re-open on Friday 6th January 2023.

Memorial Carol Service
Christmas will soon be here, and all the memories that tend to come along with it. We invite you to our annual memorial carol service taking place in church on Wednesday 7th December at 7pm. It will be a quiet, reflective service, with a few short readings, some familiar carols, prayers for those we miss and for ourselves, and a chance to light a candle and reflect together.
Do join us and invite family and friends.

Walking Nativity (Wednesday 21st December, 4pm)
Come and get involved in our Walking Nativity!
Could you be an Angel or a King, or do you prefer to help behind the scenes?
Speaking parts, narrating, safety marshals, and guides are all required.
Come and join the fun! Please speak to Brenda if you'd like to help in any way.

Flowers in Church at Christmas
Don’t forget to delay your winter pruning in the garden and bring your cuttings of laurel, holly with berries, non-drop Christmas tree spruce, & evergreen foliage to church on Saturday 10th December at 8:30am for the Flower Team to decorate the church for Christmas!
Many Thanks, Julie Horan & Kim Pollard.

Prayers
The funeral of our dear brother in Christ, David Badger will take place in church on Friday 9th December at 12:30pm.
On Tuesday 13th December at 1pm, our dear sister in Christ, Joan Kitson’s funeral will be at Rawdon Crematorium.
Please remember the families in your prayers at this time.

Cleaning Church
An additional team is needed to go on the church cleaning rota.
It's light cleaning consisting of vacuuming & dusting that would need doing every few weeks. Also, we are putting together a list of names to go on a rota to sweep the stone floor in church. Ideally it requires doing after coffee shop and before the Sunday services. Please let Sally know if you can help with either one of these. Thank you.

Calverley Comfort Zone
Don’t forget Calverley Comfort Zone is open every Thursday,  11am-2:30pm at the Methodist Church. They're offering soup & a roll, tea, coffee, & biscuits, plus a range of activities. Open to all, please make use of it.
St. Wilfrid’s are supporting this scheme, and it would be great if we could offer some volunteers to help. If you are available, please call Rose Watson on 0113 256 3393

Spring Harvest (10th - 14th April 2023)
We are now making enquiries about booking at Spring Harvest in Skegness.
It’s not too late to sign up, prices are from £139, and more information can be found online here. Please contact the [email protected] if you would like to go.

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