Looking Back

Christmas and New Year ‘Christmas Cracker’ , a more modest version of the Christmas Market and Christmas Bazaar, was well supported by the local community. The event itself raised £1,720.41 and Christmas Cracker.  Donations from members of the congregation raised a further £600, making a grand total 0f £2,320.41; thank you everyone for your support, .a much needed boost for our funds. The numbers attending church for Midnight Mass and Christmas morning remained steady, indeed numbers were up at Midnight! As always the children’s service on Christmas Eve was packed out and there was a terrific atmosphere as we all shared the Christmas story together! There was a sad moment at the end of the service when I announced that this would be my last Christmas at St Augustine’s; I have come to know so many of your families over the years and will miss you all; I will also miss our renditions of Rudolf  the red nosed reindeer!! People again responded generously to our various Christmas appeals; we sent £140 to the British Heart Foundation, £167 to ‘Magic Breakfast’, £182 to ‘Step by Step’, £200 to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and £587 to the Children’s Society from the Alderwood Infant School Christingle Service,  a very  big thank you to  everyone on behalf of all these good causes!

Christmas Angels We again distributed around 600 knitted angels around the parish. The young children love finding them so do the parents who put them on facebook (Rushmoor Christmas Angels).

Parish Share Once again we were unable to pay all of our parish share  to the Diocese at year’s end, paying just under £40,000 of the £61,000 asked for!  Obviously the Diocese of Guildford realizes the need for both a church and a priest in North Town but at the same time both have to be paid for and so let’s hope things improve in 2020!

 

 

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