With Christmas so close, we’re getting our plans firmed up so keep checking back here for more info as we get further into December.
There’s nothing more festive than singing carols by a Christmas tree, with a nice hot mulled wine/hot chocolate. Get the 18th December in your diary for touring the Street Trees on Phase 1. On the 19th December we’ll have carols by the Street Tree in Little Bees Park for Phase 2.
For more information about the locations and timings, click here.
You can find the carol lyrics here:
Following the success of last year’s Street Trees, we’re bringing them back! They will be up from around the 4th December. There will be a few dotted around Phase 1 and one by Little Bees Park on Phase 2.
We will be providing free, plain wooden decorations handed out by our street hosts for you to decorate and add to your nearest tree. We’ll be sharing info on Street Trees here.
Get In Touch if you’d like to co-host a tree.
We’ll be sharing Christmas cards again this year, from all at Church At Barking Riverside. So keep an eye out in your letter box.
If you’d like to help distribute them, then please do Get In Touch – we want to spread the love.
For the first time ever, we’ll be joining together with other Rivergate churches, House Of Bread & Salem Church, for a special time to pause in the festive hurry and worship our Saviour being born on the 24th December at 4pm over Zoom. ID: 850 4034 2239 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85040342239
We will be following the Bible Project’s daily reflections and videos on hope, peace, joy, and love. Every Monday we will share the weekly video and on the Wednesday we will post our blog reflecting on the week’s video and daily devotional/questions. To find the videos and blogs, click here.
We have 8 trees in total, all of which can be found in the below locations. If you’d like to decorate your nearest tree and you haven’t received a leaflet through your letter box, please Get In Touch:
All of our trees are now up, lit and have now been named so they are ready for you to decorate them! See below the names of our trees:
Crossness Road: Hope
Chilworth Green: Cheeky Charlie
Drake Close: Starry
Schooner Close: Pearl
Sackett Road: Twinkle
Rivergate centre (George Carey): Peace
Riverside Campus: Grace
Little Bees Park: Harmony
Get in the Christmas mood and join us for some Covid safe, socially distanced carols the weekend before Christmas. We will be touring the trees in the Rivergate Area on Saturday 18th and at the tree in Little Bees Park on Sunday 19th.
Carols on the 18th will start in front of the Rivergate Centre at 3pm, then we’ll tour the trees on that side of the estate, finishing back at the Rivergate Centre at 5pm. We’ll visit the trees in the below order, should any of you wish to join us on the tour:
Rivergate centre, then into the park
Sackett Road
Crossness Road
Chilworth Green
Drake Close
Schooner Close
Finishing back at the Rivergate centre
Why not follow the trail and see the other trees around our estate, they’ll stay up until 3rd January.
We know Covid is on the rise, but rest assured we will be outside for the duration of the carols and encourage people to wear masks and be socially distanced. Though there will be refreshments, we will have at least 2 designated people to fill cups and hand out to one person at a time.
We need some carols inspiration so why not Get In Touch with your favourites so we can add them to our list. We’ll post the lyrics here for everyone to find on their phones at each location.
In the meantime, why not make some winter lanterns to help light up our way around the estate? They’re super easy to make, for all ages to get involved and have fun! Instructions can be found here.
Week 1:
Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Psalm 39:6-7 ESV From this week we will start our advent blog series following Bible Project’s daily reflections and videos on hope, peace,…
Week 2:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this…
Week 3:
This week the video the Bible Project shared on their socials was about Love, but this week’s reflections are based on their video about Joy. You can watch the video on Joy here. This is one of my favourite Christmas hymns, it’s not the most upbeat but the lyrics get me every time! Most Christmas…
Week 4:
