Reflection by Angali and Chandra

We were part of about 75 people who gathered to sing carols on the lawn at St Peters Church last Sunday. The first of its kind for SHAP and our first carol service for 2022. It was a joy to sing many of the traditional carols that we love, led by the choir dressed in red, who looked festive and sang beautifully. 

It was a dry and sunny evening. It was also a little windy and cold but this did not in any way dampen the joy of the occasion. 

The Bible reading, Jeff’s message and Stuart’s prayers reminded us of God’s great love and grace that our Lord Jesus came down to earth to die on a cross to pay for our sins and rose from death to overcome the curse of sin and enable us to have eternal life. 

The seating was varied. Some were seated on picnic rugs, others on picnic chairs and the parapet wall. There were also a number of very comfortable chairs provided by St. Peter’s Church which we used. The crowd was diverse too – very young, young and old. There were locals and those who decided to come as they were walking their dog and heard the sound of carols being sung. What was common to all was that we were all enjoying ourselves singing carols, listening to God’s word and worshipping our awesome God. It was a lovely time of fellowship and friendship as we reconnected with old friends and met new friends.

We left feeling very happy and very thankful for the blessing of being part of the SHAP community. A big thank you to Stuart, Jane, Jeff, the choristers, musicians and helpers for organising such a wonderful carol service. We think it was a great success.