WESLEY’S CHAPEL AND LEYSIAN
MISSION
49 CITY Road, London EC1Y 1AU
Superintendent Minister: The Revd the Lord Griffiths
ANNUAL CITY CAROL SERVICE
in aid of
The Philippines Typhoon Appeal
Thursday 12 December 2013 12.45pm
Organist: Revd IAN YATES
Welcome to Wesley’s Chapel
& Leysian Mission
CONGREGATIONAL CAROL
Come and join the celebration, it’s a very special day;
Come and share our jubilation, there’s a new King born today!
See the shepherds hurry down to Bethlehem,
Gaze in wonder at the Son of God who lay before them:
Wise men journey, led to worship by a star,
Kneel in homage, bringing precious gifts from lands afar, so,
‘God is with us’, round the world the message bring,
He is with us, ‘Welcome’, all the bells on earth are pealing:
Valerie Collison (1933- )
PRAYERS AND THE LORD'S PRAYER
Led by Jennifer Potter
LESSON: Luke 1: 26-33
“A Son of the Most High is promised”
Read by Lisa Harrington
St Luke’s Primary School
Music
St Luke’s Primary School
“The Twelve Days of Christmas”
“We wish you a merry Christmas”
LESSON: Luke 2: 1-7
“The birth of Jesus”
Read by Matt Smith
Head of International Reward
Inmarsat
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CONGREGATIONAL CAROL
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.
‘Fear not,’ said he (for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind),
‘Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind.’
‘To you in David’s town this day
Is born of David’s line
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign:
‘The heavenly Babe you there shall find
To human view displayed
All meanly wrapped in swaddling bands,
And in a manger laid.’
Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, and thus
Addressed their joyful song:
All glory be to God on high,
And to the earth be peace;
Goodwill henceforth from heaven to men
Begin and never cease.’
Nahum Tate (1652 – 1715)
LESSON: Luke 2: 8-20
“The shepherds see for themselves”
Read by a representative of the
Central Foundation School for Boys
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Music
Central Foundation School for Boys
“Gaudate”
A medley of Carols
LESSON: John 1:1-14
“The Word made flesh”
Read by Alberto Bautista
A Filipino member of Wesley’s Chapel
A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
Leslie Griffiths Superintendent Minister
Wesley’s Chapel & Leysian Mission
CONGREGATIONAL CAROL
(During the singing of this hymn the offering will be taken)
Hark! The herald-angels sing
Glory to the new-born King,
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim:
'Christ is born in Bethlehem.'
Hark! The herald-angels sing
Glory to the new-born King.
Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!
Hail, the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel:
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Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth:
Charles Wesley (1707-88)
FINAL PRAYER AND BLESSING
*******
We hope your visit will live long in your memory.
If you would like receive notice of future events here at
Wesley’s Chapel please leave your email address with
Jennifer Potter or alternatively email us at
administration@wesleyschapel.org.uk
Please don’t rush away when the Service ends. Seasonal
refreshments will be served in the Radnor Hall.
All are welcome
SERVICES FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
Wednesday 18th December 12.45pm Communion Service
Thursday 19th December
12.45pm Lunchtime Service
(inc the Choir of Central Foundation
School for Boys)
Sunday 22nd December
9.45am Holy Communion
11.00am All Age Worship
Wednesday 25th December 11.30am Christmas Day Service
Thursday 26th December
12.45pm Lunchtime Service
Tuesday 31st December
11.00pm Watchnight Service
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Wesley’s Chapel City Carol Service
This year we are trying a slightly different format for our
service. We have two schools who are singing for us – our
local Primary School, St Luke’s Church of England School and
our local Secondary School, the Central Foundation School for
Boys located near Old Street Roundabout. We are very
grateful to the students and staff of these two schools for
setting aside time at this busy season of the year to come and
share their singing and their enthusiasm with us.
In the past we have always been running up against a time
constraint in this service very aware that many of you have
only a limited break at lunchtime. So we have tried to plan a
service which can be done realistically within the time we have.
We would be very grateful for any feedback from you as we
look at how we plan services for forthcoming years.
We are also breaking with tradition this year in respect of
where our collection will go. In the past we have always tried to
designate a local charity and a number of your organisations
have been beneficiaries. This year we wish to send our
collection to the Philippines for the work that is going on to help
those who were so badly affected by typhoon Haiyan in early
November. A Filipino member of our congregation will read one
of the lessons.
*****
Typhoon Haiyan
‘Super’ Typhoon Haiyan struck some of the islands of the
Philippines on the 7th November. It was one of the fiercest
typhoons ever to be recorded and at the peak of their intensity
the winds were blowing at 195 miles per hour.
These winds and the storm surge that they caused inflicted
catastrophic damage, especially on the islands of Leyte and
Samar, where the destruction was complete, nothing remained
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standing. Figures for the dead and injured are still not finalised
but 6000 have been confirmed dead. 4.4 million people are
without homes and 13.2 million people have been affected in
some way by the storm.
Relief efforts are still in full swing even now a month after the
event. The British Navy ship ‘The Illustrious’ is still working
round the clock to deliver safe drinking water and food aid to
remote settlements and the sailors are helping to construct
temporary shelters. Many other countries and aid agencies still
have their relief work in full swing.
Our collection will be sent off immediately through one of the
Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) organisations.
*****
Inmarsat - 2013
Could this be the year things began changing for the better?
Was 2013 the year the economy began to recover as we
adjusted to the “New Normal” and realised that if you were still
employed things were going to be OK? Individually and as a
country we are paying down our debts and banks no longer
look ready to fail.
But abroad, Southern Europe stagnates, with high youth
unemployment. And the Arab Spring is turning into a Jihadi
Winter. The slaughter continues in Africa and tens of thousands
take to boats around the globe looking for new opportunity –
often to become victims of people traffickers
As we review our year and think about the next one, we have
become adjusted to do more with less. Yet many of us still see
no growth in personal wealth, as costs continue to rise.
Our World is no safer but intervention is out and its legacy of
failure will cause risk for another decade. Syria, Libya, Egypt,
Tunisia and much of Africa are battle-grounds for a distorted
battle of Islamic ideology.
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Still no great tidings of comfort and joy.
For many of all religions and of none, 2012 has been dark and
2013 may be darker. There are multiple impacts on the poorest
in the global community.
As the year began, Inmarsat was deployed by Telecom Sans
Frontieres to assist the humanitarian crisis as thousand fled
Syria into Turkey. Inmarsat supported Malian Refugees as they
crossed into Niger. Our communications services were in action
again after the Costa Rican Earthquake in September and
again in Guatemala in November when another earthquake
made 73,000 homeless.
In October, our satellites were used on the island of Bohol in
the Philippines, when an earthquake triggered massive
landslides. . More than 3 million people were affected by the
7.2 magnitude earthquake, the force of which triggered
landslides which engulfed homes and destroyed infrastructures.
Inmarsat provided a means of contact for the 600,000 families
affected by this disaster.
And since November, has been on the ground in the
Philippines supporting the hundreds of thousands of people
affected by Typhoon Haiyan as well as the numerous aid
agencies and organizations working in the field.
Our thoughts are with the displaced millions around the Globe,
looking for a safe haven or opportunity to rebuild shattered
lives.
The World of 2014, the world will continue to be a dangerous
place and we will again dedicate ourselves to being the global
means of communication on Land, Sea and Air, providing hope
for those in danger in the most inhospitable of places.
*****
Programmes and Refreshments kindly
sponsored by Inmarsat
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