Wishing you all every joy and blessing for this New Year, 2025. But as well as personal health and happiness, may it also be a year when everybody strives to make things better for Kibworth and the surrounding villages.
The Cook Islands welcome and lead us for the World Day of Prayer 2025. This year it is on Friday 7 March. The Cook Islands is a group of 15 Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It has a rich and colourful Maori heritage and a deep connection to nature. Join with us as we pray, learn and reflect together on the theme ‘I made you wonderful’.
Well, Christmas has certainly now arrived in Smeeton! How lovely to see the decorations starting to be put up both in and outside of the houses. It certainly brings Christmas cheer to the village.
Once again the people of Kibworth (and I am sure many of the villagers in the other places within our distribution area) came together on Sunday 10 November to remember the fallen, not only in the two world wars of the last century but in subsequent conflicts.
Burton Overy celebrated its twenty third Christmas Tree Festival over the three days 29 November to 1 December. Popular as ever, hundreds of families enjoyed a magical walk along the aisles of St Andrew’s Church. Gazing at the diverse themes of the trees, from traditional to the bizarre. There were 57 entries and visitors voted for their favourite tree.
Christmas is a time for excitement and celebration, and the joy of family and friends. It also brings pressure and expectations; hustle and bustle. It can, for many people, be a painful time: of loneliness, poverty or homelessness. If we look closely at the stories of the birth of Jesus in the Bible, we can find all these things too. The Nativity story shows us that Jesus came into the real world - the world of our mess and grief. And yet people found God right there in the midst of it all, leading to thankfulness, joy and praise.
Everyone is very welcome to join us this Christmastime. We have services suitable for all ages, both traditional and modern; we look forward to seeing you. For all information please visit our website:www.stwilfridskibworth.co.uk.