Join us in St Helen’s Church at 10am for our Parish Communion Service. We welcome Revd Jonathan Smith who returns to preside and preach. If you can’t join us in church, please join us online. Click here or on the image above for the YouTube link..
A festive beginning to the Christmas season at this family-friendly service. In support of The Children’s Society.
Gingerbread Stars
We have a tradition of visiting all the businesses in the High Street and offering best wishes for Christmas in the form of a gingerbread star. We would like to do this again on Tuesday 23rd December.
We need people to make gingerbread stars please! We also then need people to visit and give away the biscuits! It is a lovely thing to do! So if you are free to help at 10am on the 23rd for about an hour please let Hilary (07712791625) know.
Christmas Lunch on Jesus 2025 is now go! We have 20 hampers that have been requested. So we now need 10-20 volunteers to deliver 1 or 2 Christmas lunch hamper boxes on Sat 20th December, probably from late morning. The hampers will be in church to be picked up – they are heavy so volunteers will need a car. This is a wonderful way to spread a little Christmas joy around our local community. Please contact Helen Caldwell on 07974 762997 or helen_caldwell2000@yahoo.co.uk if you would like to be part of this. Thank you x
In the UK, we send enough Christmas cards that if we placed them alongside each other, they’d cover the world’s circumference 500 times. As an eco-church, St Helen’s aims to save trees by offering a central point where congregation members can send one Christmas card to everyone else. All are welcome to add a Christmas message to friends and family to the noticeboard in the chancel.
The church is in use on Thursday the 11th and 18th December
so prayer meetings will be via Zoom only
Please pray for the unity of the church and its mission to serve the wider community. It is important that the church stays together during this time.
Please pray for support for the paid staff of the church it’s church wardens and PCC who will take over the day to day running of the church. It is important that no one feels overwhelmed or overworked.
Please pray that people will take up more roles and responsibilities, that there will be more volunteers, and the workload will be shared out in larger groups.
Please pray for wisdom and direction for the leadership of the church. Especially the PCC as the put together the Parish Profile and start the process of choosing a new rector.
The usual Morning Prayer sessions will continue to run in church (Monday and Tuesday) and on Zoom (Monday – Wednesday). No sessions on Christmas and New Year’s Day. We reconvene on 8th January!
Two Concerts at YWAM, The Highfield oval.
Celebrating their 40th anniversary The Kings Chamber Orchestra will be celebrating all the years they have been together! This years Christmas concert titled “The Light Fantastic” will be a performance filled carols, stories and music from the silver screen, amid Classic favourites by Tchaikovsky, Nielsen, Strauss, Mozart and many more. KCO continues it’s faithful journey performing the most beautiful music spontaneously and with great joy.
This year’s Teddy concert will also be a tremendous 40th anniversary party. Always aiming to produce fun and games for the children there will be lots of interaction, lots of famous music, and lots of bonkers moments that all families will enjoy. Aimed at families young at heart KCO has played concerts for several decades delighting humans between the ages of zero and 100.
St Helen’s Fellowship
MEN AND WOMEN welcome at St Helen’s Fellowship!
The last session for the year will be an Advent Celebration on Thursday 11th Dec at Mead Hall between 2.45 and 4.15 pm. The cost is £2. Anyone who would appreciate a lift to meetings, please ring Gill Gwinn who will be able to tell you if we can help with this. Thanks.
Snowdrop Garden Open Days — Possibly for the Last Time —
in Support of the Beds & Herts Historic Churches Trust
We are pleased to share that the Bishop of St Albans’ Garden will open to visitors in February 2026, offering a much-loved chance to enjoy God’s creation in its early spring beauty. Next year’s openings may be the last time the garden is made accessible to the public, making the occasion especially meaningful.
Thousands of snowdrops and other early bulbs will be in bloom, creating a peaceful, uplifting place to wander and reflect. All proceeds will go directly to the Beds and Herts Historic Churches Trust, which helps fund essential repairs to historic churches across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
Open Garden Dates
Abbey Gate House, Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans AL3 4HD
• Saturday 14 February
• Sunday 15 February
• Saturday 21 February
• Sunday 22 February
Time: 2pm–4pm
Entry: £5 per adult (all proceeds to the Trust)
All are warmly invited to visit the garden—perhaps for the final time as we are not sure if the new Bishop will continue to allow the garden to be opened to the public —enjoy its seasonal beauty and support the preservation of our cherished church buildings.
If you have a concern about someone else or yourself:
please call 07870748773 or e mail Christine.anstice@yahoo.co.uk
Events and Activities this week (at St. Helen’s Church unless otherwise indicated).
Please ask if you need further details
Monday 8th December
9.30am – 11.30am Coffee in the Chancel
7.30pm – 9.15pm Bellringing Practice
Tuesday 9th December 9.30am – 11.30am Coffee in the Chancel
Wednesday 10th December
9.30am – 11.00am The Ark Parent-and-Toddler Group
Thursday 11th December
2.00pm – 3.30pm St Albans High School Christmas Service
2.45pm – 4.15pm St Helen’s Fellowship at Mead Hall
Friday 12th December
Saturday 13th December
9.15am – 10.00am Celtic Morning Prayer
10.00am – 11.30am Coffee in the Chancel
Sunday 14th December
10.00am – 11.00am Parish Communion
5.00pm – 6.30pm Youth Group
6.00pm – 7.00pm Reflective Carol Service at St Peter’s Church
