Christingle
Christingle is a beautiful Christmas service, held on the first Sunday in December, especially for children, which raises money for The Children's Society.
Christingle has its origins in an informal children's service held in Moravia, in the eastern Czech Republic, on Christmas Eve in 1747, where the bishop gave each child a lighted candle, tied with a red ribbon, symbolising the coming of Jesus.
Today, children are given a Christingle which comprises:
An orange representing the world;
A red ribbon tied round the orange, representing the blood of Jesus;
Fruits skewered into the orange on four sticks, representing God's gifts, the fruits of the earth and the four seasons;
A lighted candle in the centre of the orange, representing Christ, the light of the world.
The Children's Society holds a special Christingle appeal each year to raise vital funds for the children facing life's harshest challenges.
Children who may find themselves sleeping rough this winter, or fleeing conflict and war, caught in a cycle of crime or marginalised due to a disability.
The funds raised from Christingle help us to shine light into the darkness of their lives.
If you have been touched by the Christingle service and would like to support the work of The Children's Society throughout the year, please consider taking a house box.
It is a small collection box in which you can put the odd coins (or notes!) at any time. The box is then collected annually for emptying by your local representative.
If you would be interested, then please contact Sharon Blackshaw.
