curiouswombat | Nativity Post! Plus Messy Church and a Scary Choir!

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Nativity Post! Plus Messy Church and a Scary Choir!

People who have been friends for a while will know that one of my roles at Church is to organise the annual Nativity Service. We had this year's one today - and as usual I have a couple of pictures under the cut.

It has been a busy week all round - I feel a bit as if I'm likely to meet myself coming back - and we have had storm force winds on and off which have required us to drive with care and avoid some of the roads - which can make work a bit more difficult too.

But there are no pictures of storms this week -

I was running a clinic in the Cottage Hospital on Friday. They have one of those enormous rotating doors with sections that can be filled with interesting things. The main hospital has a similar door - but the Cottage Hospital ones are filled with more interesting things! This year, for the festive season, they have a choir who we must presume are carol singers. Here are three of them -

My daughter says they are the scariest papier maché choir she has ever seen. I think she has a point.

Some of the busy-busy this week was getting ready for a Cake Stall for Children in Need, part in getting ready for Messy Christmas. The Cake Stall was part of a church coffee morning yesterday - and involved me in making a couple of dozen fancy cupcakes, taking a couple of fruit loaves out of the freezer, and going down on Friday evening to set up. Then doing the selling with the assistance of a couple of the children from church and two of my wonderful Sunday School helpers. We raised £103 - I forgot to take the camera but you've seen my cupcakes before - these were in shades of blue and white with silver and blue decorations - I'm sure you can imagine.

Then a quick turn around before Messy Christmas in the afternoon.

There is a movement in the UK called Messy Church (here is a link to their website) which mixes craft, worship and food together for families. Our church decided to get involved, and we decided to do our first Messy Church session now so that we could use Christmas as a theme.

I spent much of the preceding week putting together a card making kit so that children and parents could make Christmas cards with stars and angels on them for my section. Others had organised potato printing, making glitter angel tree decorations, icing cakes, finger paints and soft play for tinies and so on. D-d, bless her, came to help me with my bit. This was despite being somewhat hung-over after her company Christmas dinner the night before, and a snatched lunch with friends.

Actually, on Friday night she went out looking very glamorous in a full length dark red sheath dress with matching shoes , every inch the young lawyer. She is also in this first picture of messy Christmas -

S2C didn't believe me, and was still not 100% sure even when I pointed her out... Friday night's glamorous young woman really is that figure in grey who looks about 12.

We really had no idea how many people would turn up - but there were about 15 children with parents and/or grandparents, some from our own congregation but one or two not, who came; and they seemed to really enjoy themselves. I took a lot of pictures - more of them are here on our church website which I updated this afternoon. But I love this picture -

We all wore labels so that everyone could call everyone by name even if they'd never met. This little boy's mum said if it was on his front he'd pick it off - so he wore his on his back like a footballer.

There was a short talk about Advent by one of our ministerial team, a grandmother herself, and then a meal together of sandwiches, sausages, crisps, cake... and everyone seems to have had a great time.

Then, once all the children and their families had left we reorganised the church again, ready for this morning.

We did a Nativity Service that I wrote, based on those reality TV shows that follow people about their work. We followed Gabriel as he/she went about a day's work, having to take messages from God to all sorts of different people - all of which (with a bit of neat organising between Gabriel and her Mum) arrived as text messages! She also had an apprentice, so that she could say 'Come on - we've got another message from God...' to someone each time. And it worked really well.

As usual there were mishaps - the girl in red in the middle back row of one picture did some of the Bible reading - and I had managed to give her the one copy of the script with a mistake in the chapter numbers! I had realised when I first printed the scripts - but somehow hadn't thrown that one away. She was a star about it - I had to gently stop her and say that, unfortunately, that was the wrong passage - we needed the one about the shepherds - and she went 'Oh - alright then...' and sight-read it. Everyone realised - and afterwards she was congratulated on coping by a number of the adults who said they'd not have managed to change what they were reading at all!

And then - half-way through the building up of the tableau - Joseph (the little boy on the far left, in the first picture, in the brown with the white and black headdress) lost a tooth! That is certainly a first - and at the end we gave him a special thank you. The other little girl not in costume also read a part - word perfect at six!

There are only two wise men - as we invited the minister, to his surprise and amusement, to come up to join the children as he was the wisest man we had!

All in all it was the usual success - and now, having got this weekend of church related stuff over, I really, really, must start doing other things - like writing my cards and getting them in the post!

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Definitely a wise group.

The minister just burst out laughing when he realised what was going on - and very happily joined the wise men for a moment or two until the end of the service.

Now I wish I could see D-d's picture in that dress you mention. Here, on the picture with children, she looks really young. But that's great! :)

I must ask her if she has a picture - this one (http://www.flickr.com/photos/voirreys_pics/5850069048/) is slightly less slinky but gives you some idea...

What fun for everyone. Thanks for sharing it with us, and I hope the coming week is less busybusy for you.

It's a pleasure - and me too!

Lots of work and lots of fun. You have a true community there!
I enjoyed seeing this.
:)

Our church is a real community - and it is such a joy to watch the children grow up. Last year I did a post of nativities over the years (http://curiouswombat.livejournal.com/255075.html#cutid1) - and my rather elegant Gabriel in this year's production is the tiny Mary in the first of those pictures!

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pondhopper.livejournal.com - 2011-12-12 22:31 (UTC) - Expand

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curiouswombat.livejournal.com - 2011-12-12 22:38 (UTC) - Expand

I love the Messy Church idea. What a marvelous time. And your Nativity group looked simply wonderful. Now...take a breath or two :-)

- Erulisse (one L)

Messy Church turned out to be good fun - we are already thinking about doing it again for Easter... then the summer and autumn...

The nativity is a real milestone on the way to Christmas every year - and no matter that it rarely goes totally to plan, it is always a lovely service.

I agree on the scary nature of that choir. Honestly, they look more appropriate to Halloween to me. Are you sure someone wasn't saving money by reusing props?

Your script for the Nativity Service sounds really creative. Neat idea.

I might be tempted to think they were recycling from Halloween - except that they simply had an autumn theme through September to November with big jugs of dried autumnal flowers and leaves.

The nativity was good fun.

Wonderful. I really miss Nativity plays now my two are far too old for them - it's such an important part of Christmas! Well done for writing this one.

Your story about Gabriel reminds me of a rehersal when the boy playing Gabriel kept messing around on his roller skates, so I suggested that he kept them on in the performance to deliver the message from God. He shot down the aisle bringing Good News, and it was a great success!

Oh wow! I wonder who we have that can skate next year?

Messy Church is a great idea! Though that choir looks like something out of "The Twilight Zone."

that choir looks like something out of "The Twilight Zone."

They really do, don't they?

Messy Church was really rather good fun. We will certainly repeat it. We're already thinking Easter...

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lady-branwyn.livejournal.com - 2011-12-11 23:34 (UTC) - Expand

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curiouswombat.livejournal.com - 2011-12-12 08:35 (UTC) - Expand

That looks like quite a bit of fun!

It was. Hard work, but fun.

So many reasons to smile reading this, but that "Joseph" lost a tooth mid-presentation made me laugh out loud. That's just such a typical Nativity service thing to have happen, isn't it! That's the fun of working with kids on these things... nothing is ever predictable. :)

Er, I'm with D-d about the revolving-door choir. It looks like something Tim Burton might have put in "Nightmare Before Christmas". :P (I think those giant revolving doors are a bit scary to navigate even without Demon Choirs watching your every move, waiting to leap upon you if you trip...)

I love the idea of Messy Church!

I though Joseph was very brave - he just hung onto it until his dad sneaked up and to be given the tooth!

The choir are certainly part of an... alternative? Christmas.

And Messy Church was good fun - and we hope those who came might bring some friends next time to make it even bigger.

How fun!

I only ever participated in on Nativity skit. I was the angel who told the shepherds about the Christ-child, I think.

One of the joys of the annual Nativity is watching the children play so many parts as they grow up - and all those who are now grown up remember, like you, having been in it at some time. It is always a fun way to really get into Christmas.

Your messy church and nativity sound lovely - I'm glad they went well. I'm glad you weren't blown over by the gales either - I was thinking of you as the news from Scotland was coming in.

As for the hospital choir, I've just been watching Misfits, so "zombie carol singers" is what came at once to mind. I hope they don't induce too many heart attacks!

Edited 2011-12-12 00:14 (UTC)

It was definitely windy. Messy Church was good fun - although, as with most of those things, there was a lot of organisation and prep work to be done in the weeks before so that it worked!

I must point out to D-d that they are zombie Carol Singers - I'm sure she'll agree.

I love the idea of messy church! And your daughter is right. That really is a scary choir!

Messy Church is good fun - although hard work to make sure it flows.

The choir are wonderfully weird - and it looks as if everyone around here agrees.

So Awesome! Looks like an wonderful event and I love the nametag on the back idea...might have to snag that!

I am with you on the Cards! Had such ood intentions to have them done by now and well, they're not! I keep looking for the file that has my address labels and can't find it...guess I will have to do it the old fashion way.

Now, go put your feet up, grab a hot toddy or mulled cider and relax! Doing something like this is exhausting and although I miss planning the school Christmas music concerts sometimes...I don't miss all the stress and pressure.

As someone whose been involved with similar things you can see why I seem to have had no time, or brain power, to sit and beta!

Seth's name on the back was inspired - of course it meant that anyone who came up from behind him could call him by name without having to wait until they were in front either - which can be really useful when kids are playing.

I really will get around to cards... tonight, honestly.

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gwaelinn.livejournal.com - 2011-12-12 15:04 (UTC) - Expand

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curiouswombat.livejournal.com - 2011-12-12 16:16 (UTC) - Expand

Wonderful pictures and doings. You and your church really know how to celebrate the season in appropriate fashion. :)

Oddly, as a Reformed Church with Scottish roots we have quite a solemn background - and none of the high church trappings - and yet there is such a sense of community, and friendliness and fun as well as some solemn songs and sermons!

I think the 'low church'ness of it means that it is is not unusual for the organist to say 'Hang on - which tune do you want?' in the middle of the service, or a small child to decide to go and sit in the sanctuary beside the minister - and no-one bats an eye-lid.

Thank you for continuing to share your Nativity photos each year. It usually helps me begin to slip gently into the real spirit of the season.

The choir figures are quite scary. It's the black on white, I think, and the rather...large...mouths. Little o's would have looked a bit less frightening, I think.

It reminds me of some piece of art, but I can't think of its name or the artist. Hmmmm....

Yes - there is a feeling that we can now 'do' Christmas!

You're right - if they weren't 'singing' quite so enthusiastically they might be less scary.

The children are adorable.This brings back many memories of Brownie nativity plays.

Thank you. Nativities are always such fun - something almost always doesn't go to plan - and no-one ever complains about that.

Thanks for the most interesting post.

It's my pleasure.

D-d is right - those are the scariest papier maché choir I've ever seen too.
I love Seth with his name on his back like a footballer.
And the nativity players are so... I want to say cute, but I fear they would be offended by having such a word applied to them.
Lovely pictures.

They are seriously scary carollers... I wonder if the people who decorate the doors think they're scary? Perhaps it hasn't occurred to them.

And yes - I can imagine a couple of the lads might not see themselves as 'cute' - even though they are!

What a pleasurable post. I agree with your daughter that the choir is creepy!

I love the idea of Messy Church. What a wonderful way to bond families and the community.

Messy Church was lovely - we think we can cope with doing it quarterly for now - perhaps eventually more often, but there is quite a lot of prep to do to make it all run smoothly - but lovely nonetheless.

You have such a wonderful community spirit in your church. So glad it all went well and you survived the gales. My friend in Anglesey tells me they were every bit as bad as reported in Scotland.

Good luck with the cards, which reminds me a need to do mine!

It was certainly windy - and it looks as if it is blowing up to high winds again for this week, too.

I have a pile of cards beside me... it's a start, I guess!

Awww! One of mine lost a tooth in a school play. Does tend to happen unexpectedly doesn't it LOL! Well done to everyone :)

He was very good about it - and didn't dribble much blood...

So we didn't quite have a vampiric nativity!

It must be a relief to get that done - but great fun, too!

You're right - it was a relief - all the things, from decorating cupcakes to Messy Church to the Nativity are all great fun - but it is nice to have them done!

You must be so enjoying having D-d around a bit more. Messy Church sounds lots of fun - and I love the idea of Joseph losing a tooth! That's worthy of A Wayne in a Manger (http://www.gervase-phinn.com/gervase_pages/a_wayne_in_a_manger.htm)...

It is nice to have her around - and Messy Church was good fun - look out to see if any of your local churches run it sometimes as I'm sure your boys would enjoy it.

As for A Wayne in a Manger - absolutely.

What a charming nativity group. Poor Joseph! He looks very cute regardless.

I see why you've been so busy. I'm glad though it was an "enjoyable busy".

Isn't he a cute Joseph? They all are, really, but he is a really sweet little boy.

It was all good fun, but I still feel a bit wrung out by it all, though.

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