United Church Dorchester

Christmas 2021: special services and outreach events

Christmas will not be entirely back to normal this year, but we hope that we will be celebrating together more easily than we could in 2020! Listed below are the various special services and outreach events which should be taking place this year: you are very welcome to join us at any of these. Special arrangements will be in place for each occasion to keep everyone as safe as possible across the Christmas period.

If you need a handy guide to everything in one place, you can download a print version of the United Church Christmas 2021 information leaflet. This also includes details of all the regular Sunday and Wednesday services taking place in December.

PLEASE NOTE: while we currently believe that all these events can take place as planned, changes to the Government's Covid-19 regulations may mean that some events need to be altered or cancelled. We will keep this page as up to date as we can: please always check here for the latest information.

SPECIAL SERVICES (places for some of these services must be booked in advance: please see the individual entries for each service in the Diary for details).

Friday 3 December, 3.00pm: Quiet Christmas
This a traditional service for those who want to celebrate Christmas quietly. It may be particularly valued by those who are on their own, who are recently bereaved, or who are feeling that life is a challenge at the moment. It will also be ideal for those who find sitting through a full service difficult.

Refreshments will be served afterwards in church.

Sunday 19 December, 10.30am and 6.30pm: Carol Service
This year's Carol Service will be held twice: it will serve as the single Sunday morning service, and will then be repeated in the evening. Due to limited space, booking is required at both carol services: please call the church office on 01305 457477; or follow the link from either the services page or the Diary to send an email. When making contact, please make sure that you provide your name, contact details, which service you wish to attend and how many seats (especially for reserved spaces) are being requested. It would also be helpful to know if you will all sit together as a group with no empty seats between you and if you need to be downstairs or would prefer the balcony.

While most bookings will be for unallocated seats at these services, reservations for specific seats can be booked in advance for those with particular needs.

Friday 24 December, 3.00pm and 4.15pm: Christingle Service
This will be a Christingle with a difference. Everyone will be provided with a DIY Christingle bag and we will all make our Christingles together, but in our own seat with families socially distanced to keep everyone of all ages safe. There will be no need to book for either of these services but there will be a maximum number at each service for safe social distancing.

The atmosphere of Christmas approaching and all being peaceful and ready will be the same as always: Christmas starts here!

Saturday 25 December, 10.30am: Christmas Day Morning Service
This is a 45 minute service, and a wonderful way to celebrate the good news of Christmas Day.There is no booking of seats for Christmas Day. However, if you need a specific seat reserved or extra space around your seat, please call the church office on 01305 457477; or follow the link from either the services page or the Diary to send an email. When making contact, please make sure that you provide your name, contact details, how many reserved spaces are being requested.

Outreach Events

Wednesday 15 December - Thursday 23 December: Journey to the Stable
This is an interactive journey into the meaning of Christmas. Suitable for adults and children, it finishes with a recreation of the stable scene itself.

Come and reflect on the journey with its seven stations focusing on a person or a part of the Christmas story, each with a reading and reflections; or just come and spend some time at the stable. 





Full interactive journey and stable (from 11am - 3pm):Wednesday 15, Thursday 16, Friday 17 and Saturday 18 December Stable only (from 11am - 3pm):Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 December

Monday 20 December: Action for Children collecting, with Christmas carols
The Action for Children fundraising group at United Church Dorchester will be collecting and singing carols outside the front door of United Church Dorchester on Monday 20th December from 11.00am until 1.00pm. We hope that the UCD Brass group will be accompanying the singing.
The team will also be handing out Knitted Christmas Angels to children / adults who pass by - if you can't be there on the day but want to help by knitting some angels for distribution, please have a look at the information sheet for the background to the idea, and how to get the pattern.

Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 December, 11am - 3pm: Space at Christmas: Feed me, change me, love me
In your Christmas preparations, a space to come and just be, reflect, indulge in Christmas crafts and find a safe space in the Christmas crowds to Feed Me, Change Me and Love Me.
There will be facilities for baby changing and feeding, and FREE activities for children and carers.

Sunday 12 December, 11am-4pm. Christmas Cracker
Do come and visit the Dorchester and District Christian Aid/Traidcraft stand which will be at the Christmas Cracker. There will be Christmas cards, gifts and goodies for sale along with our tasty Christian Aid cook book, Cooking for Life (only £10 and all to a good cause). Further details to come re exact venue. 
Friday 24 December, 9.30 - 10.30am: Carol Singing
Come and join the (socially distanced) Christmas Carol Singing in South Street, outside Barclays Bank.
All are welcome - either to join in, to shake a can, or just to donate: all proceeds will go to Christian Aid.