In response to David's question - it was great!  Not sure on numbers, lower than last year as no school choir meant no parents, but considerably more Anglicans and some new faces, so definitely quality over quantity.  For all that, we gave away all of our 200 angel notebooks by getting people to take extras to pass on to family and friends.

Here are my editted highlights (names have been changed) ....

• The fantastic attention to detail - hand made angel-table centres, home-cooked pastries and cakes, both rooms laid out beautifully, smiling greeters and smooth delivery of everything that we did
• Elsie, who lives literally across the road from school but who can no longer walk more than a few steps who was thrilled that I collected her by car
• Similarly, Ernest and Patience, who could not stop thanking me for booking them a taxi each way from the far side of Dibley (whilst, alas, one of their fellow passengers moaned that the taxi was 2 minutes late and, being an 8-seater, was tricky to get into!).  Got a surprise Christmas kiss from Ernest who, at 92 is a rather crusty Gideon who doesn't do emotion - don't tell ministries dept!!
• The coach driver deciding to stay for tea and the service - and then helping to give away the angel notebooks (and sticking a 'fallen angel' onto his tie!)
• The presence of Mary and Ruth, both bereaved in the last few weeks, and especially Ruth's husband Tony who 'doesn't do church'
• Seeing people there who have no other church connection, some for whom I'd done funerals, some for whom Christmas is very difficult
• Seeing all three traditions participating fully in the service rather than the usual two
• People's delighted giving to the offering for the local children's hospice

Of course there were a few grumbles, some poeple love to moan it seems, but overall it was a great evening.  When I said 'goodnight' to the school caretaker, handed him some home-made mince pies and left a school tidier than we'd found it, I was tired but content that we had indeed sung with the angels and passed on the message.

In a couple of hours time I will be loading my car and heading to school to help set up for our tea and community carol service, Sing Like an Angel. The title we stole from Spurgeon's Child care when they weren't looking, and there will be loads of angels - as table centres, on the front of the hand-decorated gift notebooks, in the carols and so on.

We have around 100 booked in for tea - but how many that might really be is anyone's guess, as lots of people don't book on the basis that 'one more won't matter' and if anyone asks me can they bring a friend/neighbour/relative at the last minute I say yes.  We have a coach and a taxi gathering folk from selected highways and byways to ensure they arrive.  We are borrowing every Methodist and Community Centre stacking chair to supplement ours and the school's (Anglican chairs don't stack, it seems!).  We have two pianists, two sketches and half a dozen Bible readings.  We have a Methodist minister on threat of excommunication if he exceeds five minutes, goes off theme or talks over people's heads, a newly arrived rector who has never been to an unrehearsed service and is mildly panicking - oh and a weird Baptist woman who will be wearing a red suit and a Santa hat.

Set up starts at 1:30, tea at 4:45, the service at six.  By 9p.m. the school halls will be tidy, the guests will be safe and warm at home, and the members of four smallish churches will be tired but fulfilled, slumped on their settees with horlicks, cocoa, beer or wine!  But the angels will be still be singing and my biggest hope is that the evangel - the good message - will still be ringing in our ears, minds and hearts as we curl up to sleep after a day well spent.

Last night's Sing Christmas attendance was way down on last year - pouring rain and endless lurgies took their toll.  So we could be downhearted, if numbers were what matter.  But they aren't really, are they?

Here're my success indicators from last night...

Two people from church brought along their non-church-going husbands

One person from church brought along someone I'd never met before

Two people none of us knew came along

Six people from our lunch club came along

So, looked at another way over 50% of the 20 people present weren't regular churchgoers and 15% were people we don't know - which actually looks pretty brilliant from a numerical viewpoint!

Looked at yet another way, a group of Christians showed themselves as both human and generous - and the relations with the pub are now good enough that the "Baptist vicar" got a drink on the house!!

Blogging today at Hopeful Imagination and endeavouring not to work!

Btw I'm not actually typing at midnight (though not far off) just using auto-posting to make sure this appears on the correct date!

On December 19 2004, we held our last normal service in our chapel - carols by candelight with a congregation of about 40.  Since then we have sojurned in the school, where on Sunday we will host a tea and community carol service with an anticipated congrgeation of about 150.  In the in between times, we have laboured, prayed, discussed, planned, replanned, prayed, discussed and laboured to dispose of our building.  On December 18 2008, our buyer signed the contract and paid the deposit.

When the Estate Agent called the minister of Dibley

She was like those who dreamed!

Her mouth was filled with laughter

And she danced for joy around the manse.

Then she said, 'surely the LORD has done great things for us...'

This evening as we met in the upper room of the pub - only 20 of us as bad weather and lurgies kept many away - a feat which required the transport of mugs, coffee, tea, computer, projector, sound-system and miscellaneous props, it was a real joy to reflect on how far we have travelled in the last four years and to see the great things God has done with, for and through us in that time.

And of course carrying things up and down stairs you need a Psalm of Ascents...