During the Advent season, the promise of Christ’s birth brings light and warmth. Keeping faith in communal response through the Advent of his birth kept the people of the Parish of Upper Island Cove (U.I.C.) actively burning those faithful candles of hope, peace, joy, and love from the beginning to the end of the month of December.
Channeling the great hope of the joy to come, a Christmas Teatime, Bake Sale, and Sing-along was hosted by St. Peter’s Vestry on the first Sunday of Advent. Below St. Peter’s Church proper, the Reverend Pearce Hall was at jovial capacity. It was alight with the smells of baked goods for sale—and goods to share among friends. Amid these delicious scents were vibrant sounds from the songs of the season. All gifts were shared freely: the traditional Christmas cakes, desserts, time spent in service, and, of course, the music as enjoyable and plentiful as the baked goods themselves.
The second weekend of Advent saw the Town of U.I.C., in partnership with both the Anglican Church Assistance Association (A.C.A.A.) and St. Peter’s Church, open the annual “Jingle Fest,” a week long event of Christmas festivities held in the town. Each year, these community groups and townspeople gather in front of St. Peter’s Church, and a countdown to lighting the Christmas Tree ensues. The crowd then gathers in the Reverend Pearce Hall to enjoy further band selections of the Christmas season. It is often heard that this town tradition marks the beginning of Christmas in many hearts, and indeed a sense of peace can be felt around the Christmas tree as the glow from the lights is seen on the faces of children and adults alike. In neighbouring Bryant’s Cove, the congregation of St. Andrew’s welcomed the peace of the Christmas season during their Lessons and Carols service.
Gathering steam, the third week of Advent marked the Children’s Christmas Pageant, St. Peter’s Lessons and Carols service, and, later that week, The Sounds of Christmas Concert held at St. Peter’s Elementary School. Many parishioners joined together during the morning service to watch the St. Peter’s Sunday School Children, the Junior Auxiliary (J.A.), and the Church Lad’s Brigade (C.L.B.) perform their Christmas concerts and returned that evening for a deeply moving Lessons and Carols Service.
In its second year, The Sounds of Christmas Concert is a benefit Christmas concert presented by a group of talented local musicians. Entrance to the concert is paid in the spirit of giving and humility: a non-perishable food item for the local food bank or a free-will monetary donation. One remarkable feature of this concert was the presentation of the 75th Confederation Service Medal to our very own Rev’d Howard Crane for his outstanding contributions to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Congratulations to Rev’d Crane on this remarkable achievement—your parish is so proud of you! Before moving on to the final week of Advent, it must be noted that during a Christmas sing-along for the students at St. Peter’s School some days later, the monetary donations collected at the concert were presented to leaders of the J.A., C.L.B., and St. Peter’s School Breakfast Program by the Sounds of Christmas committee with matching donations from the Town of U.I.C. itself. It is true that it is in the giving that we truly receive, as a feeling of joy in the fellowship of St. Peter’s School amid interconnected community groups was palpable to all.
At last, the final week of Advent, marked by the candle of love and the birth of Christ, was among us. On Christmas Eve morning, some two hundred and forty parishioners joined together for a Family Eucharist and Children’s Nativity Drama starring the children of Sunday School, who told the story of Jesus’ birth through story and song. A similar number of people returned that evening for St. Peter’s Carol Service, during which St. Peter’s Choir—joined by former choir director and special friend, Rev’d Arch Young—gave us a stunning evening of Christmas music ministry. The Parish of U.I.C. held its annual St. Stephen’s Day service at St. Peter’s Church on December 26th in partnership with the A.C.A.A. and Brass Band, followed by their traditional parade to St. Peter’s School for continued music selections. To cap off quite a full month in the parish, a service was held on the last Sunday of the month at St. John the Baptist Chapel with the theme “mugs and muffins.” Hosted by St. Peter’s Vestry, it was a relaxed atmosphere, where muffins, coffee, and tea were provided and enjoyed in fellowship during morning prayer.
To conclude, the Advent season of a parish is busy, and preparations must be in sync with Advent liturgy. But what keeps the oil of said liturgical communal response going, my friends, isn’t the muffins. It isn’t the music, or the concerts, or the candles, even. Now and always, the oil that keeps it all going is about the communal embodiment of the love of Jesus. May we move through each worship and each day grounded in word, thought, and deed by this truth—the true gift of the season.
