During this Advent I will be reading The Path Of Light – Walking To Auschwitz by Anthony Seldon, who is an educationist, author and founder, with the Dalai Lama, of a charity supporting people active in building a happier society. The title is intriguing – walking a path of light ending in a place of unimaginable darkness, Auschwitz. The book traces his pilgrimage on foot across parts of Europe to Auschwitz. As he travelled through towns and villages, he encountered stories of men and women who had taken a stand against Nazism. He calls these people ‘figures of light’. One such was Oskar Schindler, who saved the lives of over a thousand Jews during the Holocaust. The light of people like Oskar Schindler outshone the darkness and horror of all that happened in Auschwitz, reminding us that light is never overcome by darkness.

This Sunday marks the beginning of the season of Advent, a season of expectation and preparation. We will be preparing to celebrate the coming of Christ into the world, the light of the world, but also looking ahead to the final judgement of Christ at the end of time. There used to be an emphasis in Advent on the Four Last Things – Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell – and these themes were often the basis of Advent sermons. In recent times the emphasis has moved more towards Advent as a preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth, but that sense of the Last Judgement and the Second Coming is very much still evident in Advent readings, hymns and prayers.

As we begin our journey towards Christmas, our sight is focused on the birth of Christ, the light of the world, a light Christ came to share with us, the light of God’s love, and not to keep that light to ourselves but to share it with others. At every baptism service the newly baptised is given a lighted candle reminding them of Jesus, the light of the world, and our vocation to share that light with others. In Anthony Seldon’s pilgrimage he set out to create a ‘Path of Light’, and as he travelled so he heard of people whose lives and witness had shone light into a time of seemingly endless darkness. Anthony Seldon refers to people like Oskar Schindler as ‘figures of light’, shining the light of love and goodness at great personal cost. As followers of Christ, the light of the world, we too are to be ‘figures of light’, spreading that light into places of darkness wherever we encounter them, and to be prepared for how much that may cost us. The best place to start is to shine light into the darkness within ourselves, and then we are best placed to shed the light of God’s love into the lives of others.

Jesus said: ‘Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds, and give glory to your Father in heaven.’
Matthew 5.16

Sunday 30 November
Advent Carols by Candlelight

"Come, thou redeemer of the Earth!"

This Sunday is Advent Sunday, when the new church year begins. In the evening, our choir will be leading a service of lessons and carols celebrating our preparation for Christ's incarnation at Christmas. It's a very special service, and our candles symbolise the promise of light shining in the darkness. Advent music has a magic all of its own - we don't sing Christmas carols just yet, but there will be music spanning 500 years of worship by composers such as Palestrina, Rachmaninov and MacMillan, and the congregation will join in singing stirring Advent carols such as O come, "O come Emmanuel" and "Lo, He comes with clouds descending". Everyone is welcome to this service.

Sunday 7 December at 12:30 pm
Sundays Together Lunch

The next Sundays Together Lunch is a Christmas lunch on 7 December. This is a friendly get-together for our older friends in the parish who may be on their own at a certain age. For £6 guests get a glass of sherry and a two-course cooked meal in the Court House. If you would like to take part, or if you know someone who might benefit from this lovely social event, please get in touch:

Contact:

 Send an email to: Carole Dell

 01442 864 706

Wednesday 28 January at 7:30 pm
Induction of Rev Stephen Jullien

Stephen Jullien (who grew up in this parish) is to be installed as the vicar of The Church of the Annunciation, Chislehurst in south-east London. The service will be led by Rt Rev Dr Jonathan Gibbs, Bishop of Rochester and the Ven Allie Kerr, Archdeacon of Bromley and Bexley. All are welcome to attend; clergy and readers wishing to participate are asked to RSVP by 12 January. Let us hold the congregation of Chislehurst in our prayers, and pray for Fr Stephen as he takes this new step in his ministry.

Contact:

 Send an email to: Carole Poll

 www.achurchnearyou.com/church/9826

Christmas Raffle!

This year's Christmas Raffle is in aid of the St Peter's Renovation Appeal, and it's got some super prizes!

• 1st prize: Bird Colour Wheel - a limited-edition colour artwork by Jim Moir (aka Vic Reeves)
• 2nd prize: £150
• 3rd prize: a luxury festive hamper
• 4th prize: a voucher for dinner for 2 at the Kings Arms
• 5th prize: a voucher for coffee & cake at Fred & Ginger

Tickets are £5 for a book of five, on sale at the Arts & Crafts Fair, the Festival of Light, the Town Carol Service and other event. Also available from Carolynne Charman or from the Parish Office.

Through the Longest Night: Fundraising for Suicide Prevention Charity

As we work hard to raise funds for our own building, we must not lose sight of out "outward giving", supporting other good causes in our community. Fr Stuart will be walking through the longest night of the year to raise money for local suicide prevention charity Hector's House. Setting out just before sunset (3.53pm) on Friday 19th December and coming home around 9am on Saturday 20th December (sunrise, 8.06am), the walk will be around 50 miles. Hector's House offer help for people struggling with suicidal thoughts, as well as resources to support friends and family affected by these challenges.

If you would like to support the great work of Hector's House, you can sponsor Fr Stuart here:

 hectorshouse.org.uk

 www.justgiving.com/page/stuart-owen-9

Advent course by email

This Advent season, Fr Anthony is offering an Advent course by email - "A bit of a ramble with Matthew". It will take us through the first chapters of Matthew's Gospel with some reflections by the way. Matthew has been chosen because it is his year in the lectionary beginning at Advent. There will be one or two emails each week leading up to Christmas. If you'd like to receive Fr Anthony's thoughts, please drop him an email:

Contact:

 Send an email to: Fr Anthony Lathe

Advent and Christmas at St Peter’s

Advent is a special time when we look forward with great anticipation to the birth of Jesus. We celebrate Advent Sunday 4 Sundays before Christmas Day, and through December, the community begins to celebrate with carol concerts and festive events looking forward to Christmas. Please extend the St Peter's welcome to your friends and neighbours - everyone is very welcome at St Peter's, whether they are regular worshippers, exploring faith or just feeling festive. 

Flyers are available in church, and there is a list of seasonal services and events on our website:

Advent & Christmas flyer 2025

 www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/advent

Festival of Light – thank you

Huge thanks are due to our band of volunteers for their herculean efforts to make this year's Festival of Light such a success. We are grateful to local photographer Chris Harris for these stunning photos, taken in St Peter's on Sunday.

Thank you to everyone who lit candles, laboured in the wine kitchen, carried furniture, sold wine and raffle tickets, greeted people, provided music, decorated the church, and fulfilled the unenviable task of cleaning the church the next day! Our thanks especially to this year's organisers, Hayley Khazaneh and Peter McMunn for such an outstanding effort. The church looked truly fabulous and offered a wonderful welcome to thousands of people, many here for the first time. 

We are also immensely grateful to local organisations and individuals who have helped us out with donations - to Berkhamsted School, who donated £1000 to cover our costs (candles etc), as well loaning the lighting for free; Lodestone House catering company, who donated the mulled wine, mince pies and hot chocolate; Tesco, who donated chocolates; Tracey Evens of Berkhamsted school, who contributed 500 chocolate coins and paper cups; the Ultimate Promotion Company who printed Carolynne's sashes; Hayley, who paid for extra lighting hire and new contactless card readers; the Lindley Family, who kindly donated the Christmas tree; and to the many others who may have been omitted here.

The 2025 Festival of Light in numbers:

• 3000 candles
• 3000 visitors
• 480 mulled wines
• 660 raffle tickets
• £5046 raised for the roof fund!!

What an amazing result. If you weren't able to help this year, we hope you'll be willing for next year's Festival of Light, which will (probably) be on Sunday 22 November 2026. See photos from this year and previous years on our website:

 www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/about/photos

A message from Fr Anthony

At the end of our Parish Mass last Sunday, we paid tribute to Fr Anthony Lathe, who is stepping down from active ministry after 64 years (and 19 years at Great Berkhamsted). We presented him with a gift of his favourite single malt whisky as a token of our love and gratitude. Fr Anthony says:

"Thank you all so much for the kindness shown to me last Sunday on my second retirement.   The very generous gift and the many kind messages are very greatly appreciated.  It has been an honour and privilege, not to say good fortune, to be able to take a leading part in the worship of St Peter's for so long.  A big THANK YOU!"
Anthony Lathe

Victoria School open mornings

Are you looking for a Reception place to start September 2026? Victoria School are holding open mornings for prospective Reception families - come and have a tour of the school!

• Tuesday 2 December 2025 9.15am
• Thursday 8 January 2026 9.15am (Reception and Nursery Tour)

Nursery open mornings for prospective Nursery Families

• Thursday 8 January 9.15am at (Reception and Nursery)
• Wednesday 21 January at 9.15am
• Wednesday 28 January at 9.15am
• Friday 6 February at 2pm
• Wednesday 11 February at 9.15am
• Wednesday 4 March at 11.00am
• Friday 13 March at 9.15am
•  Friday 20 March 1.45pm-2.30pm: Nursery Stay and Play - come along with your child to have a taster of our Nursery.

To book your space, please complete the online booking form (link below). 

victoria school prospectus

 forms.office.com/e/yuB10v7yas

Victoria School prepares for Christmas

We had a very informative visit to Hope Food Bank on Friday, where the Kindness Ambassadors got to see what happens to their Harvest donations. The children went and collected a list of items from the food store which gave them an insight of the most needed items for different people that used the food bank. After Christmas, we will be putting out a request to our families for donations of items that are running low.

This week has seen the start of rehearsals for the Nursery and Reception Nativities. The children have been choosing their parts and learning all the words to the songs. We are looking forward to seeing how it all comes together in early December. The children have also been learning about the Nativity in their RE lessons, finding out why Christmas is important to Christians and the story of the birth of Jesus.

Mrs Lisa Freeman
Head of School, Victoria CE Infant and Nursery School

Christmas at the Cathedral

If you're visiting St Albans this month, there's a host of Advent and Christmas events at St Albans Cathedral, including Carols on the Hour (all day on Saturday 13 December), seasonal tours, festive concerts, family activities, and services of Lessons and Carols (Sunday 21 and Monday 22 December). Visit the Cathedral website for listings or download the Cathedral Christmas brochure:

St Albans Cathedral Christmas events

 www.stalbanscathedral.org/christmas

Friday 28 November at 7:30 pm
Budapest Café Orchestra

Tonight, Berkhamsted's own Budapest Café Orchestra are back on home territory with a concert at the Civic Centre. The eclectic programme will include gypsy, jazz and folk-flavoured music from around the world, with their unique arrangements of Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Greig Squeezebox Concertos. Tickets £20:

 events.berkhamstedentertainment.com/events/berkham

Sunday 30 November
Berkhamsted Artisan & Makers Market

Browse the market stalls, for glass, wood, and ceramic crafts, textiles, artworks, dried flowers, children's clothes, and jewellery. The market is organised by The Friends of St Peter's (FoSP), the charity that fundraises to support Berkhamsted's cherished heritage assets, St Peter's Parish Church (1222), Berkhamsted Town Hall (1859) and Rectory Lane Cemetery (1842). All the pitch fees from The Market will go towards maintaining these historic sites. Do please support this fabulous community initiative and enjoy the new creative vibe in our town!

There'll be another market on Sunday 14 December - the ideal place to find that unique Christmas gift!

Berkhamsted Artisan Markets

 www.berkhamstedartisanmarket.co.uk

Wednesday 3 December
Community Christmas Celebration

Our festive concert season at St Peter's kicks off with a glittering evening of carols, readings and music, organised by Berkhamsted & District Chamber of Commerce. All monies raised will go to the Swan Youth Project. 

Festive music will be performed by the Ridgeway Chorale, John Knowles, Rachel Edmunds and Madalina Turan. Readings will include Bible passages, together with modern yuletide messages evoking thoughtfulness and laughter. Our guest readers will include comedian and broadcaster Robin Ince; TV food and drink host Nigel Barden; Sue Jordan, Mayor of Berkhamsted; Paul Ryan, local business owner; young people from the Swan Youth Project; and the Head Boy of Berkhamsted School.

Tickets £10 - includes interval mulled wine and a mince pie! Doors open at 7.00pm. Book online:

 tickets.mp/christmas

Wednesday 3 December
Berkhamsted Neighbourhood Plan Consultation

Berkhamsted Town Council invite you to a drop-in event in the Civic Centre on the High Street 9:30am-12 noon. The Berkhamsted Neighbourhood Plan will shape how the town evolves over the next 15 years, and will guide planning decisions.  Come and share your views about the draft policy ideas with members of the Neighbourhood Plan team, and suggest improvements to the town infrastructure. The public consultation is running now until 7 January 2026, so even if you can't come to the drop-in event, you can have your say on the future of Berkhamsted. All you need to do is read the Winter 2025 Consultation Material and then fill in the feedback form. The material is being sent out to all households with the council's BTC News magazine, copies are available in the Civic Centre Foyer, or you can do it all on the BTC website:

 www.berkhamsted-tc.gov.uk/the-council/neighbourhoo

Friday 5 December
Berkhamsted Youth Town Council – Christmas Disco!

Berkhamsted Youth Town Council are holding a FREE fun evening with DJ, karaoke, pizza and soft drinks, 6:30pm to 9:30pm at Lagley Meadow Hall (formerly Lagley Meadow Youth Centre, Douglas Gardens, HP4 3PE. It's open to anyone aged 12-18 - book online on the Town Council website (please note that children under 16 must request a parent or guardian make the booking for them).

 www.berkhamsted-tc.gov.uk/council_events/berkhamst

Living Magazines article

It's great to see the St Peter's Renovation Appeal is featured in the latest issue of Berkhamsted Living Magazine. It highlights our problems with the leaking roof and gives our raffle prize a great spotlight - a limited-edition print by Jim Moir, known to many as the TV comedian Vic Reeves. Hopefully this will help us to sell more raffle tickets! The article also reminds people of the great value of St Peter's as a cherished local landmark and a community hub, from weddings and baptisms to choral evensong, Christmas and concerts. Do please share this article with your friends! We're ever so grateful to Lyn Drummond of Living Magazines for supporting us in this way.

We've managed to get advance copies of the winter issue of Berkhamsted Living hot off the press - pick up your free copy at the back of church this weekend!

 www.livingmags.info/tv-comedian-helps-church-appea

Almshouses Prize Draw

The Trustees of the John Sayer Almshouses have launched a special Prize Draw to raise funds for vital restoration work - to make the fourth Almshouse habitable again for someone in need. The prize is 4 tickets to see the award-winning musical Starlight Express at Wembley! Donate £10 for 1 entry, £20 for 3 entries, or £50 gets you 10 entries! You can also enter the draw for free by post. Entries close 12noon on 15 December 2025. To enter the draw visit:

 www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/win-tickets-for-star

DENS Winter Appeal

With freezing nights ahead, local homelessness charity, DENS, has launched its Winter Appeal. Homelessness is rising, and DENS urgently needs your help to ensure no one is turned away this winter. On the DENS website you can read Amy's story - a young woman who suddenly found herself homeless with her dog, Ted. Amy's story shows how quickly life can unravel, and DENS helped her to rebuild her life with Ted still by her side. Your gift this Christmas can provide safety, warmth and hope for someone like Amy.

You can also help with your shopping - pick up a DENS shopping list at the back of church and take it when you go to Waitrose or Tesco. There are donation crates inside each shop where you can give to local food banks.

 www.dens.org.uk/winter-appeal

Berko Christmas Fairs round-up

It's the season for Christmas fairs, and here's a quick round-up of the festive shopping events coming up in Berkhamsted, offering gifts and goodies, many supporting charitable causes. Shop local!

• Thursday 27 November - Thursday 1 January: Ashridge House Illuminated - evening visitor attraction with a festive food village and gift stalls (entry fee applies)
• Friday 28 - Sunday 30 November: Black Friday Shopping Event - 20% off everything at Number Twenty, the Hospice of St Francis gift shop on Lower Kings Road
• Saturday 29 November 10:30am - 2:30pm: Kings Road Church Christmas Market - Berkhamsted Civic Centre
• Sunday 30 November: Artisan & Makers Market - Berkhamsted High Street
• Wednesday 3 December 12pm-4pm: Winter Warmer event at The Denton, Shootersway
• Saturday 6 December 10am-4pm: Pop-Up Makers & Creatives Market - Berkhamsted Town Hall
• Sunday 21 December 10-3pm: Pop-Up Makers & Creatives Market - Berkhamsted Town Hall

Christmas trees for the Hospice

It's nearly time to think about a Christmas Tree! If you're getting a "real" tree, buying a locally grown one supports local business and minimises transport, so it's better for the environment. Even better, buying a tree from the Hospice of St Francis helps to support their wonderful work with terminally ill people. The Real Christmas Tree Farm donates £8 from every tree sale at the Hospice grounds on Spring Garden Lane, off Shooters Way, Berkhamsted, HP4 3GW. Trees are on sale until 20 December 9am-4pm. Wreaths and logs are also available. Pick your perfect tree this Christmas and help the Hospice!

 www.stfrancis.org.uk/events/fundraising

The Friends of St Peter’s Newsletter

The autumn 2025 number of the Friends of St Peter's Newsletter is now available to pick up inside the church. In this issue: Fr Stuart reflects on the stories in historic churches that resonate with us all; Anne Foster tells us about the work she's been doing to set up the Artisan and Makers' Market to raise funds for the Friends; Christopher Green traces the history of roof repairs in St Peter's from the 1590s to the present day; the Rectory Lane Cemetery team celebrates another Green Flag Award; and this month there's a chance to win £25 with the prize crossword! You can also download the Friends Newsletter online.

 www.stpetersberkhamstedfriends.org.uk

Volunteer Team award

Fantastic news about the Rectory Lane Cemetery project - the cemetery volunteers have been awarded the Best of the Best Volunteer Team jointly with the Friends of Antrim Castle Gardens in Northern Ireland. This award has been made by Green Flag, the charity that celebrates the country's best parks and green spaces. Over the past 10 years, Berkhamsted volunteers have been restoring and maintaining for St Peter's Victorian burial ground, gardening, mowing, planting out abandoned graves, researching history, building an online database of burials, fundraising, and so much more! Our congratulations to the team. Rectory Lane Cemetery always welcome new volunteers to help to care for this beautiful green space.

 www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk/news

Printing services

Need something printed - maybe your Christmas circular letter or family photos? The Way Inn Christian Centre (inside Berkhamsted Post Office) has a full copying and printing service, covering a wide range of items from documents and photos to picture frames, slide scanning and videotape transfer, all at reasonable prices. Planning a holiday? They can even do your passport photo!

Contact:

 Send an email to: Way Inn Imaging

 01442 870 768

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