We recently held a Christmas service with Winchester Baptist Church & Winchester College for our residents who are unable to attend church.
The Christmas service entailed an afternoon of carol singing, reflections and some festive refreshments for all to enjoy.
Some of our residents have various stages of Dementia, which sometimes makes trips to celebrate Christmas at a church or see carol services challenging. With this in mind, we invited Winchester Baptist Church to deliver an official Christmas worship service. We also extended an invitation to the incredible Winchester College Chapel Choir who sung festive carols.
The Christmas service began with a short prayer before the Seniors Ministry Team from Winchester Baptist Church who said a few words on the importance of Christmas and what it means to celebrate the occasion.
This was followed by some carols, with members of the Winchester College Chapel Choir taking the lead on the festive singing. Several carols that were sung include Silent Night, While Shepherds Watched, O Little Town of Bethlehem and Once in Royal David’s City. The festive singing was interspersed with reflections on Christmas which touched many hearts at the service.
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Diana Hearn, Manager of Westacre Nursing Home, said:
“The Christmas service was a truly beautiful and emotional occasion and we are very grateful to Winchester Baptist Church and Winchester College Chapel Choir. It’s so important to Westacre that our residents get the opportunity to practice their faith and enjoy some festive cheer. These partnerships we have formed continually enrich the lives of our residents, which we are all very grateful for.”
Carol Bailey, Senior Ministry Worker at Winchester Baptist Church, said:
“We are so appreciative to Westacre for the warm welcome to their Christmas service. Everyone at the home thoroughly enjoyed the service and we always look forward to spending time with the residents of Westacre Nursing Home. We are already looking forward to visiting the home again at Easter.”
