Thousands pack Portsmouth churches for carol services
Thousands of worshippers are packing into Christmas carol services in our churches to celebrate the birth of Jesus as our Saviour.
Among the many services taking place are candlelit carols indoors and rowdy carols outdoors - plus special crib services, Midnight Masses and Christmas Day celebrations.
Portsmouth Cathedral is holding four identical carol services on the evenings of December 21st - December 24th to cope with the demand, and many other parish churches are holding multiple carol services in the run-up to Christmas.
That's on top of the carol services hosted by virtually every church in south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, many of which have been packed with worshippers. Details of those services yet to happen can be found here.
The four identical carol services at Portsmouth Cathedral include a mix of congregational carols and seasonal anthems - all led by Portsmouth Cathedral Choir. The boy choristers are leading worship at two of the four services, and the girl choristers at the other two.
The services includes a mix of readings from the Bible and from other seasonal literature, read by local community leaders including both of Portsmouth's MPs, the headteacher of Portsmouth Grammar School, chief executive of Portsmouth City Council, and the vice-chancellor of Portsmouth University - as well as clergy and lay leaders from across the diocese.
The climax of the service comes with the reading from John 1 about the incarnation of Jesus - read on two of the four occasions by the Bishop of Portsmouth the Rt Rev Jonathan Frost, and on the other occasions by Honorary Assistant Bishops Ian Brackley and Geoff Annas.
The candlelit carol services continues on December 23rd and 24th. Details here. There is also a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at 11pm, and cathedral services on Christmas Day.
For full details of all other services taking place between now and Christmas Day, see: www.portsmouth.anglican.org/christmas