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Church attendance up across the city
A Christingle and Christmas Story told with puppets service was held yesterday (sunday) at St James thet Great Church in Woodhall, leeds. The church was placed into darkness as the light from Christingles lit up the congrgation's faces. picture mike cowling dec 18 2011
CHURCHES around South Yorkshire enjoyed bumper attendances at services throughout the Christmas period.
More than 20 of the 30 churches which took part in a diocese study reported increases in attendance, not only from last year which was low due to snow, but compared with figures for the last three or four years.
St Mary’s Church, Handsworth, Sheffield saw the annual Christmas Eve crib service attended by 139 people – double last year’s figure.
Christ Church Hillsborough and Wadsley Bridge have reported steady growth at their Carols by Candlelight service over the past five years.
The 2011 attendance peaked at 182 compared to 56 in 2007, and the church reports continued rises in attendances during January.
St Mary’s Church, Tickhill, Doncaster, moved its carol service into the week before Christmas and saw the attendance quadruple compared with last year.
Holy Trinity and St Oswald’s, Finningley, started a Christmas Eve Christingle service in 2009 and 100 people came.
The 2011 festive season saw that number more than double, to the point where they could not fit any more into the church.
And so many people attended St Mary’s, Walkley, they ran out of the traditional, decorated Christingle oranges at their Christmas Eve service when an extra 30 people came through the doors, including twice as many adults as last year.
A spokesman for the Diocese said: “These stories are only the tip of the iceberg as many more churches saw increases year upon year.
“It is also encouraging to hear the number of churches who took carols out to the community by singing in local pubs and around the parish.
“After introducing carol-singing in the local pub last year, St Gabriel’s, in Greystones, had to return for two sessions this year, both of which saw the pub bursting at the seams.”
Rev Julian Sullivan of St Mary’s Church in Bramall Lane was touched when out carol-singing. A local teenager directed them to sing outside the house of a lady who had been recently widowed, and she listened from her doorway with a smile. But he said he was unsure why attendances had increased over Christmas.
He said: “Perhaps in these times of austerity people feel the need of something beyond the immediate, the need to be part of something that helps them feel less vulnerable and to value relationships more.
“We have a regular congregation of 50 to 60 adults and 25 children.
“If I was to ask them why they come, I would get just as many different answers.”
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Comments
There are 12 comments to this article
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serendipity
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 06:50 PMI think people just enjoy singing Christmas carols. They are very Christmasy and are also very good songs. My favourite is 'Mary's Boy Child' by Boney M.
seenitall
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 02:34 PMBefore any of my 'secular friends' jump down my proverbial throat...the difference between the weekly and monthly figures for the Cof E are that the latter does not necessarilly indicate their attendance for Communion...they may, for example,attend a coffee morning.
seenitall
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 02:14 PMAs my ability with figures has been questionned...here are a few more for you.The Roman Catholics have some 861,000 attending Mass every week( 44,772,000 annually) and the Methodists can contribute an extra 194,000 a week ( 10,088,000 annually) Whereas the Premier Leagues total for last season was 13,372,614, The Championship...9,587,250...League 1...4,150, 474 ( that includes my occasional attendance) and League 2...2,303,468...Total attendances 29,413,806....Not even anywhere near a score draw is it?The Church is still winning...hands down! BTW the figures for Church attendances are courtesy of the Churches websites.
seenitall
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 01:46 PMI really have missed Morlockian's useful comments but there we are!. Where did I get the figures from.?...Well,church attendance numbers are on record ... a recent press release from the Cof E recorded attendances of 1.7 million a month ( 20.4 million annually) with a weekly attendance of 1.1 million (57.2 million annually). during 2011...and my figures don't include those for the Catholics or other denominations... so , if anything, I am understating the case. My stats for football are taken from those published by the Football Leagues. Facts ,joseramirez...not sarcasm!
diΞsΞł 簡 dΦｇｇ
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 10:14 AMSorry I had my Senequan on my cereal thismorning rather than the normal method of a fast acting rectal suppository, fissures you see. Well what I am trying to say is that it takes longer to take effect, I normally ban myself from coming online until 20 mins after i take them but thismorning I was all confused when my bin lid was frozen shut, I spent nearly an hour spitting at it, I wasnt trying to warm it up as most passers by thought (silly them) I was just showing the little blue monster who is boss. OK back on track, yeah that was it, I go to church because it is warm.
ISeeEverything
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 10:02 AMseenitall is right. The Church of England alone still attracts over 1 million worshippers each Sunday. When the Methodists, Catholics and Free Churches are included, the figure must be nearer 2 million.
Morlockian
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 09:40 AMI'm amazed that those "militant secularist" bogeymen that seenitall is so fearful of haven't burnt all the churchs down and attacked all the worshippers! God must be protecting them from the atheistic hordes intent on murder!!! ;)
joseramirez
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 09:10 AM#4 seenitall What?????????? How did you arrive at that? I assume a degree of sarcasm. Either that or numbers really aren't your strong point are they?
seenitall
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 09:06 AMTo put it into context...despite widespread secularisation there are more people who regularly attend Church than watch all of our Premier, Championship, League One and Two football matches!
joseramirez
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 08:55 AMThat's that then. So far as the Star is concerned, Sheffield is now officially a suburb of Leeds. They couldn't find an image of a Sheffield church and be bothered to send someone to get one.---------It was only a matter of time.
handsworth
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 08:45 AMDid they count the protesters outside the Cathedral ??
Woodseats Sammy
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 08:41 AMMosques always seem busy; interesting how christian church attendances fluctuate depending on the worshipper's perception of time of need....
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