Happy Christmas!

Students, Chris and Carol, are in Hong Kong right now until 31st December. To check their progress or to find out what they're doing there, visit their blog:

http://chrisandcarol.wordpress.com:80/

Meanwhile back in West Cross, Linden workers, trustees and tenants had Christmas lunch together and were visited by Secret Santa.

A very happy Christmas and a peaceful, healthy and joyful New Year to one and all (and especially Andy Millie!)

New baby

Big congratulations and lots of love to Rachel and Craig on the birth of Evan Keifer.

Evan arrived a few weeks early and weighed in at 4 lb 9 oz.

The spirit of Christmas

A portal has been discovered.

Actually it's been set up, which isn't quite the same, but is almost as exciting. And here's the address http://www.zacsplace.spendandgive.co.uk

What happens if you enter the portal? That's what you're longing to know, I can tell.

You won't go spinning through time or space.
You won't come face to face with Voldemort or Gandalf.
You won't be exterminated by a dalek.
You won't even find a potion that says 'Do not drink'.

But you will help raise money for Zac's Place. At no cost to yourself!

Apparently the portal is a magic little doorway and if you go to another site from it and buy something on that site, it blows fairy dust onto the proprietors who are so happy that they give pennies to Zac's. Or something like that.

And you know what your granny said about pennies. 'Look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.'

So put the portal in your Favourites and when you're shopping at HMV or Amazon or Marks & Spencers or a whole host of other online retailers, go there from the portal.

And be a fairy this Christmas.

P.S. If you click on the link you'll get some sense about this very excellent scheme.

Advent Voices

The auction was a great success raising nearly £4,000!

Big thanks to everyone who donated or bought or both!

The next fund-raiser for Mutende is going to be Linden Titbits, a collection of favourite recipes. This will be in laminated flip-page format and available for the amazing price of - I'll have to check that out but it will be worth every penny.

That will be ready for the Christmas Concert that happens this year on Sunday, 17th December, at 7.00 pm. If you've been before you'll know it's worth coming, and if you haven't been, you'll have to take my word for it!

So bring family and friends but come early as it's always full to balloon-bursting.

Before that, to get into the Christmas spirit, go along to Carols at the Pier on 12th December from 6.30 - 7.30 pm. Aly Loring on keyboard will be leading the singing in the Pier Cafe, and there'll be mince pies and mulled wine.

Last Sunday Tim Oakes spoke in the first of our Advent Voices series. Next Sunday Andy Hunter will be continuing by looking at John the Baptist and repentance. The week after that, it's Phil and the Wednesday Group on Mary and obedience.