Amidst the snow and cold of this Advent season, the Diocese has been enjoying a whole heap of Advent celebrations and services as we prepare for Christmas Day, and remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. We’ve rounded up a few of our favourite highlights from the past week below!
You can watch Bishop Stephen's Christmas message here, or download it to play it at your Christmas service here.
A message from Bishop Stephen to the people of Jersey, following days of tragedy which began with the loss of a fishing vessel and the lives of its three crew on Thursday, followed by the explosion which has killed at least five people in the early hours of Saturday.
In this season of Advent, our diocese has been busy putting together a whole host of different Advent events for everyone to enjoy. From life-sized outdoor advent calendar to Christmas tree festivals!
Over the past nine months, six rural benefice teams comprised of a mix of lay and ordained leaders from across Sherborne and Ramsbury have been following the Flex course funded by Rural Hope. The last session of the course was held this month, drawing Flex as a whole to a close.
At Evensong last Sunday, 13-year-old Rory from Warminster was installed as the latest in a long line of Chorister Bishops at Salisbury Cathedral, unseating the Bishop of Salisbury for the duration of the 45-minute service.
This past weekend Bishop Stephen made his first official visit to the Channel Islands since the island deaneries were joined to the Diocese of Salisbury in mid-November.
This year’s national Church of England Christmas video tells the story of a life supported by the local church. It follows one woman through many Christmases throughout her life – from her first starring role as the baby Jesus in the village nativity play, to childhood and teenage years, joining church youth groups, getting married, parenthood and facing bereavement.
Over 4,000 people attended three spectacular Advent Processions, titled ‘From Darkness to Light’, at Salisbury Cathedral last weekend. You can read Bishop Stephen and Dean Nick's addresses here.
For the first time ever, the town of Devizes in Wiltshire will be hosting the ‘Devizes Adventure’ - a community event set to bring the town together through a giant interactive Advent Calendar that starts on 1 December.
