The Parish on Penn Magazine - December 2019

In 1747, in a Moravian Church in a town
called Marienborn, Germany, Bishop John
de Watteville handed a lighted white candle
with a red ribbon around it to the children
of the service, the final prayer “Lord Jesus,
kindle a flame in these children’s hearts, that
theirs like Thine become”.
It wasn’t until over 220 years later in 1968
that John Pensom (fondly remembered as Mr
Christingle and quite a character) brought
the inspiring Christingle service to England
in aid of The Children’s Society. Pensom
initially met opposition with suggestions
that the making of the Christingle was too
complicated - they were wrong, Christingle is
now one of the most popular services of the
year, especially with children, and is widely
celebrated throughout the UK by all kinds of
churches. It is a good opportunity to do some
Christmas crafting whilst thinking about the
meaning behind the festive season.
What is Christingle?
Though there are several sources for the
origin of the word Christingle, the most
widely used English translation comes from
the combination of the words ‘Christmas’ and
‘Ingle’ an old Scots word for fire, and quite
simply means; ‘Christ-Light’ or Christ the light
of the world.
- Sarah Slade
Christingle Services
St. Bartholomew’s - Christmas Eve at 4pm
featuring The Hoodie Choir.
St. Anne’s - Sunday 12th January at 11.45am
A fundraising collection will be taken in aid of
The Children’s Society.
The bellow illustration demonstrates the five main elements of the Christingle
14 The Parish of Penn Magazine