The annual Church in Abingdon Quiz was held at Peachcroft Christian Centre this evening. There were only 7 church teams this year – not the usual 11 or 12. So I cannot explain that.

All of the teams, apart from St Michael’s, struggled with the bible questions this year.

None of us did too well on local knowledge either … Could you do any better?

What is this Abingdon Road and when was the picture taken?

Teams did better at Geography, Science, Music (TV signature tunes), and general knowledge (who was murdered in the Cluedo Game?).

St Michael’s won the quiz this year.

All Saints are next year’s hosts. As winners of the picture round – identifying British Cities – they were told afterwards that made them next year’s hosts.

It has been a busy week for the Church in Abingdon. Throughout the week different ministers have led prayers at St Nicolas’ Church.

There is a collective meeting for worship at Christchurch on Sunday 3pm.

And the Church in Abingdon is running a number of Alpha Courses.

This morning the fourth candle on the Advent crown was lit at Trinity, Abingdon.

There was a very moving baptism, followed by a nativity tableau.

Revd Ian Griffiths, the new minister of both All Saints Church, Abingdon, and Trinity Church, Abingdon, led the service.

In the evening there was a carol service with traditional carols and readings.

Many people go to church at Christmas to re-experience the wonder of Christmas and sing the traditional carols, who don’t go at other times.

This evening at Trinity Church there was a look back at Trinity Learning – a project with the aim of finding ways in which the church can use its time, talents and space to enhance the quality of life those working in local schools – both students and staff.

One of the more visible results of this has been the ‘Hello Abingdon’ community magazines produced by children from local schools for the last 5 years. The Oxford Health NHS trust magazine ‘Insight’ recently featured some of the reporters from Thameside School who came to report on Abingdon Community Hospital.

Trinity Learning recognises the pressure schools are under and seeks to provide a place of calm and reflection for students and teachers with projects such as Experience Easter and Prayer Spaces.

They also give work experience to students, help boost students’ confidence in planning and producing assemblies, help with the R.E curriculum, and have produced a lot of resources that can be used in and beyond Abingdon.

To find out more visit Trinity Learning.

On a recent visit to Winchester we saw a stain glass window in a chapel showing St Ethelwold. Ethelwold was Abbot at Abingdon Abbey before becoming Bishop at Winchester in 963.

There was also an image of Ethelwold on the large Cathedral Screen.

He would have been Bishop before the current Cathedral was built and so we could not find his tomb. Even if St Ethelwold was buried at Winchester his bones would not be easy to find. During the time of King Henry VIII all the bones and relics from saints and others had been dug up and dumped in a pit.

The large stain glass windows at Winchester Cathedral were deliberately smashed by Cromwell’s forces, some time later, during the Civil War. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the broken glass was gathered up and assembled randomly, and now looks like a modern art window. A guide told us that historians are still trying to identify some of the old bones using DNA.