The annual Global Carol Service was recently held in Leicester Cathedral, exploring the themes of ‘Explore, Experience & Embrace’.
The service was an uplifting celebration of our diocese’s diverse intercultural communities, perfectly melded in a rich offering of music, dance, prayer and worship, and opened with a captivating performance featuring the Veena - an instrument transported from India especially for the occasion.
The Very Revd Karen Rooms, Dean of Leicester, warmly welcomed a full congregation with many guests, including Bishop Saju Muthalaly, Deputy Lieutenant Professor Surinder Sharma (representing Lord Lieutenant Michael Kapur), representatives from the Leicester Chinese Christian Church and various other attendees from intercultural worshipping communities around the diocese.
Their presence enriched the service and emphasised the importance of community and inclusivity.
Guests were introduced to this year’s theme of ‘Explore, Experience & Embrace,’ by Intercultural Enabler, Michael Ravuri, Cathedral Canon Missioner, Revd Dr Sarah Gill, and Revd Debo Adelaja of All Saints with Holy Trinity, Loughborough. Each brought their own insights to the subject and gave context to the celebration.
Sung worship was led by the Cathedral Choir and a worship band made up of members from several intercultural worshipping communities across the diocese.
They worshipped the Lord Jesus, singing carols in a multitude of languages including Telugu, Malayalam, Yoruba, Swahili, Urdu, English, Farsi, Hindi, Gujarati, Shona, Tamil, Norwegian, Cantonese, German, and Hebrew.
Jessie Tang, our Intercultural Ministry Director, gave an interactive sermon on Isaiah 60, which was followed by imaginative prayers and a Christmas greeting video from Hope Hamilton School and Church that showcased 19 different languages.
A final, lively Jingle Bells dance in Punjabi Bhangra style was performed by members of All Saints Church, Belgrave, before Bishop Saju closed the service, offering his heartfelt greetings and blessings.
Those who participated in the service expressed their enjoyment of the great sense of unity and joy experienced throughout the celebration.
The service has become a much-loved part of our Advent celebrations, as we continue to prioritise and explore intercultural worshipping communities in the diocese.
Sharing his thoughts after the service, one member of the congregation, Venkat, felt particularly uplifted and said: “I personally felt today that only Jesus Christ can unite all the nations as one. This is a glimpse of heaven, of what's going to happen when Christ comes.”
You can hear more from those who attended in this video.