Children from Milton Keynes school sing at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford

Every year the headteachers, governors and Trustees from the 283 church schools in the Diocese of Oxford are invited to a service in Christ Church Cathedral to thank everyone for their work in schools. This year Christ the Sower was specially asked to provide the choir for the service.

After weeks of rehearsal, the pupils aged from 6 to 11 had an early start, setting off from school at 7.30am to travel by coach to Oxford. They arrived in time to find their way into the Cathedral; settled down and were soon joined by not only Headteachers and governors from across the diocese but also by Bishop Steven Croft – the Bishop of Oxford. Bishop Steven used the message of hope at Christmas to encourage the schools to think about the optimism that the pupils in our schools represent.

The Rt Revd Bishop Steven said: “It was wonderful to see so many children at our service, they truly are the embodiment of the Advent theme of hope. I was reminded of this as I watched the children make their pilgrimage to the sanctuary at Christ Church to be blessed on the tile of hope. Of the Advent themes, joy, peace, love and hope – I think hope shines brightest as it speaks of the promise we were given by God that Christ was born and will come again. ”

The service included songs, a lively worship band and prayers for schools and those who lead schools.

Christ the Sower’s pupils were word-perfect and excellent ambassadors for Milton Keynes. While singing in an 11th Century Cathedral is pretty daunting, the pupils of this Milton Keynes school did it with great skill and talent. Mel Nugent, Headteacher of Christ the Sower said ‘It was a great privilege to sing in the Cathedral and for our pupils to take part. The experience of being in Oxford, exploring such a fantastic building and being with Bishop Steven was all part of a perfect day.’