MORE than 2,000 attended A Carol Service for Woking hosted by the town centre Welcome Church.

The event was intended to run at 4pm and 6.30pm, but a 2pm service had to be added to accommodate the demand.

The service blended traditional orchestral carols and Bible readings, mixed with contemporary worship and a talk from lead pastor Steve Petch.

Children aged up to nine enjoyed their own parties, which ran alongside the event. Across all three meetings, 280 children enjoyed games, dancing and the Christmas story.

Engaging videos combined often humorous responses with hard-hitting personal stories.

One video, which asked children who attend Welcome Church “What present would you give to Jesus?” drew replies ranging from a teddy bear and baby food to a Lamborghini.

“We’re delighted with how well the event is serving our town,” Steve said.

“We aim to be a church that anyone feels they can belong to, and everyone who came to the carol service was invited to join us again on Sunday 15 January for our new series of Welcome Stories, videos of people in our church community who’ve experienced life transformation through their faith in Jesus.”

Another highlight was the readings, one of which was performed in British Sign Language by Martin Willis from Horsell, and another in English and Ukrainian by members of the growing Ukrainian community who have joined Welcome Church.

Welcome Church meets every Sunday at 9am and 11am, or can be viewed online at www.welcomechurch.online. The church will meet on Christmas Day at 10am, but not on New Year’s Day. Regular meetings resume on 8 January.

For more details, visit www.allwelcome.uk.