Christmas Word on the Street with Reverend Alex
by Tricia Anne Mares
We’re back again, pounding the streets of Colne to discover what plans folk have for Christmas this year, their favourite and most cherished festive memories, and what they have planned for 2026…
Meet… Reverend Alex – St Bartholomew’s
How will you be spending Christmas this year?
Christmas starts early for me; in fact, it starts on Saturday, 29th November, when we have Christmas in Colne. This is on the same day the town switches on the Christmas lights. Everyone comes into church, we sing carols, share a Christmas message, and by then we’ll have already decorated the church ready for the season. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we also have many school carol services, which really help build the atmosphere and excitement.
On Christmas morning, our three girls, aged 13, 10, and 8, are usually up early opening their stockings. Then, when they have finished, we all head to church together for a family communion service at 10 o’clock. It’s a lovely service with carols, a children’s talk, and communion. It’s a service that celebrates Christmas as a family. I grew up as a vicar’s son myself, so I know exactly how my kids feel!
Once we finish at church, we head home to open our main presents and maybe take the dog for a walk before we sit down for a big Christmas roast with my wife, her parents, and the children. On Boxing Day, we drive down to Dorset to see my mum and dad and my sister with her kids. After a few days there, we will drive back up to Northumberland. It’s a lot of travelling; we drive the length of the country, but it’s worth every mile because it means we get some precious family time.
What is your most cherished, favourite Christmas memory?
I’ve got a clear memory from when I was about 13, walking with my mum and dad and my two brothers and sister to the crib service at my dad’s church. We all looked up at the sky and convinced my youngest brother that Father Christmas was flying over. He was so excited!
Like most people, I think Christmas is about family and the joy of giving, but it’s also about so much more — it’s about church too. When I was in the Army, there was one Christmas when I couldn’t go to church on Christmas Day, and it just felt like something was missing. Whilst I do love the celebrations and the gift giving of Christmas, for me, it’s really about the message that Jesus came, and that he came for everyone, that’s what we’re celebrating.
Do you have anything special planned for 2026?
Looking ahead to 2026, we’ve seen real growth in our churches, and we’re starting more outreach activities. St Bartholomew’s is now working closely with Holy Trinity, so I’m often found between the two churches.
We’ve got a lot happening, we have lunch clubs on Wednesdays here and Thursdays at Holy Trinity, breakfasts on Mondays and Thursdays, free fitness classes for men, running groups for men and women, kids’ groups for all ages (5–10s on Fridays, 10–15s on Thursdays, and 16–25s on Sunday evenings), and of course, four services every Sunday. We also run a food bank, so we have plenty going on. But we have plans for even more.
My main job as a vicar is to lead ministry, helping people grow in faith and feel more confident in it. We have also started a new church at Birtwistle Community Centre called the North Valley Community Church, and we hope that it will continue to grow through 2026.
We’re a truly intergenerational church, and we aim to make sure everyone feels welcome when they walk into church. I see myself as just an ordinary Christian leading a church. I’m not different from anyone else — I still sin, I still get angry, I still get things wrong. In church, we always have a confession, not to make us feel guilty, but to show us that no one is better than anyone else. It’s grounding, and it reminds us we’re all equally loved by God, and that Jesus came for each one of us. That’s something that really matters to me. And we want people to find community, friendship, and connection through faith and through the church.
