I̶t̶’̶s̶ ̶C̶h̶r̶i̶s̶t̶m̶a̶s̶!̶ Get ready …

Aside from stockpiling cracker gifts and soaking the giant community Christmas Pudding in sherry, here are some key things for worshipping communities to think about ahead of  Christmas this year.

The CofE will be running a co-ordinated campaign to draw people to their local church Christmas events, so this is an easy-win for churches who already have their events organised (ish) and would like to reach more people in their communities:

• The CofE will be using the very effective #FollowTheStar campaign again this year, so printed materials etc will be re-usable. Last year, the campaign had a social media reach of around 8 million people, and all local churches stand to benefit from engaging with the campaign, even if only with a light touch;
• Please update your A Church Near You page. This is important at any time of year, but the national advertising strategy over Advent means updating your ACNY content with special services etc is a particularly effective thing to do asap;
• Think about getting a great big star visible somewhere in your church/community building(s). Maybe not a real star, as those things are super hot (and weighty), but a bamboo frame covered in lights is an easy and cheap way to get involved;
• Get hold of Follow The Star resources like posters, booklets etc from Church House Publishing. You can also download or order resources for from the Church Print Hub;
• Parish-customisable video and other shareable content will also be available soon. Make sure you’re subscribed to our Bulletin, or like our Facebook page in order to keep up with the latest.

Further resources

Church of England outlines upcoming online strategy
A little of what happened in 2018

Digital Advent

How we celebrate Advent, Christmas, Easter, Epiphany … will always be different depending on your own worshipping community. Here’s how one parish used basic equipment and a little voluntary time to share their story very effectively:

Watch the Digital Advent video on Youtube →