Find a church service near you this Christmas
Following a series of difficult Christmases, everyone is invited to follow the star and join us at church services and other ways this Christmas.
Why not invite a friend to come along to your church this year? The Talking Jesus Report 2022 indicates that lots of people who are not church-goers are open to receiving an invitation, while many church people are anxious about asking. The Rev Stephen Hance, from the Church of England Vision and Strategy team suggests considering the three 3Ps before you extend your invitation: Pray before you invite someone (after all it is God who draws people); Prepare (what kind of service is your invitee most likely to be interested in) and Petition (in other words, just ask). If that person says no, consider who else may welcome an invitation.
The invitation to join in is not limited to attending church. Why there are many ways you can engage with the reflections for ‘Follow the Star: The Great Invitation’. Starting on Christmas Eve and continuing daily (Monday to Saturday) until the Epiphany (6 January), these reflections will help you make space this Christmas. On each of the 12 days, a different contributor will share something that speaks of a Christmas invitation for them, bringing the theme to life through a mixture of personal story, Bible reading, reflection and challenge. The reflections will be available via email, audio, via an app and a printed booklet – so anyone can join in.
As Stephen concludes, “It’s a beautiful thought that God can use you and me to invite people into his love this Christmastime – and it’s true! So who will you invite?”
Last Christmas, AChurchNearYou.com received 77 million page views, and 80 per cent of visitors were on the site for the first time.
Make sure you list your onsite and online Advent and Christmas services on AChurchNearYou.com, using an Advent or Christmas tag so they will appear on a special Christmas landing page.
You can watch the heart-warming Church of England Christmas film below: