Pray ... Invite ... Serve ... Send

As we get ready for our Christmas events and services, here's what we'd love you to do ...

Christmas is a great opportunity to point people to some really good news! But we need God to be working in people's hearts if they're to receive the Christmas story for what it really is: life-giving, vital, joyful news!

So get praying for your friends and family, your colleagues and neighbours! Ask God who he wants you to invite to the different events - and prepare to be surprised - maybe the name or face of a colleague or neighbour you're not that close to will pop into your mind. Take that seriously, because maybe God has been preparing their hearts - and maybe they secretly want an invitation! Pray too for all involved in planning and running the different events we've got coming up. 

And, remembering our current 3-words series, let's pray expectantly, remembering that God is able to do way more than we can imagine! 

"How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?" asks Paul in Romans 10. So as well as praying for people, let's get inviting them! Hopefully there's something on offer for everyone - from children to older people and everyone in between; for those who like tradition and those who like informal; for those who are happy to come into a church building, those who would find that daunting, and those who can't get out at all. 

Remember to make the invitation personal (rather than just a vague group invitation). And, remembering our current 3-words series, let's invite courageously, knowing that God is with us as we do so - especially if you felt God prompting you to invite someone you weren't expecting him to draw to mind! 

Here's the link to all the Christmas events, and we'll soon be posting on Instagram and Facebook so you can spread the word there, too (but do invite face to face as well as virtually!). 

Don't feel you've failed if they say 'no'. Focus on getting the invitation right, and leave the responses up to God.  

We're preparing to welcome in hundreds of people from the local community to events for different schools as well as the events we're putting on ourselves. That takes a lot of work! If everyone serves, we'll be sorted! There's opportunities for delivering leaflets, serving refreshments, welcoming, shifting chairs, stewarding, helping with children's crafts, decorating the windowsills ... and more.
Click here to see what you might be able to do and sign up.
Click here to offer help to decorate the windowsills.
Click here to bring mulled wine or mince pies to our carol services.

Remembering our 3-words series, let's serve whole-heartedly - after all, the Christmas story is about how Jesus has come to serve us whole-heartedly!

We'd love to create a display of Christmas cards in the foyer - and we want to avoid a pile of unopened Christmas cards in January (which has often happened in the past!) So please, instead of sending cards to individuals in church, could you just write one card to the whole church family - and pin it on the board by the creche in the foyer, or bring it along to the office?

And remembering our 3-words series, well, there isn't a fourth word! So just get sending!