Following a series of difficult Christmases, churches will be hoping that 2022 offers a chance to welcome people back to services and events that haven’t been possible recently.
The Church of England is returning to the very popular Follow the Star theme, with a focus on The Great Invitation. We are encouraging everyone to share the joy of gathering together to celebrate the birth of Jesus with your family, friends and neighbours - especially after two years where this has been impossible for many.
Attractively designed resources to invite your community back to church this Christmas are available here. The services and events will be specific to your community, but here you will find signposts to the national branding, reflections and more that will help you to invite people into your church – both online and in-person.
With the men’s World Cup final taking place on Sunday 18 December and the change in traditions of families since the pandemic, having a more ‘normal’ Christmas will still mean we need to do some things differently.
A Church Near You
List your onsite and online Advent and Christmas services on AChurchNearYou.com, using an Advent or Christmas tag. From the start of Advent, they will then appear on a special Christmas landing page, that we will be driving the public to via advertising and publications.
Last year, AChurchNearYou.com received 77 million page views, and 80 per cent of visitors were on the site for the first time.
The site also will carry a range of ‘Great Invitation’ features to help everyone invite family and friends:
- Improved ‘Share with a friend’ buttons on all events.
- If you share a Christmas event link from AChurchNearYou.com, the link preview will carry a “You’re invited” link preview graphic.
- Improved ‘Add to calendar’ functionality to make it easier for visitors to plan their services.