As Christmas approaches, churches across the diocese are embracing their communities with acts of kindness and compassion and finding new ways to engage people in the Christmas message of love and hope. From collecting gifts for vulnerable families, to delivering ‘bags of kindness’ to the lonely and isolated, here are some of the inspiring ideas.
Saint Mary’s, Southampton
Saint Mary’s Church will help more than 4,000 people with its ‘Love Christmas’ campaign this year. Dozens of people gathered at the church last week to pack ‘bags of kindness’ which will be delivered to people who are homeless and vulnerable but also families, students, carers and those who are lonely and isolated this Christmas.
The reuseable bags contain different items according to need, with gifts including yule logs, cheese straws, colouring books, water bottles, a game and an elf for a bit of fun. The church has raised more than £22,000 through various activities to fund the campaign, including wreath making, family fun runs, bike rides and coffee mornings.
Love your Neighbour lead, Emily Burke said, “It’s really important that we’re the light, that we share the joy of Christmas and show there is hope. Every parcel is going out with an invitation to a two-course Christmas meal at the church so it’s making sure that people know that they can connect into our community. It’s something that we’re good at as a church, ensuring that people feel welcome, they feel loved and seen. We want to make a difference and to push back the darkness and show that there is hope.”
Packers were members of the Saint Mary’s congregation and other local churches, the youth club and even members of the local fire service. This is the 6th year of the Love Christmas campaign. Among the volunteers were Sarah and Chrissy who have both received bags in the past and know the joy it brings.
Sarah said, “I didn’t leave my flat for two years. I suffer with PTSD and I was too scared to go out. I was introduced to the church’s social marketplace and that’s when I started venturing out. I was shocked to receive a bag because I didn’t get presents at Christmas. Now I’m giving back to my community because I believe if you show a little bit of love, you’ll get a little bit of love back and these bags will mean the world for them.”
Chrissy started coming to the church 4 years ago after mental health struggles following the death of her mum. She said, “Everything they put in the bag is a help and it does bring a smile to your face. I thought ‘wow I’ve got a present’. I think God has provided and I believe in God now and I’m trying to turn my life around. Coming here today has been wonderful. I love doing Christmas, I love packing, I love everything about it.”
Many referrals have been made by agencies across the city including Hope into Action which provides temporary supported accommodation. Empowerment Worker Lisa Roy said, “It’s lovely when people and community come together because this is what most of our families and individuals are devoid of, so it’s a beautiful thing that’s going on here. It’s lovely that people, who might not get anything this Christmas, feel included. What I love and I’ve seen over the years is how community is really winning here and that’s really good.”
St Peter’s Ropley
Baskets of Blessing have been situated at St Peter’s in Ropley this year for two organisations that support those in need at Christmas and throughout the year.
Revd Amber Beresford explains, “This year I was particularly struck by a video on Instagram of a mum in Stamford in Lincolnshire, who many years ago, woke up on Christmas morning in a refuge, having escaped a dangerous situation with an abusive partner. That Christmas Day she woke up to nothing, she felt alone and invisible. This same woman now has a campaign in Stamford to give gifts to those women and children in refuges, that may have left with nothing. I was inspired by this, and I found out that the charity in Hampshire that runs refuges, stopdomesticabuse.uk, was asking for toiletries and other presents to give the women and children in their refuges.”
The baskets contained a list of most needed articles including toiletries, toys and crafts and gift cards so mums can buy their children a treat. The church has also been collecting gifts for Trinity Winchester, a charity that supports those who are homeless or vulnerable.
Revd Amber continued, “Sometimes, in the run up to Christmas, when I’m buying presents, I often think about those who are in situations of great need that don’t often receive gifts and need us to share what we have with them. Very often when we want to buy gifts for those who need them more than us, we don’t have an opportunity or don’t know where to give them which is why we decided to put out Baskets of Blessing.”
Winchester Cathedral
The score cards were out this year in Winchester Cathedral as it hosted its first ‘Strictly Come Christmas’ market carols. For the last three years the cathedral has held the carol service to encourage people to visit from the popular Christmas market in the cathedral close. It features readings, prayers, music from the choir, carols and the telling of the Christmas story.
Canon Andrew Micklefield said, “This year we titled the service ‘Strictly Come Christmas’ and had judges, dancers and our very own Claudia Jingleman and Bless Daly. We were treated to an ‘ox and ass jive’, a ‘Two Kings Rhumba’ and ‘Holly Shepherd & Gabrielle Angel’s Couple’s Choice’. All great fun and people left the cathedral with a Keep Dancing feel. This service was held both on 7th and 14th December instead of our usual Sunday Evensong and we had congregations reaching nearly 1000 people at both. It is a key Christmas mission opportunity for the Cathedral and an important step for so many into church which is fun, full and faith-filled.”
The United Parish of Newnham with Nately Scures, Mapledurwell, Up Nately and Greywell
Special toy services were held at the five churches during November and December to celebrate the joy of giving. The gifts of new toys will be distributed to children who will be spending Christmas in Basingstoke Hospital this year. All the toys will be blessed at a crib service on Christmas Eve before being delivered to the wards ahead of the big day.
Revd Luke Augustyn, Associate Curate of Greywell, Up Nately and Mapledurwell, said, “We are so aware that at Christmas, joy and family are sadly not everyone’s reality. A toy given in love reminds children, families and hospital staff alike that they are seen, remembered and cherished. How blessed are we as congregations of God’s people to reach out to share the Hope and Light of Christmas with those who carry worry, sadness and loneliness in this season.”
St Mary’s Fordingbridge
Anna Chaplains Mary Melbourne and Julie Francis organised a special communion service for those who are housebound and lonely at St Mary’s Church in Fordingbridge, which is part of the Avon Valley group of churches. It was followed by a two-course lunch.
More than 30 people attended the service, and the nearby Allenbrook Care Home brought a mini bus with residents and staff.
Mary said, “At one point we had around 12 people and were getting worried that there would be too much food; but slowly people began to arrive and then I realised I had to organise more chairs. It was so moving to see two couples (where one is at Allenbrook Care Home, and one still at home) reunited in church and able to receive communion together.”
There were three hymns and a talk before communion. Julie added, “It was a very special day to be able to meet with people who often miss out on communion in church due to disabilities. To see carers and older people all together as one family is something that touches my heart”.
Volunteers from the local Avon Valley Community Matters charity, cooked the two-course hot lunch and each person was given a small gift to take away. It finished with a time of carol singing.
St Mary the Virgin, Silchester
For the first time on a Sunday, St Mary the Virgin in Silchester held their Christingle/toy service in the local school and it encouraged families to come along. The church is one of a number of locations around the village collecting toys for the local Salvation Army appeal along with the local pub, café and school.
Revd Karen West said, “Silchester is a community with a wonderful CoE infant/junior school with which I am involved each week. Most of the children who attend don’t live in the village, so seeing them in church on a Sunday is something of a rarity! If the children don’t come to church, we decided to go to where the children are and so we were delighted to be given permission to hold our annual Toy and Christingle service in the school hall. We were thrilled to welcome around 20 young people. They enjoyed learning about the meaning of the constituent parts of a Christingle and putting their own together – some even resisted the temptation to eat the sweets until they got home!”
It’s the third year of the toy collection and a car load of goods were delivered to the local Salvation Army citadel, joining those from elsewhere in the Benefice and across Tadley. Parents and carers from across Hampshire, who might otherwise struggle to buy gifts, will be invited to choose toys to wrap for their children.
Diocesan Staff Volunteer at Scratch
Members of the diocesan Parish Support Team and Communications Team enjoyed a volunteer morning at Scratch, a Christian charity which provides toys and gifts to children, young people and families who may not otherwise be able to afford presents.
The families are referred by social services, school and other agencies and the children are asked about their hobbies and interests. The presents, including books, cuddly toys, games and crafts, are picked by the volunteers to match their wish list.
Cathy Laid, Assistant Diocesan Secretary Operations and Governance said, “When I started working at the diocese, I thought it was a brilliant opportunity for us to come to have some team building, but also a chance to give back and really focus on what is important at this time of the year, which is looking after those people in our community who don’t have as much. We’re thinking about children at Christmas who might not receive anything, through no fault of their own but because their parents are going through a really difficult time. So, I think it’s incredibly important that we all make the time to come and help and personally it’s just a lot of fun.”
The gifts have been donated by local businesses and individuals and are distributed to around 800 families across Hampshire. Annette Davis founded the charity 26 years ago.
Cathy added, “The need is so great, and it seems to get worse each year. We call them ‘jam families’ – just about managing. They can just about manage throughout the year, day to day but something happens and it puts them in a right fix and Christmas is one of those things. We hope that what we’re doing is taking a bit of the stress away from the parents and giving them something that they’re able to give to their children on Christmas Day when otherwise perhaps they’re not able to.”
St John’s, Marchwood
Nelly the donkey, a sheep and a pygmy goat took centre stage at a live nativity at St John’s Church in Marchwood. The community was invited to meet the animals and learn more about Jesus with an interactive telling of the Christmas story. It was organised by the parish alongside the Gateway Church and The Gospel Church. Around 250 people packed the building, mainly families with children.
Revd Lauren Cheshire, Vicar of Marchwood and Eling Parish, said, “Our Live Nativity event was such a blessing both to our community and to the church! The Holy Spirit was moving, and the feedback has been amazing already. It was like welcoming the community home! We put on a nativity, with bad guy Herod appearing lit by a red spot light up on the balcony asking us all to come back and tell him where Jesus was. There was the classic, ‘do you think we should tell him?’, with a very loud ‘no!’ and so it when on. We had carols, dancing, prayer and the most fun. The atmosphere was buzzing and the Holy Spirit was at work!”
St Peter and St Paul’s, Kings Somborne
The first Biker’s Carol Service was held at St Peter and St Paul’s in King’s Somborne. It’s part of a growing ministry with the motorcycle community and follows on from the Braishfield custom and classic bike show last year and the ‘Blessing of the Bikes’ service earlier this year.
Revd Tom Benson said, “There were around 50 attendees, supported by the Somborne Singers and members of the local church and it was a really positive evening, followed up by a visit to The Crown Inn. Members of Mental Health Motorbike and the Christian Motorcyclists Association were heavily involved and the collection raised £175 for MH Motorbike who do great work in raising awareness and extending peer support networks for bikers by bikers.”
