Across the Christmas and New Year period, All Saints Church in Chevington had recieved £400 from the Growing in God Growth funding to put together a stunning display inside the building - with the intent to attract both churchgoing and non churchgoing visitors alike, and give people a chance to get involved in a Christmas event, and hopefully learn a little more about the true meaning of Christmas.
The decorations were put together over the course of roughly two days, and involved the hard work and efforts of parishioners and non parishioners, males and females, and all ages, from young to old. All socially distanced, of course!
Some of the decorations included:
Prayer Tree
50 Stars were made by local pre-school children and 32 were completed – for a variety of prayer requests. These will be included in prayers at the Candlemas service.
Angels
Over 85 angels were made by members of the Womens' Institue which were hidden in displays and around the church. Those finding between five and 85 angels could reward themselves with a packet of sweets.
These angels are currently in the church asking to be adopted, given in friendship or to brighten up somewhat dark times. This appears to be very popular – the show goes on!
Quiz
There was a quiz with answers to be found in every display – sweets were the reward for correct answers!
The team of decorators all had a good time putting up the displays for everyone, and as evidenced by the sign-in sheets and comment cards, the visitors did too! There were a recorded 46 visits by regular church attendees as well as an impressive 101 visits from other locals. Some of the quotes from the decorators;
"We enjoyed the planning, designing and crafting so much – it rekindled a spark and we’ve been inspired to create beauty the past month. Working together strengthened our bond and Mum had a real (desperately needed) confidence boost."
"We had great fun as a family and used the three children as templates to draw round to make the cardboard Three Kings! We will miss the Kings as they have been in the house for more than a week."
Some of the quotes from visitors;
"The church looks absolutely beautiful, I found it very moving……..it really is “comfort and joy”.
"My little one is finding Angels, the older one is enjoying the flowers. Beautiful, calming Christmas event."
"It was a fantastic effort by everyone to provide most certainly “Joy” and time to reflect on how Christmas is celebrated in various countries. Plus it brought people into the church who probably wouldn’t do it otherwise."
The display was a fantastic event that brought together people of all ages, and brought cheer to an otherwise uncertain holiday period.
