The Four Rivers benefice used their growth fund to purchase The Real Christmas Advent Calendar for children in their benefice.
The Four Rivers benefice has four church primary schools and eight parishes which are served by them. In order to deepen the link between the children, their parents and the church, it was decided that a lovely thing to do would be to buy all the children the Real Christmas Advent calendar. This calendar tells the story of Advent and includes a storybook to go with it, the chocolate is also Fairtrade.
For some of the children, this was the first time that they had ever recieved an advent calendar, so this was really special to them. The calendars were used to teach throughout Advent, linking through both school assembly and the Messy Church activities the benefice put on in each school. It was then further linked to Christingle services in the parish churches, to which the parents attended.
The children had fun and learned a little more about what Advent and Christmas are actually all about. Several of the Messy Church crafts linked to this learning also went into the churches, and the parents and families were invited to come and view them. Subsequently, new children and their parents attended the benefice's Christmas services, which they wouldn't have done previously. As well as this, a whole family (parents and children) asked to be baptised as a result. Another child had said:"I have always wanted to be a Christian, how can I do it?" at one of the teaching sessions. The benefice's links between community, school and church have definitely been strengthened, and the church was influenced too as the positive outcome helped build the confidence of older congregation members that a significant difference in the community could be made..
