This year, as usual, the people of Christ Church are inviting church and community organisations to take part in a number of Advent and Christmas activities.  This year we are having a Christmas Tree Festival.

The church will provide a six foot Christmas Tree for each organisation which wants to take part and the organisation is asked to decorate it on a theme related to Christmas.  The theme is entirely the choice of the participating group but to get you started, here are a couple of ideas.  You could choose a Christmas Carol or song e.g. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night or The Twelve Days of Christmas and use as many items mentioned in the song as possible or you could use items related to Christmas all beginning with C (or any other letter) or anything else that connects with the Christmas Season or the Christmas Story.   We would love to see the trees decorated with hand- made decorations but this isn’t compulsory.      There are no prizes but over the |Christmas period the Church will be open for the community to view the trees and any donations made by those who come in will be given to the Salvation Army’s Food Bank in Preston to help feed local families in need.

If you would like your school, class or organisation to take part by decorating a tree, please contact Carol Spencer(see details below) before November 22^nd so that we can order the right number of trees.   We need to know the name of the organisation; the name of a contact person and an address; phone number or email address so that we can keep in touch.

The trees will need to be decorated between Friday December 2^nd and Saturday December 10^th.   We will be happy to arrange to have the church open and someone in attendance to help,  at a time that is convenient to you.   We are quite happy for large groups such as a school class or just a couple of representatives to be involved in decorating the trees.

To ‘book’ a tree  or to answer any queries you may have, please contact Carol Spencer at Christ Church, or 20 Market Place or on 01772 782829 or at [email protected].

We are looking forward to making this a real community activity suitable for all ages.

The times at which the church will be open for viewing the trees have not yet been finalised but we will let you know once these are available and refreshments will be available.

It has become a tradition at Christ Church to take part in the creation of ‘shoeboxes’ full of small presents for needy children and young people in eastern Europe.   This year we are launching the appeal at a service at 10.45 am on Sunday November 6^th when our minister will speak and show films about this work.  Rev. Helen visited Belarus last year and so has first- hand experience of what happens to the shoe boxes.  Gifts to be put in shoe boxes or complete shoe boxes or donations towards transport costs can be left at Christ Church any time after November 6^th.

Our other Christmas Services are as follows:-

On Wednesday December 14^th at 10.00 am there will be a service specially designed for pre- school children when most of the Christmas Trees should be on show. 

Sunday December 18th      10.45 a.m. Family Carol Service

Sunday Dec. 25^th  ( Christmas Day)     11.00 a.m.   Morning Worship  (come and show us one of your presents)

You are also invited to join us and all the other churches by the Old Station on Saturday December 17^th at 11.00 am for the Blessing of the  Crib.

Radio Lancashire is once again organising ‘Lancashire Sings Christmas’.   Come and sing Carols on the radio on December 22^nd.  Watch Out for details.

We look forward to seeing you over the Christmas Season and wish you a peaceful and blessed Christmas.