One of my absolute favourite ways to spend an evening is sharing the message of Jesus with people who aren’t Christians – and doing so in partnership with a local church! A month or two back, Lansdowne Church in Bournemouth invited me to speak at their Christmas outreach event designed to encourage Christians to invite friends, family and colleagues along to engage with the message of the gospel.
The evening featured carols, festive refreshments and I brought a short talk, inviting everyone there to reflect on the deeper meaning of Christmas. I explored whether there is “something more” to the season than food, music and social gatherings, centring on the Christian belief of Emmanuel — God with us — and pointing everyone to the life of Jesus as the clearest picture of what God is like.
The message was particularly designed to be helpful for guests who may not regularly attend church. The event also served as a launchpad for Lansdowne’s upcoming Alpha course in February, with visitors receiving gift bags containing a book, an Alpha invitation card and seasonal treats. They’d put a lot of thought, time and effort to make the gift bag really generous and inviting.
Lansdowne were able to draw a really good crowd from beyond their regular congregation. Rather than relying solely on leaflet drops, they worked really hard on personal invitations at Christmas following sustained community connection all year. Churches that invest in relationships throughout the year seem to get a far greater response when they hold a guest service because they have built trust locally. When the invite comes people recognise the church’s name, they are aware of it’s presence and contribution to the community and coming along seems natural. Conversley church’s who hide in the buildings all year, get little response to their leaflet drops and invitations to services,
Christmas remains an easy entry point for guests. Lansdowne’s leadership hopes the momentum will extend beyond the festive season, encouraging newcomers to explore faith further through Alpha and other church activities in the months ahead.
It was great to work again with such an outward-looking church as Lansdowne, who seem to really practice what they preach in terms of sharing the gospel with those around them.
