The first ten days of Christmas! Guest Events during December
Meeting again…
This Autumn, Filling Stations are meeting again!
It’s wonderful to hear of guests returning to new or established meetings. We have heard wonderful testimonies of what the Lord is doing across the nation!
We have a great opportunity over Christmas to help grow meeting numbers again. It is easy to invite friends and family for carols, mulled wine, mince pies and a guest friendly talk.
Could you use a Christmas guest event as an opportunity to reach out to your wider community?
To invite friends who have never been to a Filling Station before? To invite people who have a faith but who no longer go to church, or even those who don’t yet know Jesus? They might well be willing to come along as it’s Christmas…
We would love to encourage you to plan a Christmas Carol Guest Event for your Filling Station! If you’re a guest, why not ask your Host Teams what they have planned this December?
The first 10 days of December are the time when unbelievers are most likely to accept an invitation to a Christian meeting.
Jo Fothergill
Ideas for your first ten days of December…
Here are just a few ideas on this (but you may have others!):
- A Carol Event
Put on a FS meeting during the first 10 days of December, making it a carol event, accessible for anyone to come along.
Have carols, simple opening and closing prayer, a true meaning of Christmas talk, with mulled wine and mince pies afterwards.
Make the venue look Christmassy, warm and inviting! - Gather for a ‘social’ at your usual meeting place!
Provide mince pies, mulled wine, make the place look Christmassy, ensuring there is evidence that it is a Filling Station event.
One team member could do 10 mins at the end explaining what the FS is, what you do monthly, explain that you want all to experience the love of God/Jesus.
Include a quick prayer for those there, that they would have a blessed, healthy and peaceful Christmas. (for example, our local meeting, South Lakes FS, are planning to do this). - Online meeting, such as Share Christmas from J.John
You could use J.John’s Share Christmas resources to put together an evangelistic Christmas service (many did this last year).
You can use the ‘Complete Christmas Service’ if you want to make it really easy!
Share Christmas – find the link to J.John’s material here. - FillingStation@home meetings
Invite friends and neighbours round to your home for mulled wine and mince pies.
Show the J.John Share Christmas ‘Complete Christmas Service”.
Offer to pray for guests afterwards (if appropriate), have an open discussion on the true meaning of Christmas.
We would love to hear any of your other creative ideas!
We pray continually that our Filling Station (FS) meetings will be places of encounter with Jesus. We pray that the Lord will meet you in powerful ways as you gather together, both physically, and online.
Tell me more about Share Christmas from J.John
Share Christmas is a ‘menu’ of videos designed to be used in online or in-person Christmas services including contributions from Sir David Suchet, Sir Cliff Richard, Matt Redman and a Christmas message from J.John. The videos are intentionally accessible to those who would call themselves Christian and those who wouldn’t. These videos have been designed to serve the church and help people in their journey of faith this Christmastime.
Get in touch!
Please do get in touch if we can help and assist you in anyway. If you decide to go ahead with any of the above (or something else!) please let me know so we can be praying for you, and your event.
Jo Fothergill – Director of Evangelism and Mercy Ministries, The Filling Station
