Let’s spread the joy virtually
Hope and Joy are perhaps not the first words that pop into our minds when we think of 2020.
I wondered, how could our church bring hope and joy this Christmas to the Bedhampton community?
Initially I imagined a huge, candlelit carol service where we could belt out carols; a scratch Nativity where we could watch kids reenact the Christmas story; a peaceful Midnight Communion; and the chance to celebrate Christ’s birth with a Christmas Day service.
The reality kicked in! We can sing carols outside, but only our musicians can sing inside church. Our Nativity actors would need to be socially distanced if they performed physically together. And our Midnight Communion will have to be livestreamed into people’s homes.
Like you, we’ve had to change our plans for Christmas, but we still plan to spread hope and joy in Bedhampton this year. We’ll be launching the ‘Christmas Journey Experience’ from 3-6pm every day from December 12 until Christmas Eve. It will allow you to place yourself within the
Nativity story and walk through it in the grounds of St Thomas Church, Bidbury Lane.
As you journey, you’ll hear the story being told via your mobile, hear the songs sung and carry a token of hope and love to place in the manger as you reach the stable. Do bring the whole family for those selfies, as you experience the Nativity in a new way.
The Bedhampton Community Nativity Movie will premiere on December 19. It will be more like a school nativity than a Hollywood Blockbuster. But it will be a film in which joy will abound, as we sing with gusto from our homes. Do tune in via bedhampton.church.
It will perhaps be a very different Christmas this year. But it will be Christmas, because the hope and joy of the world has not changed, and we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. Wherever you choose to do it, do join us in looking for the hope and joy this Christmas. We wish you the most hopeful and joyful Christmas, from the community of Bedhampton.