Whilst away over Christmas i decided to attend a Christmas Eve Carols Night at a nearby church.
Now, you might reckon that if any event in the church's calendar could be attended by someone outside of the church tribe, it should be the Christmas Eve Carols. But for some reason (possibly force-of-habit) even this night seems designed purely for the 'insiders'.
So here are some tips for churches doing a Christmas Carols Night
1. Let people know it's on
For all the hours of rehearsal and preparation that went into the night, somebody could have taken 5 minutes to put the details online. This church's website can tell me the name of the church treasurer, but not the time of the Carols!
2. Start with a Carol people know
First impressions count. Why start with a song that "we've been learning here over the last few sundays"?
3. Sing Carols people know
OK it's a lot like number 2. But i know a fair few Christmas Carols, and yet i was completely stumped until the 7th Carol of the evening. I also knew numbers 11, 12 and 15. But being bemused and lost for three-quarters of the evening isn't too much fun.
4. If there must be an offering, explain it
Church people know that setting foot inside the building involves being prodded for money, but normal people might not. This event had a collection for Christmas Bowl, which is fair enough - it's a good cause. But explain what that means. To normal people a 'christmas bowl' is something you eat christmas pudding out of. Oh, and make it clear that it is voluntary - the church already has enough of a reputation of asking for money all the time.
Obviously, there's a lot to do in organising an event like this, but if we can be aware of these things, hopefully it can be a bit more people-friendly.
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