Celebrating Christmaswith your

Neighbourhoodbrought to you by:

Youth, Children, & FamilyMinistry - Auckland Presbytery

Celebrating Christmas with your Neighbourhood

Serving your Neighbourhood p2 Inviting your Neighbours p5

Partnering with your Community p3 Worshipping with your Community p6

Working with other Organisations p4 Reminding your Community p7

At a recent “Mission with children” conference Rev At 85, life holds few pleasures for Mr Howard who is Sulangi of Papua New Guinea suggested ministry with bedridden with chronic arthritis. He lives alone and has children involves becoming “more like children to very few family connections. However, he does have discover the heart of God”. Jesus urges us to become good neighbours who know how to touch his heart. like little children to enter the kingdom of God and

Last Christmas morning, two neighbouring families what better time to do that than at Christmas? positioned themselves outside Mr Howard's window

The excitement and joy of the season is infectious and and sang carols to him. Afterwards the young children lingering childhood memories help us to share our faith presented the Christmas cards they had made for him story in many creative ways. The good news of Jesus' along with some festively wrapped home baking and birth and life is for everyone, so I encourage you to pull some happy, lasting memories.out all stops this festive season to share it with your

God is “known” in our neighbourhoods when we step community. out in love and service. When we connect with our

My role blesses me with many wonderful stories of how neighbours we practice the “Be-Attitudes” to bring our churches minister to their communities of children about change in our communities. As churches and families. Recognising the motivational power of explore ways to “love their neighbours”, their common stories, Kids Friendly has joined forces with Presbyterian sense of purpose and desire to do God's will results in Support Northern to bring you a collection of ideas new and deeper friendships not just with the recipients from our churches for celebrating Christmas with your of their mission, but with each other. community. May these ideas and stories inspire your

I encourage you to seek ways to share the good news plans for sharing Christmas with your neighbourhood of Christ's love with your neighbourhood this Christmas. and beyond so that every child of God, young or old, Presbyterian Support loves to work with churches to remembers the real reason for the season this year! serve communities, so get in touch with us if you have

Wishing you a blessed and happy Christmas! an idea or are looking for opportunities.

Blessings. Jill KayserKids Friendly Coach Anne OvertonPCANZ

Community Mission LiasionPresbyterian Support Northern

This creative and practical Christmas resource is full of great ideas to inspire you to connect with your community and share the good news of Jesus with your neighbourhood. Enjoy it and pass it forward.

“Celebrating Christmas with your Neighbourhood” can be also be downloaded from:

www.psn.org.nz & www.presbyterian.org.nz/national-ministries/kids-friendly

Serving your NeighbourhoodOur faith commands us to love our neighbour and Christmas provides many opportunities for us to do this. Here are some inspiring “love your neighbour” ideas from our churches:

Visit your local rest home to share some Christmas cheer. Be sure to take your children and bring pets along if allowed.

Organise a community food drive to fill your local foodbank with loads of delectable and essential goodies.

Create festive hampers and gift trees for those in need.

Deliver baking, ham, or Christmas cakes to those under strain or lonely. Provide a Christmas dinner to those who don’t have family nearby.

Three days before Christmas, Maria lost custody of her children. A sad and lonely Christmas loomed ahead. Prior to this, women at Somervell Presbyterian Church in Remuera had decided to make Christmas cakes for Presbyterian Support Northern's Food Bank.

Staff at Dingwall Trust, a Child and Family Support One of these 25 cakes was delivered to Maria by one Service, try to ensure that Christmas is a happy time for of the Family Works counsellors. This small but the many children they care for. Community support significant act of kindness helped Maria to know that and contributions of money, presents and food help she was loved and that someone cared about her. For create a spirit of joy at a time that can be emotional the church members, the cake making was a great and stressful for their young people. Other ways success. Everyone enjoyed working together to create churches can help Dingwall is by organising a something that would bring a little of Christ's love into Christmas party for the children, sharing the Christmas others lives at Christmas. story through a pageant or inviting children for a day's

outing or a holiday.

Each December St Margaret’s children, leaders, parents and Mac, the Great Dane, visit the Heretaunga Retirement Village in Silverstream, Upper Hutt. The children share songs, poems, and play their musical instruments and bring some greatly appreciated Christmas cheer to the residents. The children make cards and present a little gift to each elderly person. It has become an annual event that all look forward to.

CAKES OF KINDNESS

CHRISTMAS AT DINGWALL

CHRISTMAS CHEER

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Partnering with your CommunityCelebrating Christmas is enthusiastically embraced by our secular society. Christmas parades, carols by candlelight and concerts attract large numbers, so why not partner with what is already happening?

Offer to help organise the event.

Provide volunteers.

Loan equipment and costumes.

Contribute talent from your congregation.

By Rev Sharon EnsorSt Heliers Presbyterian has a great relationship with its local business community. One year they worked together to plan pre-Christmas entertainment outside the library, two hours eer evening of the week prior to Christmas. The church rostered on their youth band, children’s choir and their renowned men’s choir, the Bay Singers, to join community entertainers.

Each evening the church’s children presented the Christmas story for 10 minutes. “This was a great opportunity for us to share the Christmas spirit with our community and partner with the business association,” says Rev Pauline Stewart.

For over 10 years Wadestown Presbyterian has partnered with the Anglican church and other organisations in a “Christmas Carols in the Park” event. It started modestly attracting 75-100 people, but in recent years has become a focal event for the community with up to 400 packing the park across the road from us (very handy for bad weather). People come at 5.30 pm with a picnic or purchase food from us with proceeds going to our local foodbank. Carol singing happens from 6 to 7 pm. This event really took off five years ago when we invited the local school choir to sing. The 40 strong choir meant a huge increase in numbers with families coming along to join in the evening. We also introduced a masterful storyteller “telling of the Christmas story”. The children are invited to dress up and join the Christmas tableau which grows in numbers as the story of Jesus’ birth unfolds.

Our band is made up of local and church musicians who greatly enjoy the opportunity to play together. We try to involve other community groups in ‘guest spots’ during the evening. Wellington City council are very In past years St supportive of the event and provide a great sound Andrew's system free of charge. Howick has

joined in the The success of Carols in the Park inspired us to offer festive spirit of Pancakes in the Park on Shrove Tuesday.their local community's Santa Parade. A Kids Friendly float reminds the community that Jesus is the reason for the season. And “Miss Sassy” the church's well known and loved puppet enthralls children along the way. Says Carol, float co-ordinator: “A prayer of thanks to God for Christmas was towed behind the float and shared with all by the MC. We were so pleased to be able to add some spirituality to what has become a commercial season.”

LIVE CHRISTMAS STORY

SANTA PARADE

CAROLS IN THE PARK

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There are many organisations doing wonderful work to make Christmas more meaningful and pleasurable for those in need or lonely. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel and working alongside others outside of our churches gives us additional opportunities to witness the love of Christ.

Collect food, gifts, or money for organisations to use for their regular clients.

Be a part of Good Samaritan’s Operation Christmas Child campaign.

Volunteer at your City’s Mission Christmas meal or Angel Tree.

Raise funds for a Christmas appeal like Presbyterian Support.

Driving home from work one day Roger Mittens from Glendowie Presbyterian heard a plea for help that he immediately wanted to respond to. Radio Rhema was profiling Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree which desperately needed a new coordinator. Now, Roger voluntarily coordinates this project for the overall Auckland Region as well as his local East area.

Collectively 30 churches donate Christmas presents for 1300 children of inmates from Auckland's 5 prisons. The For many families Christmas is not a joyous celebration gift requests, brought to the Prison Fellowship through but rather a stressful challenge to provide food and chaplains and agencies, need to be approved by the gifts for their families. Last year Papakura East family members caring for the recipient. Roger greatly Presbyterian Church had a vision of providing appreciates the support of Glendowie and Christmas hampers for the neediest families in their Kohimarama churches. “There are many ways to local community. They had no idea how they would contribute as individuals or churches, including raise the money to make it happen, so started with coordinating requests and permission, raising funds, prayer and trusted God as they began to plan the donating or purchasing gifts, wrapping, labelling and contents of 17 hampers at a cost of $4500. delivering all in time for Christmas.” Says Roger. Read

A couple of days later their prayers were answered more about how to get involved on www.pfnz.org.nzwhen Presbyterian Support rang to say they had been gifted $4500 in food vouchers from the local Pak 'n Save and wondered if the church could use them. With the food costs covered, the congregation decided to fund the purchase of toys and sports equipment to add to the hampers.

Papakura East church members, Presbyterian Support staff, local police and the school helped pack and deliver the food parcels to desperate families in need of Christmas cheer. The team were humbled by the exercise and loved working together to fulfil the mission of a loving God!

Working with other Organisations

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HELP WITH HAMPERS

ANGELS BEHIND ANGEL TREE

Inviting your NeighboursFor many New Zealanders going to church is a foreign and scary concept, so we need to find ways to invite our community and make church accessible to them. And what better time to do this than at Christmas? Does your church project the message “We’re celebrating a birthday and we’d love you to come to our party!” There are many ways our churches can share the story, spirit and message of Christmas. And don’t forget to INVITE your neighbours. Research shows that when people are invited to church by someone they know, they are happy to give it a try. What about putting on:

A Christmas show for the whole family. A community carol service. Drive-thru or walk-thru Christmas. Christmas Kids Club.

Last year Dan and his committee used 138 helpers in a variety of roles and behind the scenes. The church gives each car a leaflet guiding them through the “drive thru” and also a magnet gift that displays the church's service times. There has been noticeable growth in attendance at the Christmas services at Massey since this outreach began and several families have joined Massey since first visiting the drive thru. Dan likes to invite past attendees on the organising committee as their experience brings a vital perspective to future presentations.

St Columba Botany is renowned for its creative community events and Christmas is no exception when the church offers a In 2004, Dan Mills from Massey Presbyterian was variety of service styles to searching for a “whole church” outreach idea. The suit everybody. resulting “Drive thru” Christmas experience certainly

involves all ages working together to offer the A big hit is the Christmas

community a tactile Christmas experience. A few Eve service where families

weeks prior to Christmas, the church property is are encouraged to bring

transformed for 4 nights into a live Christmas story. along kids in their pyjamas.

Animals, costumed actors, amazing props and sets attract over 600 carloads of approximately 2800 St Columba also presents a people each year! Christmas production

extravaganza aimed at the Community. The Productions are a great all age showcase of the church's talent and creativity. Every couple of years, many come together behind the scenes as well as in the spotlight to bring the Nativity story to life. Past hits have included “365 Days of Christmas”, “Judea 1 News”, and Dr. Seuss's popular title “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. One year they even used the neighbouring ice skating rink to produce Christmas on Ice! Parishioners are encouraged to invite neighbours, and publicity is circulated in letterboxes, notice boards, school newsletters and the local paper to ensure that everyone is invited to share in the good news of Christmas!

DRIVE THRU CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS CREATIVITY

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Worshipping with your CommunityDon't you love Christmas worship? Candles, pine trees, favourite carols and adorable children sharing the greatest story ever told. There's no doubt that Christmas services have the greatest appeal, but churches wanting to share the good news with more people should resist the “one size fits all” approach. More and more churches are offering a range of services. Get to know your community and let your imagination run wild to meet their needs.

A “ Hard to be merry” for those grieving and alone.

“Christmas rocks” for young people.

PJ Christmas Eve celebrations for younger children and their families.

Midnight carols by candlelight.

Each night at home, the candle was lit and a reading, By Judy Goroncy reflection and prayer were shared. We coloured a

picture relating to the day's story to place on our Despite our best intentions, our December time gets Advent chart .bombarded with 'essential' shopping trips and parties,

and, however hard we try to dissuade our young The discipline of children from excessively singing about Santa Claus having a set reading with his 'big black boots', we are entrenched in a for each day was 'secular' world that seems to have a lot to say about fantastic for us who Christmas. had “failed” too often

at trying to have Despite having grown up in the church, very little nightly family emphasis was placed on the preparation for devotions. However Christmas, both in the church and in our family life, there was no way our and we almost stumbled into Christmas Day, daughter Sinead remembered Jesus for the morning, and then rushed

would let us miss one night last December. And the off to other things. Now as a Christian mother, I find Advent candle sitting on the table reminded us that myself thinking more deeply about how our family and this time was a special time of preparation for a very children prepare for Christmas? special event.

2009 saw a very different Advent period for our family. And when visiting friends, our daughter yelled out 'They Having a 3½ year old learning and comprehending for have the same pictures as us!' as this was not just our the first time what Christmas is, the message I wanted family event, but our wider church family event. And to share with her was not one of Santa, but of Christ then to add to the excitement, each Sunday in and His amazing birth, life and death. Was this a Advent, the church foyer was set up with a symbol, message that I could reserve for Christmas Day? Could activity and reflection that related to the reading for this possibly match the day. the time spent at

kindergarten The children's Christmas pageant was so much more preparing for Santa meaningful for our young daughter (and many others to come? no doubt,) because she was so familiar with the story.

Highgate Our interactive experience of Advent and Christmas Presbyterian's Advent meant that for months past Christmas, Sinead insisted event was a heaven on being called Mary, her dad Joseph and me the sent solution for our camel! We humoured her because we knew she was family. At the continuing to live and breathe the true meaning of beginning of Advent Christmas.we were invited to

To order the resource “Advent@Highgate” contact participate in an all . Jane Davis, children's minister at age event that encouraged us to think about how we

Highgate has kindly made all her resources available prepare to welcome Jesus. Together our family so you too can celebrate Advent with your church's reflected on the story of Jesus' birth and what this and communitys' families.means for us today. We also decorated a candle that

accompanied us on our 'Journey through Advent’.

jill@kidsfriendly.org.nz

ADVENT AT HIGHGATE

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Reminding your Community

The Paeroa community and thousands of visitors were in no doubt that their local Co-operating Church was celebrating the birth of Jesus the year they graffitied their church and framed it in Christmas lights. Says Rev Stan Stewart (minister at that time): “We wanted to alert our community and those alighting buses opposite our church to participate in our Christmas festival, that the birth of Jesus is good news!”

SUPER SIZE THE MESSAGE

LIFE SIZE NATIVITY

SHARING THE GOOD NEWS

Christmas is our biggest opportunity for sharing our faith with our community. Not one child in all of New Zealand will miss the fact that Santa Claus is coming to town, thanks to the powerful advertising and promotional reminders of the media and shopping malls. Imagine if every shopping centre had a nativity scene as its major Christmas attraction (now there's an idea….) We need to make sure that every person that passes and enters our churches “GETS” the real reason for the season! So don't be shy, this is our party and our excitement should be infectious.

Decorate the outside of your church with massive Christmas bows, stars or lights.

Set up a nativity scene or decorate a tree outside your church.

Hang banners or decorate existing notice boards to alert passers by of your Christmas services and other events.

Don’t forget the inside, make sure you deck the halls!

Each Christmas Balclutha Presbyterian ensures its community knows the real reason for the season. They erect a life size nativity scene outside their church with is situated on the main road through Balclutha. "It's become an icon for our town," says Rev Brian Walker, "children (and adults) can't resist stopping their cars to get close to the life size figures. It invites the telling of the story of Jesus' birth."

Over 70, 000 enter the doors of St Heliers Presbyterian Church and Community Centre each year and hundreds of children participate in activities such as playgroups, music and movement, preschool, after school care and Kids Club each week. So sharing the real reason for the season is a priority and opportunity for them. Each year a handmade giant Advent Calendar is placed in the entrance for all the children to see and touch. Children get to open the doors and hear the story through the creative depictions they find.