11 October 2010
Methodists gear up for great Christmas giveaway
Shops are already stacking their shelves with Christmas cards
and presents, hoping to make a profit from early-bird shoppers. But
the Methodist Church is encouraging people to give a free gift to
their friends and neighbours this Christmas.
'A Gift of Christmas' is a brand new booklet from the Methodist
Church that celebrates and reflects on the story of Christmas. It
includes Bible passages, stunning images from the Methodist
Collection of Modern Art, prayers and reflections from a variety of
authors, including John Byrom, Valerie Collinson and Graham
Kendrick. It's the latest in a highly successful series that
includes 'A Gift of Peace', which has already sold nearly 15,000
copies.
"The birth of Christ is the greatest gift ever given to humankind
and we want to celebrate Christmas by sharing that gift with
others," said Deacon Eunice Attwood, Vice-President of the
Methodist Conference and a contributor to the booklet. "A Gift of
Christmas is an inspiring and engaging resource for churches to use
to help their communities engage with the spirit of Christmas. Last
year our Circuit literally gave away thousands of booklets, and
we're really excited by this new publication."
'A Gift of Christmas' is designed for churches and individuals to
give away and is also ideal for small-group and personal
reflection. It can be purchased from www.methodistpublishing.org.uk
at the price of £5 for 50 copies. A free nativity play script,
written by Revd Howard Mellor, and a PowerPoint presentation of the
booklet will both soon be available to download for free from here.
The booklet also includes excerpts from new Christmas hymns
featured in 'Singing the Faith', the new Methodist hymn collection
due to be published next summer.