On a cold December evening I made my way to speak at an old church building. I was there early to get set up, and the hall was quiet. The string quartet and choir arrived and began to warm up. The hall felt big and empty, and there was a small voice inside my that whispered doubtful thoughts – “would anyone really come to a carol service in the middle of the week?” I anticipated a small turn out, probably only of die-hard Christians with nothing else to do.
How wrong I was!
It’s fascinating how music continues to be something that can bring people together – the joy that it brings and the deep emotions that it can stir. What fascinates me even more is that in our post-Christian society the idea of singing carols is still something that gets people excited – so much so that they would brave a cold, dark winters night.
A few minutes before the event began, I’d had my head down for a few moments, being distracted as I read through the lyrics on the sheets that had been passed around. Turning to see the crowd my eyes lit up. The venue was almost completely full, and only a few seats at the very back were open. As surprising as that was, I was even more astonished to see that the majority of the chairs were occupied not by silver heads, but a range of other, more youthful, colours.
The local university Christian Union has organised the carol service and advertised it to the public, and had also invited their university friends. We sang some great old carols, and then I shared a simple message about the Christian hope – a message that many of the people there had never heard before. After the event there were mince pies and hot drinks for all, and I had some great conversations with several people who weren’t Christians, but had come along and really enjoyed the evening, and said they would be keen to come to another church event to hear more.
The organisers were not professional event planners, or musicians – just a group of willing and enthusiastic students! Why not arrange a carol service with an evangelistic message for the people of your community? Solas can help you with some ideas, or perhaps provide a speaker.
Prayer: “Please direct me as I look to share the light of the Gospel in my community”
Previously: Launch Pad #50 Christmas Gift Wrapping Service
Next: Launch Pad #52 The Joy of Carol Singing coming soon!
