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The Giant Advent Calendar

By Leesa Barton.

As a town centre church, many people walk past our building every day. Most people are on their way to or from work, or school, or to the shops, and take very little notice of the building. Some don’t even realise that they are walking past a church.

At Christmas we wanted to make an impact on those who walked past. We wanted to make them aware that the church was not only there, but was a vibrant place, full of activity. And we wanted them to think about the message of Christmas, and to consider what that message means today.

Inspired by the Beach Hut Advent Calendar in Brighton, we decided to create a Giant Advent Calendar in the front doorway of the church. This front door is a large grand entrance, but is rarely used to enter the building as people normally enter through a side door. A false wall was built from wood to create a large, contained display area, allowing the main door to be opened at the front of the display, without causing a draft through the rest of the building. We encouraged church groups, families, friends, and local organisations to take responsibility for a day, and suggested a theme to focus the displays. Our theme this year was Christmas carols, and we encouraged those creating the displays to try and think of one aspect of the carol to illustrate, and if possible, to put a contemporary thought to it.

Each day the door would be opened at a different time (as advertised by a board outside) and remained open for a couple of hours. Either side of the door we had laminated cards on the windows for the numbers 1 - 24. When the door closed we replaced the number with a photo of the display, encouraging people that if they had missed the display they could see a picture on the window. The photos were also put onto specially created facebook and twitter pages, allowing people to follow the calendar every day online.

On the first day of the calendar, and on several other days, we went outside to give away mince pies or chocolates to those passing, and to encourage them to look at the display. We also played Christmas music in the doorway, to grab people’s attention.

The Advent Calendar was a great success and led to a variety of responses. Some people asked why it was there, and told us they never knew they were walking past the church. Others took information about our carol services, and the Alpha Course. Some just stopped for a chat. A few people from the offices opposite said they were looking out every day to see the next display. It certainly helped to create interest and hopefully left people thinking about the message of Christmas in a different way.

To view our calendar:   

www.facebook.com search for Central Baptist Church’s Giant Advent Calendar

www.twitter.com - Giant Advent