This Christmas, St Bartholemew’s in Deeside are hosting a Christmas Celebration themed around Lifewords’ resource OUTSIDE/IN.
Having previously themed their Christmas Celebration Concert in 2021 around the same resource, the church are planning to revisit the theme of inviting everyone in.
Jan Smith, who is involved in planning the Celebration, shared: “This year, we intend to revisit the concept of OUTSIDE/IN and to give each family a copy of the Lifewords booklet. It will be good to remind people, and to share with new people, the message that everyone is included, everyone is invited into the Christmas story, and the good news of Jesus Christ.”
She continued: “We want to give each family attending a copy of OUTSIDE/IN! The presentation of this resource is really attractive and beautifully illustrated. The words are powerful and punchy. It invites you in to open it up and enjoy reading it."
Jan described how they used the resource a few years ago: “In 2021, we hosted ‘Christmas Returns!’, inviting members of the church and local community to take part in the readings, poems and carols we had selected for our evening programme. 
The Dee Sign Choir, consisting of people who are deaf, signed their songs and carols along to recorded music.
"We also adapted the content from OUTSIDE/IN to create a script for the church to follow, inviting children to place figures in the nativity scene as each character in the story was introduced. As the narrator read ‘the overlooked and excluded, working to make ends meet.... Welcome into the story...’, the children placed the angels, the shepherds and the sheep into the scene. The service closed with the words of the Lifewords resource: ‘From the first Christmas to today, Jesus turns the world OUTSIDE/IN. Everyone is included, everyone is invited.’ The message was powerful and gift of the OUTSIDE/IN booklet well received.”
Lifewords resources are used across St Bartholemew’s other activities too, including their café which opens on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week, and as well as a food hub sponsored by Flintshire County Council. Jan shared: “We have so many different people who come through our doors and we are always on the look-out for engaging and exciting material.”
The Christmas story is full of unlikely characters. Those on the edges are drawn to the heart of the action. Everyone is invited in. We hope you’ll join us in finding ways to share that invitation this year – to welcome people in to the good news of the Christmas story. Order copies of OUTSIDE/IN here, or download this short animation with BSL sign language to play in your groups, services and events. We also have a study guide available to download to help you, your group, your household or your congregation dig a bit deeper into the welcome of the Christmas story. 
To help us equip and resource churches this Christmas you can donate to our work here. This year let the Christmas story turn your church, your community, even your world, OUTSIDE/IN.
