THE Church of England has released a series of short video adverts inviting people to take a break from “hectic” Christmas preparations and find “calm” of their local church and the Christmas story.
The eight videos, filmed using timelapse, show still individuals on the centre of fast-moving, busy Christmas scenes, corresponding to wrapping presents, cooking, shopping, playing games, taking care of family, and preparing for the massive day.
A voiceover on the primary video says that, while Christmas will be “a time of joy”, this will easily grow to be lost in all the joy. Variations of this voiceover on each video describe Christmas as “an exquisite time of 12 months”, “comforting”, and “exciting” — but in addition “exhausting”, “hectic”, “lonely”, and “overwhelming”.
All the videos end with the person being welcomed right into a church, and the voiceover urging viewers to “Find calm this Christmas at a church near you.” This also refers to achurchnearyou.com, through which individuals can find their local church. Behind it is a choir singing “all is calm, all is shiny” from “Silent Night”.
Most of the videos last around 20 seconds. A rather longer version includes different voices expressing worries in regards to the season, corresponding to: “I would like calm”, “I’m going to be late”, “I’m not going to fulfill my deadline”, and “Why can’t everybody calm down a bit?”
The videos are a part of the Church’s annual Christmas campaign “Follow the star,” which this 12 months takes the theme “Calm and shiny”. Previous years have taken themes of music (“Join the song”) and welcome (“the nice invitation”).
The Bishop of Stockport, the Rt Revd Sam Corley, said: “In the busyness of Christmas preparations, it’s easy to lose sight of the peace and hope at the center of the season. This 12 months’s campaign is a timely reminder that the story of Christmas invites us into something deeper. . .
“Churches across the country are opening their doors to welcome everyone to experience that peace and discover that hope this Christmas.”
