Christmas Tree Festival

Did you visit the Christmas Tree Festival at Frodsham Methodist Church last year? If not, you missed a real treat! It all started in a quite magical way, as the snow began to fall. You crunched over the frozen surface into the church in the darkness of early evening, to find the space filled with beautifully decorated trees, their scent filling the air and their fairy lights twinkling to light your way into this winter wonderland.

Then there was the warmth of hospitality, good food and friends to meet, activities for the children and so much more. If you didn’t go last year, don’t miss out in 2011!

This year half the proceeds of the Festival are going to the international charity ‘Emmaus’, which is our chosen Church charity for 2012. This charity, started in France by the Abbé Pierre in 1949, exists to provide a home in a
community for people who have been made homeless. There are currently 21 Communities in the UK, and Terry Waite is the national President. Each Community aims to be self-sufficient as far as possible, by taking in donated gifts of good quality furniture and household goods, renovating them and selling them on in the Community shop. 

Thus people learn a trade, or other skills such as working in the shop or doing admin work. Money is also raised by such things as Community allotments. As the Preston Community states, their mission is “to maintain and develop a safe and stable community that provides hope, opportunity and personal growth for people in need, to enable each individual to play their part in today’s world with confidence in their own ability to fulfil their potential.”

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who himself became homeless, what better way could there be to help others? So come along to the Christmas Tree Festival, help others, and enjoy yourself in a very special way.

To learn more about Emmaus, visit their website.

Liz Holmes 

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