Woolly mementos of the Nativity found their way into homes across Chippenham last Christmas.
Each year, the church sends out knitted figures from the first Christmas including angels, shepherds and kings to families who host them for one night during advent as part of a pilgrimage around the parish.
Among the figures, which have been created by the congregation, is an entire flock of sheep and each family that hosts the nativity, gets to keep one of the animals as a reminder of Jesus birth.
We hope that the beautiful simplicity of the crib and the care that has gone into knitting the figures and the sheep will help people to focus on the great wonder that is Christmas.
Eryl Spencer, who co-ordinates the annual pilgrimage, said: As the cribs leave each home, each child chooses and keeps a sheep as a memento.
The cribs, minus most of the sheep, return to church in time for the Crib and Christingle service on Christmas Eve.
We hope that the beautiful simplicity of the crib and the care that has gone into knitting the figures and the sheep will help people to focus on the great wonder that is Christmas.
We pray that, as families receive and pass on the crib, that it will be a way of sharing our joy of the coming of the Christ into the world.
What next?
- Consider ways of different ways of bringing people into church at Christmas, such as Crib Services or Christmas Tree Festivals