Step by step guide to organising a Christingle celebration Well-planned and publicised celebrations attract the best turn out and raise the most funds for vulnerable children. Here are some top tips on how to make your Christingle a celebration to remember. First things first Choose a place, time and date for your celebration, any time between Advent (4 weeks before Christmas) and Candlemas (2 February). Some supporters prefer holding their Christingle at the beginning of Advent as it can be a great warm-up to the Christmas period; for others, the end of the school term is perfect way to fill up the church or hall with school children. There are some however, who prefer to wait until the busy Christmas period over. Bring your community together Contact in advance, everyone you want to involve. This could include the Clergy, musicians, worship groups, you own children and young people, Sunday school, teachers and local youth groups such as Brownies, Guides, Cubs, Scouts and the Boys and Girls Brigade. How are you going to fundraise? There are lots of easy and interesting ways to fundraise for us. You could organise a collection using our collection envelopes or collection candles, or fundraise through sponsored events.
We have many free resources available to order to help you with your fundraising. Download our fundraising hints and tips for more inspiration. On the Worship Resources page we have some short case studies about the work of The Children s Society, which can be read out. Plan your celebration We have a range of worship, fundraising and children s resources to choose from to help you plan your celebration or service. 1. Worship Resources Visit our Worship Resources page to download a collection of helpful resources to help you create your own unique Christingle service. These include: Order of Service Suggestion service sheets for each liturgical period Prayer and prayer activities Hymn and song suggestions 2. Children and Youth Christingle Resources If you are planning a Christingle for a School, Sunday school or youth group, please visit our Children and Youth Resources page for: NEW Sunday schools activity booklet Games and activities Arts and crafts Christingle lesson plans Assembly ideas Much more. Order your free materials such as candles, red tape, invitation posters and much more through our website at www.christingle.org or by calling our order line on 0300 3030 555.
Publicise your Christingle Let as many people know about your celebration as possible. Use the following to promote your celebration: Start Collecting hand out the collection candles to schools, community groups and members of your church before your celebration so they have time to fundraise and bring their donations to your service. Word of Mouth - Visit your local Clergy, school and community groups and encourage them to bring family and friends. Invitations - Personalise and photocopy our invitations sheet which can be downloaded from our website. Posters - Order or download our invitation posters to display in local churches, schools, libraries, doctors surgeries, gyms and shops. Online - Publicise your celebration with us by registering the details of your service on our Christingle website. You can also promote it on Facebook and Twitter or even publicise on online websites such as Timeout. The press - Tell the local media about your activities and service. Don t forget church, community and parish magazines, as well as local radio. We have put together a sample press release which can be downloaded from the online resource centre. Events - Coffee mornings, fetes and exhibitions can provide occasions to publicise your Christingle service and raise extra funds. Making the Christingles Christingles are fun to make. Why not involve members of the community, church, local schools and youth groups in making the Christingles. This will help create an enjoyable and interactive atmosphere and build anticipation ahead of the celebration.
You could even try having a sponsored Christingle making session where children can get sponsored to make as many Christingles as they can in a set time. Visit our What is Christingle? page to discover how to make a Christingle in 4 easy steps along with some handy tips. On the day Ask for help - Recruit some helpers to arrive before the service or celebration to help put collection envelopes and pens out on the pews or seats. Prepare - Be ready to receive the collection candles and envelopes at the offertory. Be Safe - Ensure the Christingles are secure as they are lit and handed to children at the service. Ask your helpers to supervise the children, ensuring they hold their Christingle still and that long hair is tied back. You will automatically receive your safety poster when you order your materials. Enjoy - There is nothing more uplifting than seeing all the children enjoying themselves with all the Christingles lit! Bank it Use our Christingle Giro to pay in funds raised by your Christingle. You will automatically receive your Giro when you order your materials. Please remember to return any Gift-Aided collection envelopes to us, you can do this free of charge using the freepost address below. This enables us to raise even more money. Please send emptied Gift-Aided envelopes to: Christingle The Children s Society FREEPOST LON14784 London WC1X 0BR
Please save any emptied collection candles and flame lids for use next year. And remember the more you raise, the more children we can help. THANK YOU!