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Crossover Christmas Resource

Christmas Resource

Good News for a Change

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Good News for a Change is a free, flexible Advent-Christmas series for churches, designed to be highly invitable and accessible for newcomers. The theme plays on two ideas: After a hard year, people are ready for some good news for a change. But this is also good news for a change – news that brings transformation to us and through us.

Resource Includes

  • 5 message outlines 
    Hope for a Change
    Peace for a Change
    Love for a Change
    Joy for a Change
    Good News for a Change
    These can be used in any order, with each standing alone.
  • A 4-part running sketch for all ages
    Sketch involves two newsreaders and is ideal for a couple of kids to play. Scripts, ‘back-drop’ PowerPoint slide and news jingle audio file included. Great theme-introducer, quite amusing if we say so ourselves, and so easy to set up and run.
  • Easy-to-edit artwork for invitations and promotions
    High quality themed artwork
    Customise and edit using Microsoft Office apps
    – Social media posts
    – Postcards
    – Posters
    – PowerPoint slides
    – Images for church website
  • Encouragement video for church members
    For use in a members meeting or service (or email-out).
    Encourages members to invite friends and neighbours and to make welcome all newcomers in an hospitable way. Reminds the church to be in ‘public mode’ across the season, putting in-house matters aside for the sake of guests and visitors.

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Rationale

Crossover strongly encourages mission and evangelism outside the walls of the church building, but we should not neglect opportunities inside as well. ‘Attractional’ is not the opposite of ‘Missional’, as inherent in the gospel is an invitation to be adopted into the family of God. It may well be truer to say that ‘Uninviting’ is the opposite of ‘Missional.’ 

The advantages of corporate evangelism include:

  • It involves all the parts of the body of Christ – speakers, carers, hosts, caterers, welcomers, musicians – all have a part to play.
  • It gives opportunity to our super-power: By this will everyone know you are my disciples, if you love one another. It’s a powerful thing for outsiders to get a taste of Christian community. There’s likely a love in your church that reaches across generations, across political leanings, education and wealth levels – we can take it for granted but it’s increasingly rare.
  • Speaking evangelistically in church services are good for our young people (who also need gospelling), good for long-term attenders who are still weak in faith, and encouraging for the strong – we can all use a gospel reminder.
  • Speaking evangelistically in church models clear gospel communication and gives ideas for members to share elsewhere.
  • Effective evangelistic content in church services, and hospitable embrace of newcomers and enquirers, make church members much more likely to have confidence to invite their friends, family and neighbours in future.

Great Work: Our thanks to Miranda Dixon and Jason Hoet from the Unley Park Baptist pastoral team for sermon and service content. Artwork by Bronwyn Parker.

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