Describes how the Messy Nativity project started in Liverpool in 2010 Step-by-step guide to how other churches can run their own Messy Nativity Includes templates, timelines, photos and the script of the Nativity Story

This book describes the two main features of the Messy Nativity Advent Project as carried out in Liverpool in 2010:

1. Small knitted sheep go on a journey around local communities. Messy Churches and parishes pass nativity sets from home to home and each host receives a small knitted sheep to keep and remind them of the nativity story and the real meaning of Christmas. The nativity set travels around town through the season of Advent and ends up back at church on Christmas Eve for an all-age service or event.

2. The Sheep Trail. Hunt for the knitted sheep in designated stores around town and complete the leaflet, entering your details for the prize draw and taking home a colouring picture, maze and the nativity story.

Messy Nativity gives all the information and resources needed for a church to embark on their own Messy Nativity project.

First Edition Description:

In this book I share a story of hope. Jesus said to his disciples, 'Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to the whole human race.' So why, even at Christmas, is this becoming so hard to do, when the story of Jesus' birth is gradually being squeezed out of our towns and cities, amongst the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, during the season of Advent? When the Real meaning of Christmas is being replaced with Santa's Magical Kingdom and WinterFests? How can we bring Jesus back into our communities during Advent?

Find out about a new project uniting communities around the Nativity story at Christmas time!

• The Messy Nativity Sheep Trail (spot the knitted sheep in shops);
• The Messy Nativity Set Journey (the Posada idea with added knitted sheep);
• The Messy Street Nativity (tell the Nativity story in the street using drama/script).

Featuring in all three parts of the project are sheep!

This book describes how Messy Nativity started in Liverpool in 2010, and gives a step-by-step guide to how other churches can embark on their own local Messy Nativity Advent project.

Knit-i-vity! How knitted sheep can bring Jesus baaaaa...ck into your shopping centre!

Together with Liverpool Mothers' Union and the newly formed pioneer ministry River in the City, Jane came up with the idea of a Nativity trail for shoppers to hunt down cuddly lost sheep hiding in department stores in Liverpool ONE, the city's major shopping and leisure centre. She took the idea to the Centre management team and they loved it, quickly recognising the trail's potential to increase the numbers of customers visiting the centre's stores and creating a sense of theatre for shoppers.

Twelve large, knitted sheep were placed in twelve stores, including GAP, Debenhams, Waterstones and John Lewis, along with trail leaflets that invited families to help Liverpool ONE's shepherd to find his sheep so he could go and see baby Jesus and tell the real story of Christmas. The leaflet also narrated the full traditional story of Christmas.

'I never imagined how all ages could get so excited about knitted sheep! Store staff had competitions to choose a name for their sheep; some sheep "travelled" around stores daily. Many store staff bonded with their sheep and were very sad when the trail was over.'

Jane Leadbetter

'The messy sheep trail worked very well in Waterstones. It created fun for the children to try and find our sheep, "Sheila". It is always good for business to try new things and create as much theatre as possible within the store. We would be more than happy to be a part of this next year.'

Waterstones Liverpool ONE Branch Manager Andrew Campbell

The trail culminated in a prize draw for all completed trail entries.

The success in Liverpool demonstrates that UK city and town centres are interested in new and fun ways to attract customers and offer them an experience they will not find online.

So now over to knitters and churches nationwide. Here's your chance to get started on changing your shopping centre this Christmas.

All you need to get started is a copy of Jane's essential guide to all things woolly. Messy Nativity is available from all good Christian bookstores and online at www.brfonline.org.uk/9780857460554/. Jane gives you all the information, those essential knitting patterns, how to get your shopping centre involved and additional ideas on engaging the community around your local church with the passing from home to home of a Nativity set and how to arrange a street Nativity play.

So, yes, talking about Christmas now at the start of summer is a little unusual but if you want to be ready, it's time to get those needles clicking and those meetings happening.

No baaaaaa... humbugs please!