‘Camel Ye Faithful’ – Churches bringing furry friends to festivities

In the build-up to Christmas, Ecclesiastical’s church teams have received calls from parishes across the country as churches look to put on events for the local community, some more unusual than others.

The queries from conscientious church volunteers planning this year’s events include Anglo-Catholic church St Etheldredas in Fulham, who will bringing the three camels to the streets of West London in a live re-enactment of the Three Wise Men’s journey to Bethlehem.

Having welcomed around 500 local residents to the event last year, organisers are anticipating even more attendees this Christmas and have been keen to ensure the event goes without a hitch.

Speaking ahead of the event, Father Ross Gunderson said: “I’m well aware that some would say it’s too early for camels to come out as epiphany is celebrated in January. However, nobody quite knows how long it took those wise men to travel to see Christ himself!

“We are hoping that the outdoor services, processions and camels are not just talking points but become an embedded tradition, that will continue to be a blessing to all within the Parish. Furthermore this is a tried and tested missional activity, these public declarations of following Christ are a sign to others that reached far beyond the church walls.

“On the procession we’ll be joined by Fulham Brass Band, who rehearse in our church and are an incredible blessing to our community, and we’ll have steel drum performances which will point to the heritage of our church and the Windrush generation that first attended St Etheldredas.”

Further north in Yorkshire, the Parish Church of St. Wilfrid’s, Calverley will be going against the old adage of ‘never working with children or animals’ to work with both children and animals as they host a walking nativity play featuring donkeys and a cameo from sheep.

The performance will invite residents have their faces painted, select costumes and take a lantern on the procession where the story of the nativity will be told as attendees loop around the village, stopping at the local pub, before returning to the church via the graveyard where the church has sheep to help maintain the grass length.

Lizzie Reynolds, curate at Calverley Parish Church, said: “Our strapline is ‘Loving God, Loving Calverley, Growing Together’ and we see this event as a really good example of us getting out there into the community.

“The lantern lit procession will visit the local pub, where of course there’ll be no rooms, before coming back to the church to sing festive carols to celebrate the birth of Christ with minced pies and mulled wine.

“People come together at Christmas and we’ve asked for donations to contribute to the local women’s refuge, with presents, toiletries and warm clothing.”

Christmas events have long attracted non-regular churchgoers to their local churches and provides opportunities for both fundraising and to attract new members to congregations. With increasing competition from Christmas markets, light switch ons and other events over the festive period, churches are drawing in crowds with four-legged furry friends.

Research carried out by Ecclesiastical in association with The Bible Society revealed most churches (87%) regularly put on events as a way to engage with their local community. The survey also found over two-thirds (69%) of churches wanted to host more events, with almost half (48%) considering events as a good fundraising opportunity.

Despite this, research from earlier in the year found Christmas wasn’t as much of a donations driver as other times of the year. Just two out of five (40%) churches believed Christmas was important to their annual fundraising while three in five (60%) disagreed that Christmas was more important to their annual fundraising than other events.

Helen Richards, church Operations Director at specialist insurer Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: “Christmas is a hugely important time of year for churches and their congregations and by hosting events, churches can celebrate with local residents and spread the joy.

“In recent years we've really seen churches embracing their creativity and looking at ways they can engage with the wider community at Christmas time, offering an opportunity for friends old and new to come together to mark this special time of year.

“We tend to get calls about dealing with donkeys in the church, as well as questions about hosting events outside – such as in barns – along with using candles and making sure people can get in and out of the church safely. This year’s query about camels is definitely one of my favourites in recent memory and I hope the event is a great success.”

Ecclesiastical’s church team is on hand to support customers with any queries they may have about Christmas events, while the insurer’s risk management team have developed guidance to help churches host events safely.

The guidance includes checking to see if any additional precautions might be necessary, for example when using animals. These will reflect the size and nature of the event, the size and location of the church or other venue, the number of volunteers involved, the number of visitors expected to attend, and the nature of the activities involved in the event itself.

To speak to a member of Ecclesiastical’s church team about any events you may be hosting, call 0345 777 3322 (Monday to Friday, 8 AM–6 PM, excluding bank holidays) or email the church team at churchteam@ecclesiastical.com