Thousands attend Silent Night carol services

Hundreds of carol services that draw on the Christmas Day truces in 1914 have been taking place throughout December.

The Silent Night Carol events use material created by the national initiative Hope 14 that help remember the remarkable events 100 years ago when fighting temporarily ceased in the trenches of World War I. Soldiers from both sides sang the well-known carol Silent Night, with some even joining together to play football.

Hope 14, which aims to inform and inspire people about Christianity, has been encouraging Christians to host Silent Night events in their communities as a way of remembering the sacrifice of so many 100 years ago.

In particular it has invited churches to link with local sports clubs, and has provided a range of material to help them do so.  As a result, dozens of stadia that have never previously staged a carol service have done so this year, with thousands of supporters attending.

One of the biggest events was at the Liberty Stadium, home of Swansea City, which saw more than 3500 people enjoy an evening of carols, music and readings.

More than 1,000 people attended a Silent Night event at Selhurst Park, home of fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace. Hosted jointly by the club alongside Churches in Croydon, it involved manager Neil Warnock reading the Christmas lesson from the gospel of Luke, and was described as “a profoundly moving evening” by the club website.

Rugby and cricket clubs, as well as many other football clubs, have also linked up with local churches to stage Silent Night events.

Hope’s executive director Roy Crowne said the take-up has “far exceeded expectations”. 

He added, ‘Lots of clubs have been hosting the first ever carol service. Some players have given their testimonies, and these have gone on club websites.
‘And at so many clubs the manager has said we must do this again. It’s helped churches develop more of a relationship with their clubs: what a legacy.’

As well as sports stadia, many others have taken up the challenge, with more than 600 events taking place in churches, community centres, pubs and schools. Members of Creech St Michael Baptist Church led a service in Somerset Bridge Primary School in Bridgwater, a new school on a new estate and a significant first for the new community. Castle Hill Baptist Church in Warwick organised an event in the Roebuck Pub.

Basingstoke Baptist Church used the material when it hosted an evening for the local Women’s Institute. ‘It was well received and a very encouraging evening,’ said minister Trevor Woodget. ‘People found it inspiring.’  

Members of Market Harborough Baptist Church handed out hundreds of Hope’s Silent Night commemorative programme at the town’s Christmas Lights switch-on. Via an online poll the church had encouraged the town to vote for its favourite Christmas carols, and subsequently performed the top ten at its Carols by Candlelight service on 14 December. 

Running alongside the events has been the release of a new version of Silent Night with the chorus “Christ the Saviour is Born”. This version by Paul Potts, a former winner of Britain’s Got Talent, reached number one in the iTunes Christian and Gospel Song Chart. Through the carols' events and the release of this single, funds have been raised for Tearfund and its work in Syria.
 
Roy added, ‘For me, it’s looking to see where these things are in the culture. Because people get the truce, it’s been a fantastic opportunity to present the gospel. It’s reaching people who would never go to a church carol service.’