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Opening the Advent door on Christmas - Church of England Online Advent Calendar goes live

3 December 2006

 

Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, will push the button to launch the Church of England’s first official online Advent Calendar – www.adventstories.org - at a special event in the grounds of York Minster tonight.

The website marks the first time the Church of England has launched a national initiative using the web to explore the meaning of Christmas and to highlight the deep significance of the festival for millions of people across the country. The calendar draws together a range of real-life stories about what Christmas means to people today – from a paramedic in Carlisle, to a donkey sanctuary owner in Oxfordshire, to an estate agent in Tunbridge Wells – in a way that is accessible to people of all ages.

Advent is about slowing down and taking time to think about the ‘why’ of Christmas, not the ‘how’. On each day of Advent, a virtual ‘window’ will be unlocked for visitors to click open, revealing the personal words and a portrait photograph of Christians specially interviewed for www.adventstories.org. From stories of joy at coming to faith, to stories of pain at being separated from loved ones, the calendar aims to present glimpses of how the celebration of the birth of Jesus impacts on people today.

This evening, the first ‘window’ will be unveiled in style when a giant-sized version of the story will be projected onto the East Front of York Minster in the heart of the city. Passers-by will see a 20-foot high picture of the Archbishop of York accompanied by some words from his own Christmas story. In it, Dr John Sentamu writes: “Advent is like a hungry man waiting for a fabulous feast. Christmas comes with a sense of longing being fulfilled and hopes being met. As a cook, I love Christmas Day. As the aroma of the food wafts through the house it reminds everyone that there’s a good meal coming.

“Advent is like the aroma of Christmas, reminding us of the day when God will invite us all to join Him in the best banquet ever. No one need be left out. The choice is ours.   

“The clarion call of advent is: wake up, clean up, grow up, serve up.”

Behind each window, visitors will be encouraged to find out where their nearest church is through the ‘A Church Near You’ website, and will also be able to explore more about Christianity through a link to the ‘rejesus.co.uk’ website. Through these elements, the calendar’s designers hope to offer visitors a range of options for discovering more about the real Christmas story.

www.adventstories.org will be live until Epiphany – the ‘official’ end of Christmas, on Sunday 7th January 2007.