Guide to Hosting a ‘Service at Home’

Thanks for hosting a home group to celebrate together this Christmas Day!

Here is a brief guide on how to run the service to help you build confidence & cover all areas to help make it smooth.

Preparation

• Set up a TV with the CPE Christmas day page open on your computer/device: http://www.cpechurch.com/christmasday
• Play a couple of the videos to make sure the volume is set to a clear and comfortable level.
• Think about what food & drinks might be nice to share
• Have a plan regarding what happens after the service – will there be morning tea? Lunch? Will that be all? - Be sure to let the group know in advance.
• If there are kids in the group you may have some toys/crafts available for them to do when they wish to move / be active. The songs should be engaging for them, but if not they can revert to crafts/reading etc.

A warm welcome - “Merry Christmas!”

Make sure to give a warm welcome as people arrive.

Encourage the group to make themselves at home and chat while they wait for the service to start once everyone arrived.

Start with Prayer

As host, thank God for the gift of His Son and briefly give the home service over to God

Here is an example of how you might want to pray:

Father in Heaven, thank you that we can come together today to celebrate the coming of your Son Jesus into our world as a baby.

Please help us to know and remember the depth of your love for us in truly being our God with us.