A METHODIST church in Cirencester is launching a ‘Living Advent Street’ as part of a project to bring the community together, help the homeless and raise funds for the local Help Medina charity.

Ashcroft Road Church & Centre is launching its Advent Street competition, where various households and businesses along the street will be displaying Christmas advent window panels, at an event tonight (November 26).

The Community Craft Group Girls' Brigade and children from the church’s Messy Café group have been busy making the advent windows for the competition, based on their favourite carols.

The launch event, to be held between 5pm and 6pm, will give hosts the chance to meet the window makers, collect their advent window displays and also take part in a taste test of goodies, including hot chocolate and mince pies.

Donations for the refreshments tonight and throughout December at the church’s Advent Café, also part of the project, are invited and will go towards Help Medina, a Cirencester charity which is building a centre to support children orphaned by Ebola in Sierra Leone.

The idea for Advent Street is the culmination of months of conversations and ideas sharing with local residents, businesses and church goers, coordinated by Sue Price-Rabantheng, outreach worker at Ashcroft Church.

Ms Price-Rabantheng said she was delighted with how the Advent project had blossomed.

“During September and October, I was outside the church building having conversations with our neighbours and the local businesses along the street.

“While inside I was getting to know people coming along to the Community Craft Group and the Language Cafe, two of the new ministries that have begun in the last year as a result of ideas that came out from discussions during the Sofa Month.

“It was also a time to share the Advent Café idea with many other people, encouraging and inviting them to get involved wherever they felt able to”.

She said: “The Advent Café will enable homeless friends in the community to meet somewhere to have a warm drink and something to eat.

“People living and working along the street can also pop in on the way home for a coffee and a chat.

“Children from the local schools and playgroups will also be sent competition forms to take part if they want to.”

Visit ashcroftchurch.org.uk for more information.