FollowTheStar

Welcome to this #FollowTheStar - Join The Song app from the Church of England.

The app brings together some of the key digital resources for individuals and families for both Advent and Christmas 2023, as well as providing easy access to information about services and events near you as well as our national online services.

Once you are registered and logged in, on opening the app you will see a 'dashboard' which gives you easy access to the main features of the app:

- Daily #FollowTheStar reflections from Christmas Eve to 5 January on the theme of Join The Song
- Short daily Advent reflections from 1 December to 24 December
- Optional daily reminders for Christmas and/or Advent reflections
- Family Advent Calendar ideas for exploring #FollowThe Star - Join The Song
- Details of thousands of Christmas services and events near you
- Easy access to national online services for Advent and Christmas.

The top-left 'Menu' icon also allows you to browse all the reflections by date and gives you access to all areas of the app including suggestions on 'Going further' in your Christian journey, credits and more.

Daily #FollowTheStar reflections from Christmas Eve to 5 January
Follow The Star - Join The Song invites you to hear and respond to the angels’ invitation to gather in the presence of the newborn Jesus.
For each day from Christmas Eve to the Eve of Epiphany (5 January), this app offers a short reading from the Bible, a reflection challenging you to see the Christmas story afresh, an invitation to wonder what this Christmas means in your own life, and a prayer to help you treasure this story in your heart.
The Christmas reflections are taken from the Church House Publishing booklet Follow The Star: Join The Song - 12 days of Reflections for Christmas & the New Year by Richard Carter, which many churches will be distributing to worshippers and visitors at events and services this December.

Short daily Advent reflections from 1 December to 24 December
During Advent the Church prepares to celebrate Jesus' coming as a baby in Bethlehem and also looks forward to his coming again in glory. This app offers a daily theme, Bible verse, and an invitation to pause and pray. Each day's theme links to a simple action which is designed especially for families (see below), but people of all ages may find them helpful

Family activity #FollowTheStar Advent Calendar
Every day from 1 December to 24 December there is an Advent Calendar of simple actions to help families prepare for Christmas.

Optional daily reminders for Christmas and/or Advent reflections
You can set up and adjust personalised reminder notifications to help you make space in your day to reflect on your own #FollowTheStar journey. You can set up/switch off reminders for Christmas and/or Advent reflections and adjust the time at which your device will remind you.

Details of Christmas services and events near you
Both the dashboard and the daily reflections pages offer you online access to the AChurchNearYou church finder website where thousands of events and services for Advent and Christmas will be listed by churches in your local area, both on-site and online.

Easy access to national online services for Advent and Christmas
Wherever you're celebrating this year, you can join our weekly online services. Just follow the links from the dashboard or the Advent daily reflections pages.

#FollowTheStar - The Great Invitation is the latest version of the award-winning seasonal campaigns app from the Church of England, produced in collaboration with Church House Publishing and Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd and developed by Class Professional Ltd (incorporating Aimer Media Ltd).