You're invited to Hush the Noise this Christmas

Our short film titled Hey, I've been trying to reach you follows the story of someone struggling with the busyness of life and all the noise that it brings at this time of year. Throughout the film we hear a voicemail left on their phone, explaining how pressurised Christmas can be; so much expectation, so many voices. Telling us how to celebrate, what to wear, what to eat and drink, what to watch and what to buy. Slowly, as the voicemail progresses, we realise there is a way to Hush the Noise and focus in on what is really important at this time of year.

Watch our 2024 Christmas film

The film has been created as part of an online campaign, run by the Connexional Team of the Methodist Church, to connect with people open to exploring faith across the digital landscape. With short-form versions of key moments in the film being utilised in a paid social media advertising campaign, as well as other content produced to engage these audiences, the aim is to see increased engagement and interaction across digital channels of the Methodist Church.

Listen to our 2024 Christmas singles

Alongside the film, two new contemporary arrangements of the carols Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, recorded with Methodist singers at GloWorm Recording Studios in Glasgow, are being released as singles across streaming platforms after the success of our first Christmas single, O Little Town of Bethlehem released in 2023. These three carols will form an EP, Christmas Vol. 1 to be released on 10 December. Lyric videos will also accompany the newly-release carols and will be available on the Methodist Church's YouTube Channel.

View the artwork below

Read our daily Christmas reflections

Our popular daily Christmas reflections, helping people to Hush the Noise from Christmas Eve up until Epiphany (6 January 2025) return from last year. Available to sign up to via email, these daily pieces of content have been written with a focus on connecting with audiences who don't have much church knowledge, but who understand there is something more in life than the noise which distracts us all too easily.

Ben Hollebon, Director of Digital Engagement for the Methodist Church, speaking about the campaign said, "Christmas is a busy time of year. We're bombarded with messages that demand our attention, our time, our money and our whole selves. We've seen the impact of this on ordinary people's lives who are trying to live up to the expectations set, not by them, but by the world around them. It's not the way things should be.

"Instead, the Methodist Church is inviting people to pause for a moment, to Hush the Noise around them and consider what this special time of year is actually about; a gift that changes the very nature of our humanity. It doesn't demand more of us, but gives freely to those who wish to receive it."

Notes

• Find out more about the campaign on our dedicated webpage
• Resources for Methodist churches can be found on our Christmas resources webpage
• You can stream the single Hark! The Herald Angels Sing today
• The single It Came Upon A Midnight Clear will be released on 6 December
• The Methodist Church is called to be a growing, inclusive, evangelistic and justice-seeking Church. Everyone is welcome at church this Advent and Christmas. Find your local Methodist Church through our church finder
• The digital work of the Methodist Church is funded through God For All: The Connexional Strategy for Evangelism and Growth, which was renewed by the Methodist Conference in 2024
• For more information or requests, please contact the Media team