Angels on stilts, real camels and hosting nativity plays in a barn are just some of the increasingly creative ways churches in the UK are looking to use in a bid to draw a crowd at Christmas, according to UK-based insurance company Ecclesiastical.
The company, which insures the majority of Anglican churches in the UK, said that it typically gets inundated with unusual requests relating to Christmas services in the lead-up to the big day as churches look for new ways to tell the Christmas story.
Helen Richards, customer service manager at the insurer, said it has led to some “very bizarre” conversations.
“[C]hristmas always brings a few surprises,” she said in a statement. “Dealing with donkeys in the church invariably comes up, as well as using candles and making sure people can get in and out of the church safely but this year we’ve had some slightly stranger requests too.”
“One customer called to ask if they would be covered if they held their nativity service in a barn and another wanted to know if angels on stilts would be covered under their policy. But my personal favourite is definitely whether we had any advice on bringing real camels in to the church.”
A spokesman for the Church of England told The Telegraph they were “delighted” to see such creativity.