Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham’s ‘Home for Christmas’ campaign reaches over 2 million views
Last month, our Christmas short film inviting people to rediscover church as a place of welcome and belonging reached more than 2 million views, striking a chord with audiences across social media.
The Home for Christmas film is a modern retelling of the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son, told in the style of a John Lewis Christmas advert. The story centres on themes of forgiveness, reconciliation and coming home, ending with a simple invitation for viewers to ‘find a church near you’.
The film was at the heart of a wider Christmas campaign, which also included a Christmas message from the Bishop Paul Williams (Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham), reflecting on the meaning behind the story and its relevance for people today.
Commenting on the success of the short film, Bishop Paul shared, “I’ve been really moved by the response to the short film and reading some of the comments. We’re so pleased that we’ve been able to share hope at Christmas with people all over the world!”
Following enthusiastic responses and repeated requests in the comments, the diocese also released a specially recorded music video of O Holy Night. The track was performed by Hannah Crutch (Worship Leader Facilitator) and Tom Walters (Contemporary Worship Lead), members of the diocesan central support team, and featured in the original film.
The parable short film alone has been viewed 2.1 million times to date across platforms and generated more than 98,000 interactions through likes, comments and shares. The wider campaign reached almost 2.2 million views and over 103,000 interactions, with Instagram proving to be the most engaged platform.
Since the campaign launched, the diocese has begun to receive moving stories from local parishes and individuals, sharing how the film prompted conversations, encouraged attendance at Christmas services, and provided churches with the opportunity to share a compelling invitation for people to find home in Jesus.
You can use the links below to watch the videos.
Home for Christmas | Parable Short Film