It's that time of year again - our busiest - I'm sure it's yours too! For St Laurence's, it starts with arrival of Christmas Cards and our Christmas Shop in late October, followed closely by a set of major services: Remembrance, Advent Carols and many Christmas Carol Services and concerts in between; so much to do, so little time to do it.

It reminds me of the familiar phrase 'A dog is for life not just for Christmas'; change one word and somehow it rings true for all churches 'A Church is for life not just for Christmas'.

England has 16,000 parish churches, one in almost every community, places for and of the people they serve. Each week, regular as clockwork, choir and bell ringers rehearse, flowers are arranged, seats are polished, candles are lit and daily prayers are said; none of which would be possible without an army of volunteers.

On top of the 35,000 people who come to services and events in St Laurence’s, we welcome more than 65,000 tourists. There’s always a friendly volunteer to offer a warm welcome on behalf of the town; no visitor leaves without a sense of St Laurence’s being a special place, some say, where earth meets heaven.

It’s all too easy to assume the church is frozen in time, but many of our visitors remark on how vibrant St Laurence’s is: always busy, always something happening, always evolving to meet the needs of the community it serves. This year has seen the introduction of free wifi, and ‘posh’ takeaway coffee; we’ve also seen growth in the toddlers’ groups and the 5-8 year-old singing group.

So don’t forget us, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Tripadvisor. Consider making a donation, one-off or regular, to support our work via Justgiving; or why not consider volunteering?

From welcomers to dusters, your parish church needs you!