Church Army is hosting the POSADA movement ahead of Christmas, encouraging the public to make room for Jesus at churches, offices, and supermarkets.

Although there may not have been any room at the inn for Mary and Joseph on Christmas, Church Army's POSADA wishes to revive an old Mexican tradition and provide that space for them.

POSADA (Spanish word meaning 'inn') is the title for a very special Mexican celebration of Christmas in which two young people dressed as Mary and Joseph would travel from house to house in their village to proclaim the imminent arrival of Jesus and request that the newborn baby be given a room. On Christmas Eve they would re-enact a community play and bring figures of Mary and Joseph to be placed in a crib.

Church Army have updated this idea to give the public some ideas on the theme of giving a home to the nativity figures of Mary and Joseph and remind us of the need to make room for Jesus in our lives, homes and communities.

The idea is for nativity figures to travel around the parish, work places or communities from place to place arriving at church each night from the fourth Sunday before Christmas, just in time for the Christmas Eve service to celebrate the birth of Jesus.