Christians are inviting aspiring carol singers to share their love of Christmas by joining a public choir outside Waitrose at Westfield shopping centre.

Rev Christiana Asinugo, said her St Matthew’s congregation will join other worshippers at an inclusive carol service that will aim to connect Christianity with the community inside the consumer mecca.

She said she hopes to see plenty of people taking a break from their Christmas shopping to join in the singing, which will celebrate the “joy” of Christmas.

“This is very important to us because we want to give our seasonal greetings and to show our love with our presence,” she said. “Christmas is a time of joy, a time of sharing and a time of giving – this is a lift we can give to people.”

Rev Christiana’s team will be providing singers with carol sheets on the night to encourage newcomers to join in the shopping centre service.

She said the event, which St Matthew’s Church takes part in every year, provides an opportunity for her place of worship to reach out to people across the borough.

“We want to encourage people to come and join and sing,” she said. “We want to live up to our church’s motto of a ‘church in the heart of the community’.

“We’ll be bringing many song sheets to encourage that – everybody is welcome to share the joy of the season.”

But Rev Christiana said the event, which will run from 6pm-8pm on December 17, also carries a spiritual significance for her.

She believes that the carol service is an important part of her ministry, and that it helps to continue the work of Jesus by spreading love throughout Newham.

“Jesus Christ gave his life for the people,” she said. “This is the least we can give to the people to show love for one another.

“We hope to share the joy of the season with them and also the love of God.”

She said the church will also be reaching out to residents on December 12, when St Matthew’s will host a Christmas party.

Rev Christiana promised dancing and free food and drink at the party, which will begin at 7pm.