CHRISTCHURCH on The Grove, Ilkley, is opening up the Christmas stories in a brave and exciting way.

An interactive exhibition called Inside Christmas, designed for people of all ages opens in the church worship area this week.

The one-off experience, which takes its inspiration from family-friendly museum exhibitions, aims to get inside the well-known story of Christmas. By inviting visitors to walk through thought-provoking spaces, the Bible story is gently taken apart and explained. In places it is fun with dressing up. There is the mystery surrounding the visitors from the east. But be prepared - a few myths are busted too. Do you really know what's in the story, what's not there, and why?

Inside Christmas is open in Christchurch from November 25 to December 9, on Sunday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm and on all other days from 10am (Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays until 6pm, extended to 8pm on Thursdays and Fridays). Some local school groups are already booked in for a Christmas adventure.

The idea for 'Inside Christmas' came from the minister of Christchurch, Rev Rob Hilton. He recalls a meeting of cynics in a pub where he met a man who'd given up on Christian faith after visiting his daughter's School Nativity play.

"When he told me it was all a fairy tale he couldn't believe any more, I wept inside,” Mr Hilton said. “Inside Christmas will take an intelligent, accessible approach to some Bible stories that are amazingly powerful and relevant."