Music is a great unifier and in Warwick, the Salvation Army Band is hoping to draw people together in area caroling events.

Band member Warren Jones said members of the Warwick Citadel band are concerned about the escalation in crime and how it is affecting residents.

"People are asking: 'what is the church doing?" he said. "Of course there is prayer but along with prayer we need to have action. We are looking for our congregations to be workers," he added.

The Warwick Band contacted Bright Temple AME church and St. Anthony's Roman Catholic church to host outdoor caroling events, as a way to get all Warwick residents out talking with each other.

"We decided to do it in three areas so as to take in all Warwick neighbourhoods," he said. "We want to have community share and fellowship - to come together and for this not to be the end but a beginning."

The plan is that area residents on or close to Warwick's western boundary will attend the carol event at St. Anthony's, while those neighbourhoods on the eastern side will go to Bright Temple and those in the middle will attend the Salvation Army event.

"Each of the three churches will lead as they want to," said Mr. Jones. The Salvation Army band will be on hand to play at each event.

The aim of the Band is that each event offers people a comfortable setting at which they can do more than sing carols. Mr. Jones said the Band want people to feel supported and comforted that God is with them and that they can ask for help and share their anxieties.

He said the hope is that as people enjoy their event, they spread the word and even attend the events outside their neighbourhood.

"By Christmas Eve when we host the caroling in our parking lot on Cedar Hill, we hope that everyone comes out," he said.

And he stressed that the Christmas Eve parking lot singing will not be a structured church service.

"We want people to reach out in their own neighbourhoods. We want them to come out that night however they want to come, whether it's for 15 minutes or the entire one and a half hours. If they want prayer there will be people inside the church to pray with them.

"We are not trying to get people to join our church but simply know it is a place to come for comfort. Romans chapter 12 verse 21 says: Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

"We want to be sure that the Christmas story is shared," he added. "Our vision is that by the time we get to Christmas Eve we will have so many people out rejoicing that people will lose any fear they have about coming out in their community."

The next caroling events are on Monday 21 December from 7:15 - 8 pm at Bright Temple AME Church, Spring Hill and on Thursday 24 December from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army parking lot on Cedar Hill.