CHURCHES are to offer people chocolate to entice them back to Sunday worship.

Anyone who attends one of more than 20 East Lancashire Church of England churches this weekend will be given a goodie bag to show them a "warm welcome" - with the added sweetener.

The vicar behind the scheme said it showed the Church was in the "real world" and attempting to reach out to people.

But others said the offer, which has been backed by the Blackburn Diocese, could be seen as a "gimmick" which trivilalises the importance of faith.

About 600 bags have been prepared for the weekend drive.

They will include information about church life and a message from the Bishop of Blackburn the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade.

Also included is a bar of chocolate produced under the Fair Trade principle, which gives a greater share to third world producers.

The scheme is being co-ordinated by the Rev Gill Dyer, of St James, Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen.

She said: "Research has shown that many people who leave their church simply drift away. Other things become a priority.

"For other people it is a case of a bad experience', and all they need is a warm welcome to get them to return.

"It is about creating that personal contact. Chocolate is always a nice gift and it acts as a nice advert for Fair Trade."

She went on: "This is the real world we live in and the church has got to catch up with the fact that you wouldn't go to a shop unless they advertised themselves.

"That is all the church is doing. We are looking at new ways of marketing ourselves."

She said the "Back to Church Sunday" scheme had been tried out in other places across the country and brought 25,000 people back to regular worship.

Although church attendances have risen in the county from about 35,600 a week in 2002 to 37,700 in 2004, the Rev Dyer said much more needed to be done.

She said: "There has been a huge drop off in attendance.

"About thirty years ago there were about double the amount of people going to church than there are now.

"Attendance is mixed. Some are thriving but there a lot which are half full."

Last weekend the scheme was tried out at St Andrew with St Margaret, Colne Road, Burnley, and St James, Briercliffe.

Canon Peter Hapgood-Strickland, who is vicar of both churches, said: "It went reasonably well. There were a few people we hadn't seen for a long time.

"People often get embarrassed going back after an absence so it makes it easier to get back to church."

Yet the Rev Paul Watson of Immanuel and All Saints in New Lane, Oswaldtwistle said: "It's great if you can get people back to church however it sounds a bit of a gimmick.

"Do people who want to come to church really want to come back for a goodie bag?

"One wonders what happens the next Sunday. Does the warm welcome continue?

"Are there things in place to encourage people who have come back to keep on coming?

"It is not hard to get people to come to church, the hard thing is to make them feel part of the Christian family."

The news was also given a mixed reception from the Catholic community.

Father Peter Knowles of Holy Souls, Whalley New Road, Blackburn said: "If it brings out the symbolism that religion is sweet then that is very Biblical."

But Father Stephen Doyle of St Peter in Chains, Jessel Street, Mill Hill, Blackburn said: "I don't think a lot of it. It is a bit trivial.

"People should be encouraged to come to church for the right reasons rather than to get a goodie bag.

"It expects something in return rather than worship for the glory and honour of God."