To kick off the Christmas season, St John’s in Wakefield partnered with Church of Christ Spring Grove to host the “Christmas is Coming! Faulkner’s Bush Bonanza!” – a free community event held at the Faulkner’s Bush playground on 30 November.
The idea for the event grew out of a regional prayer group made up of believers from various churches across the Wakefield and Brightwater area, who meet fortnightly to pray for the people of our community.
Our aim was not only to provide a fun and welcoming day, but also to celebrate Christmas in a way that gently strips back the more secular elements often associated with the season and begins to point people toward the real and historical story of Christmas. As a faith community, we were intentional about keeping the day highly relational and freely offered, while thoughtfully including biblical Christmas themes through the activities. Pamphlets were also available, letting people know about the three topics that would be explored in the lead-up to Christmas.
Despite many prayers, wet and windy weather arrived just as the event began. While it was hard not to feel disappointed at first, we trusted that God knew what he was doing and that the weather we were given was the weather we needed. Sure enough, even before everything was fully set up, cars began filing into the playground area as families arrived eager to take part.
Although the rain eventually brought the event to an early close, an estimated 250 people from the community still came out and enjoyed everything on offer – from bouncy castles and barbecues to face painting, cookie decorating, baked goods, colouring competitions, and scavenger hunts. Mums, dads, and children alike jumped in and made the most of the day. With the rain pouring down, we wrapped things up with a memorable finale: the egg (golf ball) and spoon race!
In terms of offering a fun and generous day that served our community, the event was a great success. When it comes to drawing people’s attention to the deeper meaning of Christmas and what it means for them and for the world, there have been no obvious immediate results. However, we are convinced that one-off moments only bear lasting fruit when they are part of a faithful community of believers – people who are committed, again and again, to loving one another and loving their neighbour. Good things take time.
All in all, it was an encouraging day of churches working together to serve our community and to bear witness, in word and deed, to the true meaning of Christmas.
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We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
To kick off the Christmas season, St John’s in Wakefield partnered with Church of Christ Spring Grove to host the “Christmas is Coming! Faulkner’s Bush Bonanza!” – a free community event held at the Faulkner’s Bush playground on 30 November.
The idea for the event grew out of a regional prayer group made up of believers from various churches across the Wakefield and Brightwater area, who meet fortnightly to pray for the people of our community.
Our aim was not only to provide a fun and welcoming day, but also to celebrate Christmas in a way that gently strips back the more secular elements often associated with the season and begins to point people toward the real and historical story of Christmas. As a faith community, we were intentional about keeping the day highly relational and freely offered, while thoughtfully including biblical Christmas themes through the activities. Pamphlets were also available, letting people know about the three topics that would be explored in the lead-up to Christmas.
Despite many prayers, wet and windy weather arrived just as the event began. While it was hard not to feel disappointed at first, we trusted that God knew what he was doing and that the weather we were given was the weather we needed. Sure enough, even before everything was fully set up, cars began filing into the playground area as families arrived eager to take part.
Although the rain eventually brought the event to an early close, an estimated 250 people from the community still came out and enjoyed everything on offer – from bouncy castles and barbecues to face painting, cookie decorating, baked goods, colouring competitions, and scavenger hunts. Mums, dads, and children alike jumped in and made the most of the day. With the rain pouring down, we wrapped things up with a memorable finale: the egg (golf ball) and spoon race!
In terms of offering a fun and generous day that served our community, the event was a great success. When it comes to drawing people’s attention to the deeper meaning of Christmas and what it means for them and for the world, there have been no obvious immediate results. However, we are convinced that one-off moments only bear lasting fruit when they are part of a faithful community of believers – people who are committed, again and again, to loving one another and loving their neighbour. Good things take time.
All in all, it was an encouraging day of churches working together to serve our community and to bear witness, in word and deed, to the true meaning of Christmas.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
