Rouse Hill Corps gets into festive spirit with multiple events
Rouse Hill Corps gets into festive spirit with multiple events
22 December 2016
Spreading Christmas cheer has been the focus of Rouse Hill Corps during the festive season.
Spreading Christmas cheer and connecting with the local community has been the focus of Rouse Hill Corps during the festive season. Throughout November and December, Rouse Hill has run numerous events to share the message of Christ.
“This year we have made a focus to ensure that we connect well with people and, as a result, we saw our church engage and connect with our community in many ways in order to share Jesus well,” said Rouse Hill Corps Ministry Assistant, Liam Holland.
The corps partnered with The Hills Musical Society and The Ponds School to host the inaugural “safe, secure and accessible” carols event for special needs children. More than 850 people from the Rouse Hill community and The Ponds School attended the event for the first time on 10 December. Along with singing carols, Rouse Hill Corps collaborated with local organisations such as Rotary and Lions to provide a family-friendly atmosphere, including food and coffee, jumping castles, lolly bags and face painting.
“It was worth it for one family who said, ‘This is the first carols we have been able to attend with our child that we have felt safe enough to do so and enjoy’,” said Liam.
Many of the families who attended have children with special needs, and a team of 20 Salvo volunteers took the time to connect with these families and offer further assistance wherever necessary.
Rouse Hill Corps have distributed 40 Christmas hampers within their local community.
Spreading Christmas cheer didn’t stop at the carols. Throughout November, Rouse Hill Corps took part in their community’s annual Santa parade, singing Christmas carols while they marched. A group of Rouse Hill members also sang five carols at their community’s annual Christmas tree lighting event, which saw over 5000 people attend. Teams of Salvo volunteers were again available to connect with people at these events.
“We saw many people come out and we saw a couple of opportunities for prayer, where a number of people saw answers to those prayers,” said Liam.
Throughout the Christmas period, Rouse Hill collated and distributed 40 hampers within their community. The corps also held two gingerbread house and nativity-making events, with 70 people attending across both events. Lastly, more than 200 people attended the corps’ annual community carols night, at their local park, on 13 December.
“While all the events had great attendance, our greatest joy has been seeing families connect and talk about faith along with individuals sharing part of their stories including the highs, the lows and the challenges,” said Liam.
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