On Saturday, we welcomed around 80 people to the parish of Wakefield & Districts for “Bring on Spring”, a relaxed evening of family fun, food, crafts, animals and plenty of laughter.
Last year we held a midwinter Christmas celebration, which went really well. This year we thought we would change things up a bit and use spring as a reason to throw a party!
The idea was really simple. We wanted to celebrate the change of season, create something people could invite friends along to, and give everyone a chance to relax and have some fun together.
There was heaps going on. We had a room full of craft tables with different activities for the tamariki (children), as well as live lambs that the kids could pat and spend time with. We also had balloon animals, although quite a few of them seemed to turn into swords! People were encouraged to design their own spring-themed hats, and we had spot prizes and a prize for the best spring hat.
One of the highlights was a men’s sculpture-building competition. The men got into teams and built sculptures using hot glue, nuts and bolts, springs, old tools, a skill-saw blade and all sorts of random bits and pieces. Everyone really got into it.
There were lots of tamariki running around throughout the evening, which gave the whole event a really lively whānau (family) feel. It was also great to have people involved from across the different churches in our area, including St John’s, Spring Grove and Brightwater. That sense of connection and unity between the different congregations is something we really value and want to keep building together.
It connects with the mission and ministry of our parish in a few different ways.
One is about strengthening the sense of community and whānau within the church.
The event was free as well, so that is part of our desire to serve the community and bring a sense of life and joy into Wakefield.
We had around 80 people there, including lots of children and families. We didn’t have a huge number of people from outside the church this time, but we see events like this as part of something bigger.
We see community engagement as a long game. We might not get huge reach from every individual event, but if we keep creating these opportunities, keep inviting people and keep showing that there is life happening in the church, then over time people begin to notice.
We want to keep nurturing the life of the church while also continually opening the doors to the wider community. Hopefully, over time, people begin to see that St John’s is a place with tamariki, whānau, friendship and life, and that the church is here for the community.
For us, it is about keeping on showing up, keeping on inviting, and trusting that those relationships grow over time.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
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.
On Saturday, we welcomed around 80 people to the parish of Wakefield & Districts for “Bring on Spring”, a relaxed evening of family fun, food, crafts, animals and plenty of laughter.
Last year we held a midwinter Christmas celebration, which went really well. This year we thought we would change things up a bit and use spring as a reason to throw a party!
The idea was really simple. We wanted to celebrate the change of season, create something people could invite friends along to, and give everyone a chance to relax and have some fun together.
There was heaps going on. We had a room full of craft tables with different activities for the tamariki (children), as well as live lambs that the kids could pat and spend time with. We also had balloon animals, although quite a few of them seemed to turn into swords! People were encouraged to design their own spring-themed hats, and we had spot prizes and a prize for the best spring hat.
One of the highlights was a men’s sculpture-building competition. The men got into teams and built sculptures using hot glue, nuts and bolts, springs, old tools, a skill-saw blade and all sorts of random bits and pieces. Everyone really got into it.
There were lots of tamariki running around throughout the evening, which gave the whole event a really lively whānau (family) feel. It was also great to have people involved from across the different churches in our area, including St John’s, Spring Grove and Brightwater. That sense of connection and unity between the different congregations is something we really value and want to keep building together.
It connects with the mission and ministry of our parish in a few different ways.
One is about strengthening the sense of community and whānau within the church.
The event was free as well, so that is part of our desire to serve the community and bring a sense of life and joy into Wakefield.
We had around 80 people there, including lots of children and families. We didn’t have a huge number of people from outside the church this time, but we see events like this as part of something bigger.
We see community engagement as a long game. We might not get huge reach from every individual event, but if we keep creating these opportunities, keep inviting people and keep showing that there is life happening in the church, then over time people begin to notice.
We want to keep nurturing the life of the church while also continually opening the doors to the wider community. Hopefully, over time, people begin to see that St John’s is a place with tamariki, whānau, friendship and life, and that the church is here for the community.
For us, it is about keeping on showing up, keeping on inviting, and trusting that those relationships grow over time.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
