Christmas at the Space

In the community, with the community, for the community. This describes the community space, which ‘Whitehorse Churches Care’ runs at the Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre. I’ve enjoyed being part of supporting this collaborative outreach of a number of churches in the Whitehorse Council area of Melbourne.

It’s about creating a safe space, where many people from the local community feel comfortable wandering in:

• to join in an activity which appeals to them or touches a need
• stop by for a chat and a listening ear
• connect with others and feel a sense of belonging
• find out about resources that they can access
• contribute their gifts to others

People who wouldn’t feel comfortable coming to our churches, for one reason or the other, feel comfortable to just walk into this space. It’s a place where Christians from the church in Whitehorse, united in relational love, can together welcome those from the surrounding community, to experience the love of God, as we connect with them.

This month, we’re running an interactive Christmas exhibition at the Space from Dec.5^th-23^rd. It acknowledges how Christmas is many things for many people and allows participants to explore the full gamut of emotions that Christmas brings up, as well as how the festive season is celebrated around the world and in individual households.

The interactive displays feature a creative ‘Christmas forest’, a collaborative community Nativity scene, a Christmas ‘seek and find’ for the kids, how Christmas is celebrated around the world, the meaning behind our favourite Christmas symbols & traditions, arts and crafts tables, where you can make a personal Christmas card for someone.

There’s a variety of themed Christmas ‘trees’ – including one where you can post a memory of someone who has passed away & whom you miss at Christmas and a Giving Tree, where you can clip gift cards for those who are doing in tough at Christmas.

Please pray:

• for many hearts to be touched by the love of God
• for new relationships & friendships between Christians and people from the local community
• for the people who come, to experience the Holy Spirit drawing them closer to the true meaning of Christmas