The name of the event is drawn from the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:14 as he says: ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’. It is a day for the Christian churches to serve our community. But the day is not just for the children, or the young; it is for everyone.

I will be manning one of the barbecues. It will be fun to see the joy on the faces of the children and their families as they come to be served food and drink, receive a fun bag, have their faces painted or join in on the other different activities. There will be no payment required for any of these things. It will run from noon till 4pm.

The only cost will be your time. Unlike money, you cannot bank your time. You cannot save your time for later. You cannot hoard it. You and I can only ‘spend’ our time. So come on down to Sawyer Park and invite others to join in on this day of fun.

It is important for the Christian churches to be seen serving the community. Offering a variety of services, and different forms of assistance to people in need; both in our community or just passing through our region.

A church is never meant to exist just for itself. A church that is inward-looking and focused only on itself has no right to exist. Churches are meant to serve their community and the world. Jesus calls us to be his people and he sends us out to serve. Sadly we don’t always get this right. People are disappointed, let down, hurt and even abused. As we know, there are consequences for this, as there should be.

I am proud to live in a community where churches serve, and where their contribution is welcomed. May we continue to serve for the blessing of our community and others. May the world know through us and what we do that God loves all people equally and he delights in little children. He even says to us: ‘for you are precious and honoured in my sight, and I love you’. (Isaiah 43:4)