About 700 people gathered to joyfully usher in the season of service in Johannesburg, South Africa over the first weekend of December.
Friends and members of the church enjoyed musical performances and sang Christmas carols in two Light the World Carols Festivals held in Soweto (west of Johannesburg) and Bedfordview (east of Johannesburg) on 3 and 4 December.
The theme of the events was, “Come Serve as He Served”.
They marked an invitation to community members to feel the joy of Christ’s light through service. Participants brought donations for hygiene kits for Women’s Shelters in the greater Johannesburg region. At both events, two donation boxes were overflowing with goodies.
Congregants leaving the event were gifted with a roll of red “Light the World” branded wrapping paper. This wrapping paper is Christmas wrapping with a twist. It comes with a special challenge.
- The-Light-the-World-star-welcomed-visitors-to-the-Carols-Festival-in-a-bid-to-remind-all-to-'Come-Serve-as-He-Served'
- Mpumi-Alla,-narrator-for-the-Light-the-World-Carols-Festival,-addresses-the-audience.
- Performers-and-guests-at-the-Light-the-World-Carols-Festival-in-Bedfordview,-South-Africa.
- Behind-the-scenes-volunteers-from-the-Area-Office-in-Johannesburg-help-roll-wrapping-paper-for-the-event---'Christmas-wrapping-with-a-twist.'
- Behind-the-scenes-volunteers-from-the-Area-Office-in-Johannesburg-help-roll-wrapping-paper-for-the-event---'Christmas-wrapping-with-a-twist.'
- A-congregant-shares-a-photo-of-her-presents-wrapped-up-to-give-away-to-someone-in-need.
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Elder Glenn Holmes, a regional leader of the church in the Johannesburg area, explained what that was.
“Use this wrapping paper to ‘Light the World’ by wrapping a gift for someone in need,” he said. The challenge is yet another way to view the Christmas season as an opportunity to join hands with others in uplifting those in need.
Church units all over southern Africa will spend December rolling out their own Light the World service projects aimed at uplifting those in distress, and forging partnerships with other organisations. More than 30 humanitarian projects are currently underway.
The efforts range broadly in their scope and aims, in an effort to do what’s meaningful and relevant in each community. For example, in George, South Africa, there’s a community effort to uplift a local park culminating in a community picnic. In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, there’s a wide-ranging effort to assist a home for the elderly, ending in a joyful Christmas carols event. In Springs, South Africa, volunteers will man “giving boxes” in large malls to support four local non-profit organisations. In Eswatini, volunteers will host a Christmas lunch for a Catholic school for the disabled. In Zambia, volunteers will paint and clean an ablution block for a teaching hospital in Kitwe. Volunteers in Mauritius will paint and renovate the SOS children’s village. In Windhoek, Namibia, there’s an effort to assist a soup kitchen and charity children’s kindergarten.
Follow us for coverage on these and other projects over December.
Would you like to join the movement to #LightTheWorld this Christmas? Visit www.LightTheWorld.org to learn more.