A season to spread message of love and hope

Churches celebrate Christmas by reaching out to foreign workers and those facing hard times

Performers singing in Trinity Christian Centre's Christmas production yesterday. The performance, Who Needs Christmas?, featured the stories of five people, each facing difficult circumstances.
Performers singing in Trinity Christian Centre's Christmas production yesterday. The performance, Who Needs Christmas?, featured the stories of five people, each facing difficult circumstances. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

This is the season to be jolly - with gifts, games and delicious treats as Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

But not everyone may be feeling the Christmas cheer.

This is something some churches in Singapore hope to change, by taking the opportunity to spread the message of hope.

Trinity Christian Centre, for example, did that through its 11/2-hour Christmas Eve production yesterday.

Pastor Victor Toh, who is overseeing the production, said: "Some people may treat Christmas as a money-making event, while others would consider it just like any other day. Another group of people, who are facing trying circumstances, may consider Christmas an inconvenience. But we want to let them know that Christmas is also a season of hope, no matter what their circumstances are."

The performance featured the stories of five people, each facing difficult circumstances.

One of the characters in the drama is a 15-year-old boy whose mother has dementia.

As the only child, he has to care for her while his father goes to work, explained Ms Noelle Wee, who volunteers as the production's assistant creative director.

She added: "He is struggling, and he is wondering if he could ever have a life like his peers.

"In the performance, he had just been to the supermarket, buying groceries for the family during the Christmas rush, and to him, Christmas was an inconvenience."

At the end of the performance, however, he learns about the true meaning of Christmas - celebrated around the world as the day that Christ, the bringer of hope, was born.

Said Mr Alfred Tan, the production's creative director: "With the current bleak situation people are facing - economic downturn, political upheavals and unrest, and all the geophysical disasters, people are wondering what all these mean for themselves and their loved ones."

Separately, the Tamil Methodist Church and Telugu Methodist Church in Short Street will be having a Christmas celebration of food, Christmas carols and games this evening to reach out to migrant workers.

Organiser John Barnabas said volunteers have been visiting a number of dormitories over the past month to invite the workers to the event.

"This outreach activity was conducted to spread the message of hope, love, joy and peace," he said.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on December 25, 2016, with the headline A season to spread message of love and hope. Subscribe