Click to enlarge photos of Family Fun Day

Thousands of people turned up at the Re:Act event in Gadebridge Park (Monday) to revel in the free fun provided by local churches and the Christian charity Urban Saints as part of Hope 08. Activities at the family fun day included face painting, hair braiding, games & crafts stalls, a petting farm, football & rugby workshops, a drumming workshop, and a café & BBQ serving free food & drinks throughout the day. It’s difficult to say exactly how many people came along, but to give some indication: the café alone served an impressive 2,500 drinks during the 3 hours it was open!  

We were also fortunate enough to feature the musical talent of local Christian artist, Dan Sheills who later gave his testimony from the stage. Despite the stormy forecast for the day, the weather was warm and everyone seemed content to queue in the sunshine for the various free activities! It was great to see local churches serving and communicating God’s love to people of all ages in a fun, practical way.  

Click to enlarge photos of Family Fun Day

Later in the day there was a Church Outdoors service run by the Re:Act team from Urban Saints. This was an opportunity for us to share our faith as Christians in an engaging way that is relevant to people who wouldn’t normally set foot inside a church. Several hundred people stayed to watch a dance presentation of the gospel and hear a talk from an evangelist speaker. We have yet to confirm exact numbers, but we know of at least 4 young people that gave their lives to Jesus during the day.  

Click to enlarge photos of Family Fun Day

Clare Barrs, one of the organisers of Monday's event, said: "I would like to say a huge thank you to every member of the volunteer and planning team and also to everyone who came to join in the fun! A great day was had by all. It just goes to show what we can achieve when we work together- this has been a really enjoyable first venture and hopefully many more to come!"