Faith and goodwill were on full display at the Florida Methodist Church when they held their annual fete on 5 October. The church community gathers once a year to help raise funds with their assortment of arts, crafts and delicious food items.
Surviving solely on donations and the generosity of its congregation, the church faces an uphill struggle to continue to service its members. All the money raised at the fete goes into keeping the church alive. One of the major draw cards at the fete was the ‘White Elephant’. Society Steward and fete organiser, Paul Sijbesma, explained this unique facet of the market day. ”All year round we take in donations from the community, from clothes to appliances to cutlery. We take these items, test them for suitability and then sell them at our annual fete. What makes this different from a charity shop is that it is a once-a-year event and the prices are substantially lower. For example, this morning we sold a fridge for R150.”
Spreading her blessings was Reverend Nombulelo Mbewu. She shared her thoughts on what society needs, saying, ”We live in tough times and now is not the time to lose hope. We need to anchor deep in faith and prayer.” She is a four-year veteran of the ministry and after serving on the South Rand circuit, she joined Florida Methodist Church in March this year.
Among the devoted congregants was multi-talented musician Ivan Livingstone who entertained throughout the day, playing his accordion, concertina and electric keyboard. ‘Golden Girls’ Terry Ermel and Jacqui Bunting provided the sweetness with their sugar-filled confectionery. Both Reverend Nombulelo and Paul hope to attract people back to the church and increase their community involvement.
”As a faith community we look to Jesus for guidance and inspiration for in His eyes are the answers,” Reverend Nombulelo reassuringly added.
