The festive season is here, and St Columba’s Presbyterian Church in Parkview paused to reflect on a year marked by service, kindness, and hope.

Rev Melanie Cook, who leads the church, said that 2025 has been a year of both challenges and blessings, underscoring the enduring grace that sustains the community.

Cook reflected on the roots of the church’s outreach, explaining that it was during the Covid-19 pandemic that their mission found a clear direction.

“Our outreach ministry felt a calling to respond intentionally to those who were hungry, cold, and vulnerable, especially women and children affected by hardship and abuse.

Since then, our mission has remained simple, but deeply rooted in faith: To bring dignity, compassion, and love to those in need.”

Read more: St Martin’s Church brings health and hope to Rosebank’s homeless community

This past year has seen that call grow even stronger. Amid rising poverty and unemployment, the church has witnessed ordinary people performing extraordinary acts of service, offering a glimpse of hope in challenging times.

“To all who have prayed, donated, and volunteered… Thank you. Your kindness has been the hands and heart of Christ in our community.”

The highlights of St Columba’s work this year are extensive. The Kindness Kitchen continues to be the heart of the church’s outreach, serving more than 1 500 breakfasts each month. Each meal includes a cup of homemade soup, fruit, a boiled egg, and sandwiches.

Volunteers meet regularly for slice and dice sessions, to prepare over 200l of soup each month, with much of it lovingly made by one dedicated individual. Operating Monday to Friday for fifty weeks of the year, the kitchen offers nourishment and hope to those who need it most.

The church’s annual Blanket Drive, conducted in partnership with St Francis of Assisi Anglican Church, the Morningside Rotary Club, and the Parkview Residents’ Association, distributed over 550 blankets this winter.

Also read: Parkview church brings hope to the homeless 

In another heartwarming initiative, the Winter Warmers Project allowed soup kitchen clients to choose beanies and scarves in colours and styles that reflected their personalities, small acts that restored dignity to those often overlooked.

Mandela Day was marked by joy and service, with breakfast and care packs shared with people in Braamfontein, Auckland Park, and Melville. Students from the University of Johannesburg and the 67 Blankets initiative joined in, multiplying acts of kindness across the city.

The church’s newest project, the Garden of Hope, has taken root at Guild Cottage, a home for girls recovering from trauma and abuse.

Created in partnership with Andrew Murray NG Kerk, the vegetable garden offers a living space for healing, growth, and renewal. The girls have embraced the project wholeheartedly, finding peace and purpose in nurturing life from the soil.

Looking ahead to 2026, Cook says that St Columba’s focus will remain on building partnerships, nurturing hope, and serving through acts of love.

“We pray that every seed planted this year will grow into something that brings life, dignity, and transformation.”

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