Easter: a time of hot cross buns, chocolate and hyperactive kids. Is that all? Well, for the mainstream of society that would seem

Child with Easter Egg=Dangerous!

to be it. We felt challenged as a team this year to make it more meaningful to the people who we do time with in our communities, people that have really struggled to make sense of their lives, let alone what they believe in. We share life with those on the bottom rung of society who are used to begging and getting what they can from the welfare system. But how could we make them realise that they are worth immeasurably more than what that same system makes them to be? How could we communicate to them that they are worth so much more in God’s eyes? Enough that he would send His son on the cross to die? There is no easy answer to this question, how can we find the words? So we decided that the best way was to show them.

Our teams in Noble Park and Dandenong got our heads together this year to find creative ways for people to engage in the Easter story in a 3-part event beginning with Maundy Thursday, the night Jesus broke bread with his disciples in celebration of Passover. This was the day that our team in Dandenong was responsible for. Our team was charged with the responsibility of holding a feast incorporating elements of the Passover tradition for the people we’ve come to know over the years. It was a mammoth task!

Our office was re-arranged to accommodate around 75-80 people. Large quantities of Lamb was roasted with vegetables, salads made, and desserts baked. Sharm prepared a brief talk on the elements of Passover that are celebrated by Jews from Jesus’ time to today. The office was decorated with several stations around the place prepared by the Noble Park team that depicted aspects of the story of Jesus’ death on the

Sharm doing a 3-legged race with friend

cross. It was a solemn and meaningful time for all of us.

But the highlight of the Easter celebrations was Resurrection Sunday in the park. Once again our neighbours and friends from

Singing 'Who Will Roll Away the Stone' in the park

Foodbank were all part of the celebrations. And once again, the focus was on helping our neighbours and friends to experience the joy that comes from a lived encounter with Jesus. Just as the disciples’ encounter with Jesus brought them immense joy and hope, the celebrations on that Sunday were a time of real joy, for our neighbours and us. Seeing the smiles on people’s faces that day (even an neighbour who has difficulty walking doing the hula hoop!) was a powerful ministry to us. Hope comes from experiences such as these.

God bless,

Pete, Sharm, Divya and Ashlyn Blair