PraiseFest

This article launches a new Tidings section, “Stuff That Works,” sharing practical, real-world ideas for living and sharing the gospel. It begins with PraiseFest—a joyful, outdoor outreach that brought faith, music, and community together.

This article introduces another of our new sections in the Tidings, affectionately entitled “Stuff That Works”. The idea for the section emerged at one of our committee meetings, when we realized that throughout our ecclesial world, many ecclesias and individuals have developed innovative ways to both live the gospel and share it with others. We felt that the Tidings could be a platform to share some of these successful ideas, so that they could either be replicated, or, as we’ll see in some of the future articles, both used and shared with others. Each article will follow a “What,” “Why,” and “How” format to better aid implementation. If you or your ecclesia have done anything that you think could be helpful to the community, please consider sharing it (submissions@tidings.org).
-Jason Hensley

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WHAT:

In August 2022, the Collingwood Christadelphians launched a bold new outreach initiative called PraiseFest—a vibrant, outdoor celebration of faith, music, and fellowship held at a local park.¹ From noon to 4:00 pm, families gathered under sunny skies to enjoy live spiritual music, puppet shows, carnival games, crafts, face painting, and free Bible giveaways. We designed the event to glorify God, uplift attendees, and connect with the local community in a joyful and welcoming way.

WHY:

The inspiration for PraiseFest came during a visit to Australia in 2022, where we met with Bro. James DiLiberto. He shared how the Canterbury Ecclesia in Melbourne had discovered, during the pandemic, that neighbors responded positively to outdoor services held in their parking lot. Encouraged by this success, they organized a pre-Easter event featuring music, food, children’s activities, and Bible talks—drawing over 300 attendees. That conversation sparked a vision: to bring a similar spirit of open-air worship and outreach to Collingwood.

HOW:

Back home, the ecclesia embraced the idea with enthusiasm. Bro. Bob Venton, who had long dreamed of a “Praise in the Park” event, helped lead the charge. The chosen venue—a highly visible park near busy roads—was ideal for attracting passersby. With permits secured and a team of brothers and sisters dividing tasks according to their talents, PraiseFest began to take shape.

The goals were clear: share the Gospel message, make the Christadelphian name more recognizable in Collingwood, and give glory to God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Advertising was creative and cost-effective. Sister Heather Venton designed the PraiseFest logo, and Bro. Jason Grant helped shape the visual theme. Local shops displayed posters, and we hand-delivered postcards, as well as distributed them via newspaper. A modest fee boosted our Facebook post, which reached thousands of people and generated hundreds of responses.

Since 2022, we have now hosted four PraiseFest events. Each was a joyful tapestry of music, activity, and conversation. Musicians from nearby ecclesias performed in half-hour shifts on a small stage with a loudspeaker, offering a mix of original compositions, songs from Christadelphian worship books, and familiar hymns. This year, members led a lively set of children’s songs with actions, engaging young attendees in praise. Between musical sets, a puppet theatre presented original 15-minute Bible-themed plays such as “David and Goliath,” “Daniel and the Lion’s Den,” and “Be Kind to Others”—a consistent highlight each year.

Around the park, stations offered a variety of crafts, games, and refreshments. Children made Bible bookmarks at the craft table, played mini-golf, and enjoyed face painting. Popcorn, drinks, and snacks were freely available, courtesy of a local grocery store owner who is a member of the ecclesia. Attendance has ranged from 60-90 people, many staying for two to three hours.

A key feature of PraiseFest was the Free Bible Booth, which remained busy throughout the afternoon. Attendees could browse a wide selection of Bibles and literature, including colorful Tidings leaflets and accessible books from the UK Christadelphian Office, such as Life’s Biggest Questions, Evolution or Design, and Exploring the Bible. Each item had contact information, a Bible reading planner, and a leaflet titled “Five Reasons to Believe the Bible is Inspired.”

To encourage deeper engagement, we introduced a raffle system. Participants earned tickets by completing Bible-themed challenges, such as arranging the books of the Bible in order or making a bookmark, and entered hourly prize draws. Prizes included Scripture coloring books, verse bracelets, and popular illustrated Bibles, such as The Picture Bible and The Action Bible. This interactive approach drew people to the booth and sparked meaningful conversations. Having two volunteers at the booth ensured that both children and adults could be welcomed and engaged.

Financially, PraiseFest was well-managed. The total cost has averaged approximately $2,500 CAD, with generous donations helping the team stay within budget. ASK has defrayed some of the cost to the ecclesia by covering half the expenses!

REFLECTION:

PraiseFest has served as a powerful bonding experience for the ecclesia. Children helped with puppet play rehearsals, food distribution, and game setup. Leaflets were placed at each station, encouraging everyone to participate in discussions about the Bible. The event fostered teamwork, joy, and a shared sense of mission.

Despite the positive turnout and enthusiastic feedback, the ecclesia has not yet seen ongoing contacts from PraiseFest. This result has been a source of discouragement for some, but the team remains hopeful. They take comfort in knowing that the event offered a positive witness to the Gospel, planted seeds of faith, and made the Christadelphian name familiar in the community. Many children’s books and Bibles went home with families, each bearing contact information and resources for further exploration.

Two anecdotes underscored the event’s impact:

• A minor emergency delayed a woman who had planned to attend—her son accidentally hooked her arm with a fishing hook. Her children came to the Bible booth seeking help, and volunteers quickly drove her to the hospital. She later contacted the organizers via Facebook to express her gratitude and interest in future events for her children.
• A young girl entered the raffle multiple times and took many free resources over the course of the afternoon. By the end of the day, she had quite a bag full of Bibles, booklets and leaflets! We were unsure of how to handle it, and discussed how to prevent this in future years. The following year, the girl returned with her mom, who told us that her daughter had been talking about the event all year and was excited to attend again. The mother volunteered the fact that her daughter had given away all the Bibles and leaflets to friends at school! We were excited for her to take more resources to share.

We never intended PraiseFest to be a “one-and-done” event. Flyers distributed during the festival promoted a series of follow-up Bible talks, covering topics such as Bible prophecy, hope, and the return of Christ. These talks aimed to build on the momentum of PraiseFest and offer attendees a deeper exploration of Biblical themes.

Upon reflection on PraiseFest, it’s clear that the event successfully achieved its goals and laid the groundwork for future outreach. It was a joyful, Spirit-filled day that brought people together, shared the message of hope found in the Bible, and showcased the love and dedication of the Collingwood Christadelphians. With PraiseFest now an annual tradition, we aim to reach even more hearts and foster lasting connections within the community.

As Psalm 150:6 declares, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.” (ESV). PraiseFest is a living testimony to that call—an afternoon where faith, music, and fellowship came together in a beautiful witness.

Chris and Martha Sales,
Collingwood Ecclesia, ON

Visit PraiseFest at: www.praisefest.ca

1 The Tidings previously reported on that first PraiseFest in November 2022. This article shows how the initiative has grown since then!