Halesowen and Hagley church pulls out all the stops for Christmas

Thousands of special Christmas cards, food deliveries and gifts are set to wend their way to people across Halesowen, Rowley Regis and Hagley.

They are all projects run by the Lifecentral Church or ones that they are involved in.

The Church sprang into action when the pandemic struck and around 100 volunteers were being called on 50 to 60 times a week to deliver food, do the weekly shop, pick up a prescription, walk the dog or even do a spot of gardening.

They also ran a foodbank on two days of the week. That has now increased, with an extra Saturday morning session, but overall demand has levelled out again after a massive spike in the first lockdown.

But there is still plenty of work for the volunteers from a number of projects.

They have just been given a government grant to refurbish a warehouse at their Halesowen base to repurpose furniture for rehoused families.

And they have joined forces with Halesowen’s BID organisation, which represented the town centre businesses, in the Operation Santa project to provide a new gift under every Christmas tree in the town.

Meanwhile they are planning to provide food parcels for vulnerable families across the area under the Christmas Lunchbox Project.

And then there’s the Christmas cheer they are planning to hand out to 10,000 homes across the area.

Church members are being asked to deliver a special Christmas card in their street which says simply – and aptly, in the middle of a pandemic – Hope is Here.

But not to forget those in care homes, children are being asked to colour in special cards to be delivered to local homes with a special Christmas message.

The church is putting on their Christmas Experience Online on Sunday December 20 at 10 am, 4pm and 7 pm.

You can watch this via YouTube and Facebook, with music videos and creative arts to bring a unique presentation of the Christmas message to your home.

For more information go to www.lifecentralchurch.org.uk