RSS 2.0 FeedDecember 2009 Volume 16, Religion/Spiritual
Churches unite for tales of inspiration, hope and forgiveness
Former international Zimbabwean Test cricketer Henry Olonga – famed for being forced into hiding after wearing a black armband in opposition to Mugabe’s regime – will be talking about life in Mugabe’s firing line.
THE father of a murder victim, a reformed terrorist and a campaigning cricketer will be the guest stars of a mid-Cheshire church campaign.
Winsford Lifestyle Centre will play host to a week of events next Easter as part of the Passion for Life campaign, aimed at reconnecting the church with the community.
Former international Zimbabwean Test cricketer Henry Olonga – famed for being forced into hiding after wearing a black armband in opposition to Mugabe’s regime – will be talking about life in Mugabe’s firing line.
Robin Oake, the one-time chief constable of the Isle of Man Constabulary, will be speaking about how he managed to forgive the terrorist who stabbed his policeman son to death during a counter-terror raid in Manchester in 2003.
Fiona Castle, the widow of television entertainer Roy Castle, will be discussing how she found peace and hope in her loss, and former Northern Ireland sectarian fighter David Hamilton, who found God while serving 11 years in the infamous Maze Prison, will tell of how he turned his back on terrorism.
Bethel Church, Northwich; Christ Church, Wharton; Emmanuel Church, Leftwich; St John the Baptist, Hartford, St Michael and All Angels, Middlewich; St Stephen the Martyr, Moulton, and St Wilfrid’s, Davenham; have all joined forces to stage the evangelical extravaganza in March.
Organiser the Rev Tim Hanson, of Christ Church, Wharton, hopes the varied line-up will help the church engage with a cross section of the community.
“Passion for Life is a national initiative being delivered at a local level. It’s taken a lot of planning.
“But the motivation is that churches are so often pushed against the wall, there’s a lot of negative press about us and how many people are leaving so we’ve decided to be a bit more proactive.
“We want to show people what we stand for in a way that is attractive and accessible.”
More than 3,000 leaflets have been printed to publicise the event in March and the planning team is hoping pubs will use special beer mats advertising it.
