A million hours of kindness

What difference can a million hours make? That is what Leamington churches are finding out as they join in a national initiative to give a million hours to serving their communities in 2008.

Part of Hope 08, events so far have included clearing a nature reserve in Sydenham, a free barbecue and fun day at Dale Street Methodist Church and painting fences and benches at Brookhurst School. So far, 670 hours have been given by volunteers from across Leamington’s churches, in addition to hundreds more given every week in toddler groups, lunch clubs for the elderly and much more besides....

But it doesn’t stop there! On Saturday 31 May, there will be a free car wash at Leamington Spa Baptist Church, near the Argos car park, from 10am to 4pm with free refreshments served while you wait. More events are planned for later in the year.

So, why do all this free stuff? Chair of Churches Together in Leamington, Jonathan Jee, explained ‘Christians believe in a God who came to earth, rolled up his sleeves and got his hands dirty. As Leamington churches, we want to do the same, to share with people in practical ways the hope that we have. We believe that the Christian faith is good news for everybody, not just people in churches, and this is just one small way in which we can show that.’

A Million of Hours of Kindness follows on from The Easter Wave which saw 400 Christians from churches across the town walked through the town giving away chocolates and balloons. To find out more about Hope 08 see www.hopeinfo.co.uk. For more information about Leamington churches, see www.hopeleamington.org.uk. For information about the car wash, call 01926 336650.