St Michael and All Angels in Newlands Paparārangi set up for about 100 guests at its light party. On a sunny Saturday evening, 350 people came through the doors in under two hours.
The church had done very little advertising. There were a few Facebook posts, word passed on through its after-school craft club, Crafternoons, and chalk messages on the pavement outside the church.
“We were hoping for a good turnout, but we honestly thought 100 would be a great night,” says parishioner Diana Langdon, and co-organiser of the event. “Then families just kept coming. Every time I looked up there was another group at the door.”
Inside, the church had been turned into a glow-in-the-dark space, with neon stars overhead and UV lights making everything shine. Over in the hall, families moved between games, and the candy floss stall had a queue for most of the evening.
One of the favourite spots was an interactive mural titled “The saints of Newlands Paparārangi”. Children were invited to add a face to the board, and many chose to draw their mums, dads and teachers.
“That board was my highlight,” says Rev Richard Apperley, Co Priest in Charge.
“We talk about saints as people who show us what God’s love looks like, and the kids already knew who those people were in their lives. By the end of the night it was covered in faces.”
Twenty volunteers kept the evening running. They ran games, kept the lollies topped up, led a star hunt, watched over the bouncy castle and the glow-in-the-dark bowling, and greeted family after family as they arrived.
The light party grew out of the relationships the church has built through Crafternoons, which has met every week during term time this year. The team wanted to share the love and generosity of Jesus with the local whānau who were out enjoying the evening.
“Crafternoons has let us get to know families week by week, and this was a chance to throw the doors open and say, you’re welcome here,” Richard says. “So many parents thanked us for a fun, safe place to bring their kids. That’s exactly what we wanted the church to be.”
