Christmas Party for Ukrainian Children and Families

On Saturday 10th December the Dereham Chapel hosted a Christmas party for many of the Ukrainian children currently staying in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Members of the Church of all ages and from different Wards spent many hours in the weeks preceding the party helping with the preparations.

52 beautiful stockings were made by sisters; stocking contents and Christmas presents were donated. Youth from across the Stake wrapped presents, filled stockings, made table decorations and helped decorate the chapel. Young adults prepared games and came to help the children play them. Primary children made cookies and Christmas cards. 

Food was prepared and donated; a magical Santa’s Grotto was created, tables fit for a Hogwarts’ celebration were laid, missionaries made a beautiful collage of our Saviour’s life and also welcomed our visitors, colourful elves came to the party to help and guide our visitors. 

An Elders’ Quorum came to tidy up and prepare the chapel for the Sabbath; lifts were given, photographs taken, humanitarian funding provided, and even Father Christmas visited and spent time with each child.

It was not only members of the church who willingly gave of themselves to make the party possible. The Dereham Ukrainian centre (with support from Morrisons) helped communicate with the parents and organise lifts, the RSPB donated books and badges, the entertainer, Donimo performed his wonderful show free of charge and the mayor visited!

40 children saw Santa and 57 received presents and stockings. About 30 Mums came plus some hosts and volunteers from the Dereham Centre and the support group in Bury. Three wonderful ladies acted as translators for us. Over and over, different mums expressed their gratitude for the loving care shown and the precious gift given to them of seeing their children happy and their burdens lifted for a little while.

All of those helping at the party on Saturday were filled with joy and were humbled by the privilege of being present . 

The Saviour’s love for each of His children was tangible and the true meaning and magic of Christmas experienced.

Bishop Roger Good, who hosted and welcomed everyone to the party shared the following thoughts:

“I realised they are not just a news item from our TVs over the last 10 months.

I asked if they felt safe here in England with their children – they expressed their sincere gratitude to the UK in letting them stay here despite our own challenges we are going through, but this is the thing that hit home to me, they each said their children missed so much their dad’s, their friends, their grandparents, some of whom are living in underground bunkers for months and that although we may feel our weather is cold here, it is absolutely freezing over in Ukraine right now made worse by the destruction of power stations through targeted bombings 

I just let our members know that in spite of our challenges and disruptions through strikes and our cost of living crisis, we are not as bad off as some of our fellow Europeans 

Truly humbling experience seeing both what you had brought together from our Stake and to see the happy faces and hope that our new friends had on Saturday.”