A New Westminster church is welcoming three choirs to a fundraiser for its annual Thanksgiving dinner.
St. Andrews Wesley Gospel Choir, the Universal Gospel Choir and the College Choir, along with Curt Allison and well-known gospel singer Gina Williams, will perform at the fall concert taking place on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at 726 12th St.
“There’s some pretty good choirs coming. They are all donating their time,” said New West resident Elaine Phillips about the fall concert. “There is no admission; it’s by donation.”
Phillips said the money will go toward a Thanksgiving dinner that Lighthouse of Hope Christian Fellowship is serving up on Saturday, Oct. 8.
“Our church, every year for the last 20 years or so, has put on a Thanksgiving dinner in Vancouver. The way we do that is we hold a concert a month or so before to raise money,” Phillips said. “Our church is down to 20 people, but we still manage to serve 300 or 400 people every Thanksgiving.”
Lighthouse of Hope Christian Fellowship originally met in Vancouver but has been meeting at the Heritage Banquet Hall on 12th Street since May 2015. The church has partnered up with St. Michael’s Anglican Church on the Thanksgiving dinner.
“We send ticket out to various agencies. A lot of community groups get invited. We usually end up with about 100 volunteers and about 300 guests,” Phillips said. “They are treated very nicely, and they get a gift bag when they leave. It’s a really nice event.”
Recovery home celebrates anniversary
Happy anniversary to Westminster House, which has been helping women get clean and sober for 35 years.
On Saturday, Westminster House held a Tea With Friends anniversary party to celebrate 35 years of serving women in the community. Westminster House opened its doors in 1981 as a sober living residence for women who were suffering from alcoholism.
As Westminster House grew in size and reputation, it continued to offer women in search of abstinence from alcohol and drugs a more formalized, holistic approach to recovery,” said a press release. “Today, the program offers a wide range of services for hundreds of women and their families each year.”
Saturday’s tea party shared Westminster House’s past, present and future with guests.
“It’s a great opportunity for our staff and clients to meet the people who shaped Westminster House into what it is today, hear how the program started, what it used to be and the success stories of alumni,” said program manager Tanis Maurice.
Firefighters support Terry Fox run
New Westminster firefighters’ continue to support the annual Terry Fox Run.
Dr. Kathy Jones, organizer of the Terry Fox Run in New West, said the New Westminster Firefighters’ Charitable Society donated $1,000 to this year’s run.
“They have been extremely generous to the Terry Fox Run in the eight years that I have been the organizer,” she said in an email to the Record.
Local woman heading to Ottawa
A local woman will be representing British Columbia in Ottawa on International Women’s Day.
Sarah Saaed, of New Westminster/Burnaby is among the young women selected as Daughters of the Vote. She’ll be representing B.C. at a leadership conference that incudes them “taking their seats” in actual seats in the House of Commons held by B.C. Members of Parliament.
Daughters of the Vote will mark 2017 as the 100th anniversary of some women attaining the right to vote in federal elections, as well as celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Young women aged 18 to 23 will gather in Ottawa on International Women’s Day in March 2017 to attend a special leadership conference.
Prior to the event in Ottawa, many of the B.C. Daughters of the Vote delegates will participate in a special event in Victoria on Monday, Oct. 3 to launch Women’s History Month.
