The Assemblies of God, Life and Hope Church at Tubusereia in Central province recently kicked off their annual Carols by Candlelight event which began on the 24th of December and will conclude on the 31st of December. Missionary Charlie Vagi who is also assisting in the coordinating this event, told PNGHAUSBUNG that this is an annual event held at Tubusereia to bring together every family in the community to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. According to Vagi, this year’s event was organized and hosted by the youths of the Assemblies of God, Life and Hope Church to involve other youths in the village and nearby communities in taking part in such activities that will refrain them from attending to illegal activities. Just like previous years, the church formed four groups in which each group presented a number of items including gospel dances, singing, dramas, etc. Vagi stated that the groups represented different pacific nations including, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand and Cook Islands. “We wanted to do something out of the ordinary by adding colour to our event by portraying other pacific cultures in our event and with that is why we came up with this idea.” The event includes giving away consolation prizes as well as judges who will also be present to award the best performing group. This Vagi shared, was an initiative that they took upon themselves as a Church to making it a memorable, spiritual and also a fun activity for everyone to enjoy. “As we all face our own conflicts and hurdles in life, such activities like this can bring the community together in the power of unity and by celebrating on such times of the year like this especially during Christmas, will bring joy and happiness to our lives, as long as we follow the true meaning of Christmas.” Furthermore, Vagi has extended an invitation on behalf of the Church for those interested to join and see what the Church and the community has planned out, can do so as it is open to the public. The program will conclude on New Year’s Eve with a bonfire to welcome the New Year and farewell 2023. This will also give the opportunity to the people to reflect and be thankful for the year that has gone by and to look forward to what the New Year will bring.