The community at CSI Church of the Good Shepherd in Mylapore hosted its annual Thanksgiving Festival on October 11. It began with prayer and worship led by pastor Rev. D. Manuel Ebinesar.
The church was decorated with flowers, fruits, plants and vegetables symbolising the season of harvest. The arrangements were ideated and directed by the pastor and the pastorate committee led by secretary Y. Bhuvanesh Kumar and treasurer Rajini Kannan.
After the religious service, fun games, fellowship and snacking followed.
Some 49 stalls were set up by different fellowships of the church – by the men, women, youth, Sunday School, CSI St. Ebba’s School, CSI Bishop Newbigin College of Education and CSI Kalyani Hospital.
The buzz began at the stalls which offered breakfast. As the morning progressed, stalls selling snacks like beef pakoda, chicken white sauce pasta and cupcakes got going.
100 Sunday School children led by their correspondent Shyla Mathew and 20 teachers put up stalls which offered homemade sweets and snacks prepared by the teachers.
Groups had prepared the food at home and sold it at their stalls. But some ran ‘live cooking’ stalls and the one selling Pasta was a big draw for youths.
An auction of goods donated by the church community was held. Goods included utility items and even small gold jewels. Proceeds will be used for outreach projects.
As the mid-day hour approached, biryani packs were handed over to families who had booked these for their lunch.
- By Juliana Sridhar
