Spreading the Yuletide joy

Spreading the Yuletide joy

SINGAPORE- ST ANNE'S CHURCH: Let there be light

THE new leader of the Catholic Church, Archbishop William Goh, will deliver his first Christmas homily tonight, at St Anne's Church in Sengkang.

It is a big moment and for the first time, the church is all decked out in bright lights instead of subdued lighting. Its facade and perimeter are lined with 75,000 blue and white LED Christmas lights, suffusing the single-storey building in a wintry glow.

Amid the sparkle are more than 20 figurines scattered at the perimeter to portray the nativity scene. The special light-up, which also marks the church's 50th anniversary, took a month to produce, said Mr Christopher Edward Lim, who led the project's three-man team. "It was very challenging but luckily, we're good with our hands," said the 48-year-old with a laugh.

The team spent about $16,000 on the project, way below the $50,000 Mr Lim estimates it could have cost if contractors had been engaged.

The lights, which went up on Nov 30, will stay up till end-January. They are turned on from 7pm to 10pm, but tonight, they will be ablaze till 2am to greet parishioners at midnight mass.

TRINITY CHRISTIAN CENTRE: A head-turner

WITH 90 cast and crew members, all volunteers, Trinity Christian Centre is giving a fresh spin - literally - to that old favourite: Once Upon A Star.

A massive two-storey revolving stage was built for the show about the birth of Jesus Christ.

"Building it was tricky," said Pastor Janice Chng, the spokesman for the Paya Lebar church. "It's rotated by volunteers so we had to make sure the dimensions and mechanisms could take the weight of the set and were safe to manoeuvre."

The set was designed by one of the volunteers, an architect, and built by stage set production firms hired by the church. A dance segment features the silhouettes of dancers, projected on a screen. It is one of the most technically complicated parts of the show.

"It requires a lot of concentration. It's much more than just shining a spotlight onto the screen and having people dance in front of it," said the pastor.

Several trials were carried out from September to decide on the types and angles of light sources to give the best effect, she added.

Tonight is the last performance of the hour-long show, which starts at 8pm. Admission is free.

WILLING HEARTS: Special treats for needy

THE soup kitchen will dish out a special Christmas lunch tomorrow for the 3,000 poor folk it feeds daily.

Instead of the usual rice with curry chicken or stir-fried vegetables, they will get an English lunch that includes spring chicken and baked beans.

But for one family, Christmas arrived early. Yesterday, Winning Hearts founder Tony Tay delivered a hamper of food to Madam Elizabeth Wong's three-room flat in Marsiling. The basket included mini cupcakes, spaghetti noodles, fish and chicken.

The 47-year-old had asked Mr Tan for help with a Christmas dinner for her two daughters, her mother who uses a wheelchair, and her husband, a dishwasher and the sole breadwinner.

She said: "I never felt the spirit of Christmas because every year, I see people celebrate with big meals, or go for dinner."

She added: "Last Christmas, we ate leftover noodles. But this year, we will have a feast."

Said Mr Tay, 66: "When people can't afford to buy food to cook a nice meal for their family, it takes the happiness out of the holidays. We want to give them that happiness back."

KKH: Serenading patients with carols

KK WOMEN'S and Children's Hospital doctors swapped their scrubs for cheerful red and green outfits and toured the wards with nurses and staff yesterday to lift the spirits of sick children and women with a rousing rendition of Christmas carols.

The days leading to Christmas have been filled with groups of volunteers from various organisations entertaining and distributing gifts to the hospital's patients.

But yesterday, the hospital's very own staff took centre stage.

Said Dr Law Hai Yang of the paediatrics department: "We all love singing, and this is one great way to spread the joy of this festive season among our patients who are unable to be home to celebrate with their family."

Today, patients will get to choose from a special Christmas lunch menu that has typically offered dishes like baked chicken with mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes.

"It's just to give their tastebuds a change, a simple gesture so they can feel the festive spirit," said a hospital spokesman.


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