<<< News 2011

May, 14
"Dobrodiy" opens the door


"Dobrodiy" video. from alex.sloboda on Vimeo.

God opens a lot of opportunities to preach the Gospel - to carry out evangelistic camps, to provide homeless people with a shelter, to teach Christian seminars, to give out monetary aid to poor people…The main thing is to do something; do not fail to act and to Praise the Lord in it.

The servants of the Fimiam Church, reflecting on what can help the residents of the city and guided by their own observations, came to the conclusion that the church can help in improving the welfare of society, at least in the local area.

Keeping an eye on where and how children spend their time, and taking into consideration that the majority of Ukrainian children, because of crisis situations (mostly financial) and other circumstances, spend the summer at home, the servants aimed to build a playground. A playground can make a child forget about sitting in front of the TV or computer and bring great benefit to his or her health. As for the arrangements, the improvement, repair, and reconstruction budget of the city has a catastrophic lack of funds. To say the very least, it leaves much to be desired. We began to act…

The first step was the realization of the eight-day charity festival “DobroDiy” in 2009. The aim of the festival was to gather funds for the construction of a children's playground. We believed that every family would come, not only to have a good time with their families, but also to make a small deposit to the fund. What we build together, we will not destroy. Everyone will appreciate what we did together! We called every manager of healthcare facilities and businesses, as well as entrepreneurs to join the charity to benefit children. We gathered about 15 thousand gryvnias during the festival.

   
   

Most of the funds were provided by patrons from Canada, as well as by the generosity and sacrificial giving of local church members.

Since 2009, we have been preparing for construction: clearing an adjacent area of litter and garages which were there, and we laid a concrete footpath. In the summer of 2010, a fence was installed and the area was equipped with a drainage system. In March 2011, we began construction of the playground directly. The members of the church pitched in it. Soon after, the installation of sports and playing facilities were finally completed, with a total area of 750 square meters.

   
   

The children's playground area is fully equipped with a variety of playing equipment. There are swings, springs, beams, carousels, a sandbox and also gymnastic facilities. Benches have been placed at the playground for parents to sit comfortably to watch their kids and to be there at any time to help, if necessary. The area is characterized by its brightness and variety. The playground has a field with layouts for football, volleyball and floorball. Safety and security is the main priority. Therefore all facilities and their location are maximally safe and everything has been installed according to the standards. The soil is covered with artificial grass.

   

News that Lutsk would soon have two open venues for the entertainment of children and youth quickly spread among residents of the area. Parents and kids watched with interest as the work progressed and eagerly awaited the opening.

On May 14, 2011 the official opening was held for the playground “DobroDiy”.

   
   

In the morning everybody was “geared up” to go. The cheerful music sounded loudly outside the church, and bubbles flew in the air. Soon the clowns appeared, making friends with the children, giving out candy, and making all the children smile.

   

At 12pm the ceremonial part began. First we prayed to the Lord and thanked for His guidance and blessings in construction. At the festival the town council secretary Pustovit Gregory visited and congratulated the participants of the opening, and thanked God and all those involved in this work, for the wonderful playground. Pastor Paul Myroniuk also had an allocution to the guests and said that the playground is a practical display of love to our neighbor which Christ taught us.

After the ceremonial part was the interesting part, the children started the program. When the red ribbon was cut, the playground was like a huge anthill. There were also gifts from the clowns in the form of various funny figurines made out of balloons, and relay races and contests with prizes, and smiling little ones with a good mood and happy and grateful parents. Also, all guests had drinks and delicious homemade pastries.

   
   
   
   

A mini-football tournament was held, which was attended by 6 teams. The winners were presented with certificates and diplomas after the tournament.

   
   
   

Exhibits were placed near the entrance with pictures showing the growth and various stages of construction of the playground, from cutting the trees to the installation of the swings.

From the opening day onward, the playground will be open from 9am to 9pm for everyone, and it is absolutely free.

Childhood is a time of dreams and expectations; it is a belief in fairy tales, which adults have the power to make come true... For we who are adults, a baby‘s childhood depends on us. What do children dream about? About something bright, pleasant and good, like "Disneyland;" where there are carousels and toys and where they can have fun with other children.


So let’s dream because the dreams come true…




Press centre of Fimiam Church
+38 (0332) 76-72-34
Valeria Gerasimovich, Alina Rozhnyuk
Photo: Vita Turok
http://www.fimiam.lutsk.ua/


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