The pandemic hasn’t been kind to community life over the last two years.
To celebrate the ability to come together again, the Living Water Community Church is inviting everybody in Thorold to come down and join them for a free community barbecue on Saturday, August 27.
“It’s a challenging time and there’s been a lot of isolation and a lot of distance,” says the chair of the church’s board of directors, Carrie Cottage, in an interview with ThoroldToday. “[It’s] to provide something free that doesn’t cost families anything. They can come out, they can come together, and just appreciate community.”
The event is a collaboration between James Symons from Tool Box Niagara and the church.
The barbecue will feature a fire truck, crafts, a bouncy house, and games for all ages.
Cottage hopes that the barbecue will be the start of many different community events organized by the church.
“We’re looking at doing things throughout the year,” she says. “This is kind of a test run at a larger sort of event. We would like to see opportunities for the community to come together on a regular basis throughout the year.”
Living Water Community Church, formerly known as the First Baptist Church Thorold, has been around in Thorold for 97 years. The barbecue is an opportunity for the church to reconnect with the local community and celebrate the end of a difficult time.
“The pandemic has been difficult for everyone in many different ways,” Cottage says. “Everything was shut down as a society so this is a good way to have everybody back together and to have a piece of normal and just come back together as people.”
The barbecue will take place at the Living Water Community Church at 42 Ormond Street on Saturday, August 27 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
