INNISFAIL – This Christmas, CenterPoint Church is opening its doors to the needy, the lonely and those who may be struggling on Christmas Day.
“The focus of the church is to be an outward focused church,” said the church's pastor, Gerald Bradbury. “Christmas is a very lonely time of year for a lot of people. We know in years past, people have asked here in Innisfail (about) anything on Christmas Day and they’ve been directed into Red Deer.
“This year we talked about it and we want to open up our doors to the community on Christmas Day,” he added.
Bradbury noted the event is open to people of all ages including the elderly, individuals and families, that may have lost loved ones during the year, are alone, not able to provide a meal for themselves, or are struggling in some way at Christmas.
“We do want people to reserve a spot for this, to book ahead,” he said, noting a cutoff date for the dinner reservation in early December.
“December 8 is the cutoff deadline to reserve a spot on Christmas Day. The dinner will be between 1 and 3 p.m.,” he added. “People can call the church to reserve and let us know (how many will be attending)."
The Christmas dinner will include a full turkey meal with all the trimmings, fellowship and an opportunity to meet new friends.
“If there are families who are struggling, they can reserve a spot as well.”
Bradbury noted that the church recently changed its operating name.
“While we’re still River of Life Pentecostal Assembly, we went with CenterPoint Church as our new operational name,” explained Bradbury. “We did that just to break down any barriers that people might see in a name. We went with a more generic name that people could identify with more.”
Bradbury said he welcomes any Innisfail and area residents or families in need to come and experience the true meaning of Christmas on Dec. 25.
“We just want people to see that the church cares,” said Bradbury. “The true meaning of Christmas is all about giving. Because God cares about you, we care about you.
“It’s about meeting needs in our community. We want people to come, we want to put a smile on people’s faces Christmas Day,” said Bradbury. “People can enjoy what Christmas is really all about.”
To reserve a spot on Christmas Day, call CenterPoint Church at 403-227-4215.
