Stories of last year’s success encouraging the Church

Jenny Burr
Special to Spur Ottawa

The organizers of the Big Give are holding their first planning meeting for the Big Give 2016 on November 26. The Big Give has grown from free garage-sale outreach at Bethel Pentecostal, in 2009, to a massive unified expression of Christian love across the national capital region.

“I woke up one morning with the idea of a free garage sale,” says Kathy Blakely of Bethel Pentecostal Church. Her church had just finished reading the book by Rick Warren, 40 Days of Community. “My dream was to see this free garage sale spread to other churches and to do it on the same day; everything for free, giving away all that we could.”

Last year, Blakely’s dream was realized as more than 50 churches participated in giving their communities everything from food and services to major appliances.

“There were car washes, oil changes, haircuts, manicures, bike repairs, sit down breakfasts, technical advice, prayer, Bibles, safety courses, pony rides, and the list goes on,” says Blakely.

The Big Give 2015 involved churches in Ottawa and Gatineau from a wide range of denominations. Participating churches were thrilled with the response and shared many encouraging stories of how it impacted their community.

“One family had recently immigrated to Canada,” says Jason Williamson from the Life Centre. “Upon delivering some items to their home, some of our helpers noted that they needed beds and furniture. We were able to fully outfit their home with beds, dressers, and kitchen ware from the event. They were grateful for the help.”

Wayne Mosely, who serves on the planning team for the Big Give, says his favourite story is about another immigrant family.

“A couple of immigrant families had just moved to the city and moved in together,” he says. “They had no furniture but the Big Give furnished them with a complete living room set and dishes. They were in tears as these items were delivered to their apartment. They kept asking why we would do such a thing. It was great to tell them that this was because Jesus loved them.”

This was the second Big Give event for Community Pentecostal Church in Orleans. As they send teams out with invitations, many in the community had heard about the previous year’s event and expressed excitement about this year’s.

Their city counsellor indicated that the church had created a great reputation within the community. The principal of the school, where the event was held, was also impressed. Every student received an invitation to the Big Give 2015.

“We hosted a Block Party in the Avalon neighbourhood and provided everything free,” says lead pastor Jeff Hillier. “Air bounce items (like bouncing castles for children), a BBQ, face painting, nail painting, free yard sale, sports, and activities. Between 1500 and 1800 people attended the event. Then we showed a free movie in the park with free popcorn to 600 people.”

Richard Long, a Big Give team member, visited several sites during last year’s event.

“We felt God backing it up with great weather and a wonderful atmosphere all across the 52 churches which participated,” he says. “We’re hoping to double that number on June 4, 2016.”