Hundreds of churchgoers took part in a series of events in Balham this week as part of the national HOPE 08 initiative.

The fun began on Saturday, (May 3^rd) with performance artists and a jazz band at Balham Community Space, next to Sainsbury’s on Balham High Road. Free tea and coffee were on offer and Christians were on hand to chat to and pray for members of the public throughout the afternoon. This continued on Sunday with free car washing, open air worship and a bouncy castle.

HOPE 08 aims to put the Christian faith into action and to explain the meaning of that faith in villages, towns and cities across the UK. One of the challenges is to get Christians across the UK to give 1,000,000 hours of kindness in the form of practical help to their communities.

In Balham more than 100 Christians spent Bank Holiday Monday doing voluntary projects including gardening, painting and litter picking throughout the area.

Events are set to continue throughout the week, culminating with a party at the Lochinvar Hall on the Lochinvar Estate from midday-4pm on Saturday, May 10^th.