Students' group composition

Fundraising Talent Carnival in Tin Shui Wai

by Tracy Chang, Martin Lam, Ruby Li and Thomas Tang

The SKH St. Philip's church held the annual Talent Carnival last

Saturday from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. The activity aimed to let people experience God's love, bring communities together and to raise funds to repay the Hong Kong Shang Kung Hui which helped finance the building of the church.

The Talent Carnival kicked off after the exciting Opening Ceremony at the beautiful spacious chapel. Visitors were entranced by the colorful 'mosaic' glass wall which tells stories of Jesus at the back of the altar. 

A performance by the School Orchestra of SKH Tin Shui Wai Ling Oi Primary School marked the beginning of the carnival. The piece of music that the Orchestra played was about a gift from the French Government to the Austrian Government. The performance won a loud applause from the audience.

After all the musical performances and praise dances, participants could either stay in the chapel to enjoy the Music Marathon or go downstairs to the Pastoral Center to join the arts workshop.

At the Pastoral center, there were Glue Key Chain workshop, Boutique Collection, Pastor's Cafe, Flower World, Winnie's Artland, Plant Dyeing workshop, Xi ju face Painting and Calligraphy Spiritual Practice. 

The Face and Hand Painting was the most popular amongst children. Tracy, a grade 5 student, said it's a nice activity to bring communities together. It's an opportunity to help. "When I heard that there's a 'Face and Hand painting' workshop, I rushed downstairs to enjoy them." she said excitedly. The two artists painted delicate and beautiful drawings on participants' face or hand. Despite the long queue, participants waited patiently for their turn.

Adults' favourite  was the Pastor's Cafe. It offered two different drinks to visitors: a special color-changing tea made by church members and a special coffee made by Pastor Kwok. The special drink was made of coconut slices and butterfly pea, and it changed color when lemon juice was added. One of the customers, Thomas, said the special drink tasted delicious but it was a pity he couldn't try the coffee.

At the plant Dyeing Workshop, the host taught participants how to decorate an ECO bag using the DIY method. "First, get a white ECO bag. Next, cut some flower petals and or leaves. You can choose the colors and shapes of flowers or leaves from the bucket of flower stalks. Then arrange the petals or leaves on the ECO bag in patterns you like. After that, cover the bag with a plastic wrap and use a hammer or a stone to pound the petals and leaves flat. Finally, remove the plastic wrap along with the petals and leaves. You can see the shapes and colors of the plants on the bag." said Mrs Chan.

"You need to pound really hard in order to get the bag dyed." said a boy who had just experienced the pounding and showing his purple pattern on his

ECO bag proudly.

The Chinese Calligraphy Spiritual Practice Room was very different from the other workshops. Instead of noise and laughter, the atmosphere was quiet, calm, and peaceful. "The moment I started holding the brush, became focused. I looked at the model script and tried my best to imitate the strokes, points and turns. I had to use force!" said Christy. "Me too! At first, I couldn't even hold the brush straight. My first piece was done quickly. I couldn't slow down. Mr. Fu, the elderly Calligraphy expert, encouraged me to do it the second time. I did much better then. There was strength in my strokes It is very rewarding." said Thomas. "I started learning Chinese calligraphy when I was a child. I hope that the calligraphy skills can be passed down to the younger generations." said Mr. Fu.

The fund-raising activities ended at 4:00 p.m. Parents, children and Tin Shui Wai residents enjoyed this community fringe day very much and returned home with their DIY souvenirs, memorable experiences and newly learned

skills.