During COVID-19… An Online Fete!

Vicar of St Martin’s Hawksburn in the Diocese of Melbourne, Fr Luke Hopkins, writes this story about a COVID-19 lockdown version of a fundraiser they held recently to raise funds for ABM.

“St Martin’s has been a proud donor to the Anglican Board of Mission Australia for several decades now. We believe in supporting Christian endeavours both locally and abroad. So much so, that the support for ABM is written into our mission action plan as a vital statement of the kind of church we wish to be.”

“Over the last 18 months, like other parishes across the country, have been discerning what it is to continue being the church and faithfully acting as Christians during lockdowns and the ongoing pandemic. Like others in Victoria, we have experienced very long periods shut away from our beloved church buildings and learning to do new things online. One of the challenges was how we might continue to fundraise for our partners in mission.”

“During July and August this year, volunteers from the parish organised an online fete through our parish website. In many ways, it was just like an ordinary fete but with some new technology to make it accessible to those at home or far away. The fete had two principal parts. The first was a sale of jams, chutneys and preserves which people from the parish spent their time and energy in making. The second was an online auction of donated goods and services from vouchers for local restaurants, boat trips to short holiday stays (all things you might want to do after a long lockdown). There was also an opportunity for people simply to make a donation.”

“We hope that our actions might also inspire other parishes and entities in find new ways to fundraise and support ABM during these interesting times.”

The parish raised thousands of dollars, of which mission partner, ABM, was given a 50% share.

ABM thanks Fr Luke and the people of St Martin’s for their generosity, and, well, for their sheer ingenuity!