Hope for the Nations ( Briggate, Leeds) 25th June 2011
“Let there be light in the midst of the darkness”
These were the opening words of the first song which heralded the start of the 5th year of Hope for the Nations.
The light really shone throughout the day, both literally and metaphorically, as each
contribution came from the different nationalities represented.
This year it was good to welcome participants originally from the Philippines, Mauritius and India
for the first time.
Making a return visit were groups from the African nations including Ghana,
Cameroon, Caribbean, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.
Also represented were Arab speaking nations and Chinese speaking countries,
as well as Iran, Poland, and South Korea.
It was a relief to see the market stalls arrive at 7.30am this year, especially since
they had been stolen before the event last year!
We were very grateful to the many
helpers assembling them at such an early hour.
In many ways there was a different feel to the event
this year, reflecting HFTN’s ongoing development.
The back drop on the stage was a huge world map kindly
donated by Alistair Kaye.
It was good to have RETAS ( Refugee Education Training and Support) with their stall.
They were encouraged by the number of people who visited them and showed a
lot of interest in their work and that of Leeds City of Sanctuary.
His Majesty’s House, a newly formed international congregation in Leeds, were offering free
clothing under their stall’s banner which said “Freely, freely you have received, freely give”.
They had many conversations and much response.
Nearly all those running the 16 stalls commented how much busier they had been
than previous years and some said they just could not keep up with the numbers of
people who wanted to talk.
This was especially the case on the Jewish stall. Jeff reported meaningful conversations with twoIsraeli students.
One of them, reading Law at Leeds University, was fascinated by the whole
event and the fact that those on the Israeli stall were followers of Yeshua.
An Israeli tour guide, who happened to be visiting Leeds, was also very responsive.
There were eight helpers on the Arabic stall and they were all kept busy most ofthe time.
Many useful conversations were had with people from a wide range of
Arabic countries.
One man in particular from Saudi Arabia, was amazed when it
was explained to him that he could have assurance of sins forgiven and entry into
heaven. He gladly accepted an Arabic New Testament.
Those offering free drinks said they managed to give out 800 cups and people were expressing such
gratitude and asking why they were doing this.
Ben Jones and his team doing the facepainting, hardly had a moment to spare
when they were not painting flags on youngsters’ faces.
The musical contributions were varied and reflected the different cultures and age groups.
There were the great harmonies of Voices in Praise and the NTCOG Youth Choir and a group called The Visionairs.
The crowd were fascinated with the choreography of the South Korean young people as their children sang and danced.
The children gave a demonstration of how Korean martial arts can come in useful when dealing with bullies.
The rhythms of African nations pulsated through Briggate as God’s Name was lifted up in various languages.
It was especially good to have Songa, a mixed
African drumming group and Nikita (Indian) who sang Bollywood style worship songs.
Her passion for Jesus was so apparent. Tosin Okuzu did a great job as the MC for
the event and she also managed to organise an African fashion parade.
All the clothes were designed by Lol, a young Nigerian designer.
They were hoping that maybe Debenhams would take notice!
We decided this year not to carry the 60 foot banner of nations down the whole of
Briggate and found that it gave more time to hold and “ripple” the banner to great
effect, all the time drawing in the crowds that had gathered.
The magnetic impact of the banner never fails to generate a sense
of joy and celebration for young and old alike.
Many of those involved in the event
commented that in many ways this was the best we have had so far.
Raphael, leader of the Songa drummers, said that he felt the event was well organised and
yet flexible enough to accommodate people.
Whilst we acknowledge none of those
involved on the stage were professional performers, none the less there was an
appreciative response from those who happened to be in Briggate.
On a personal note this year’s event was special for our family as it happened to be
my grandson’s (Amos) birthday and to hold him on the
stage whilst everyone sang Happy Birthday was such a privilege.
The Leeds City Centre Warden asked for
photos of the event as a reminder of the amazing contrast
of diversity and unity on the streets of Leeds.
We thank God for such a great day, and 150 of you, for bringing joy to the centre of Leeds. We are already
anticipating another great time together next year, as the momentum continues to build.
Paul Lancaster (on behalf of the planning team)
a video clip of the event is on You Tube
