INANAM: The 2016 Inanam Christmas Street Festival on December 11 will be held on a bigger stage with improved lighting system and many stalls selling food and drinks at Inanam town.
According to the organizing chairman of the event, Paul Chong, this is the third consecutive year that the protem Inanam branch of the Sabah Council Churches have organised the event which will be held at the Inanam Memorial Monument or commonly known as Tugu Peringatan Inanam starting from 7pm until midnight.
Paul added that they were very grateful that the Kota Kinabalu Mayor had approved and supported this event to be held at the Inanam Memorial Monument.
The mayor has been invited to be the guest of honour for the event. The organizing committee will also be inviting all community leaders to grace this event as the theme for the event is “Christmas is FOR ALL – Joy of Hope in Christ Jesus”.
Twenty churches will be participating in this auspicious event to celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ, as it is a combined church event bringing churches from all denominations from as wide as Kolombong, Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok commonly known as North of Kota Kinabalu.
During the celebration, attractive programmes have been lined up which include the lighting up of the Christmas Tree, Carol Singing, Christmas Drama, Blessing Lucky Draws, Christmas Dance and Traditional Ethnic Dance performances.
In addition , churches will be setting up stalls as early as 3pm in the afternoon to showcase their church ministry and offering memorabilia, food and beverages. This will be part of the fund-raising activity by the individual churches.
In September 2014, church leaders and pastors of various denominations in Kolombong, Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok came together over a lunch fellowship and prayer meeting at Hotel Puri 63, Inanam.
The purpose of this fellowship meeting, initiated by Pastor Wilson Ho, former Sabah Council of Churches (SCC) secretary and Inanam assemblyman Dr Roland Chia Ming Shen, was to cast the vision of churches to reach out to the community in the northern part of Kota Kinabalu City encompassing areas in Kolombong, Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok.
As a result, a vision evolved with the mandate of the churches from all denominations in Kolombong, Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok to foster greater unity towards community and missionary work as a united front.
A protem Inanam branch of the combined churches was formed under the umbrella covering of the Sabah Council of Churches comprising of the Roman Catholics (RC), the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB), BCCM, Anglican, PCS, CCC, IFGF and Methodist Church as advised by Pastor Wilson Ho, secretary of the Sabah Council of Churches.
The main committee of the Christian churches Sabah protem Inanam branch was formed as follows, with Paul Chong as chairman (representing RC), Pastor Halberth Gaduan as vice chairman (representing SIB), Mandy Nancy Joe as secretary (representing BCCM), Paul Chin as treasurer (representing Anglican), and committee members, comprising of youths and leaders from RC, SIB, BCCM, Anglican, PCS, CCC, IFGF and Methodist Churches. The advisors were senior clergies and pastors of the various church denominations in Kolombong, Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok.
The main committee’s proposal for an annual Christmas celebration to be held in Inanam was unanimously agreed by all the churches. Thus, the birth of the Inanam Christmas Street Fair.
The first Christmas Celebration was held at the Tugu Peringatan Inanam Town on December 14, 2014 and was attended by some 500-600 people. The theme for that year was “Yesus Raja Damai”. The second Christmas celebration was held at the same premises on December 14, 2015 and attended by some 600-700 people with the theme “Yesus Raja Damai”.
Anyone who wishes to contribute and/or donate towards this event, can contact the secretariat hotline number for Ms Liza at 016-8336609 or Ms Eve at 016-8320169.