It’s been said that music has healing powers, and the Adventist Church in B.C. and Yukon hopes the sounds of Christmas this Saturday night will help Syrian refugees.
The church is partnering with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) to host a concert at the Church in the Valley, 23589 Old Yale Road.
Give Love: A Free Christmas Concert to Benefit the Syrian Refugee Crisis starts at 6 p.m. at the church, which can be accessed from Fraser Highway.
All proceeds from this Christmas concert will go towards ADRA Canada’s Syrian Refugee Crisis Projects.
While admission to the concert is free, donations are accepted and are tax deductible, said Charles Aguilar, communications director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, B.C. and Yukon (Aguilar is organizing the concert along with Bill Gerber, camp director with Mountain View Conference Centre).
“Our focus is helping people living in refugee camps in Syria,” Aguilar said. “Since March 2015, ADRA has kept nearly 100,000 refugees warm in the Middle East.”
Local artists/groups involved include the Pilkey Sisters, Ryan McAllister, Life+App, Fraser Valley Adventist Academy Choir, Fraser Valley Strummers, the Church In The Valley Praise Team, as well as two groups from Vancouver and Burnaby: Deer Lake School Junior Choir and the Oakridge Adventist Church Worship Team.
The concert has a Christmas theme, noted Aguilar.
“We would love to raise awareness of the people in the Fraser Valley, to help refugees in Syria,” Aguilar said. “The main thing is for the attendees to be aware that there is a great need there.”
According to ADRA, the Canadian government will match every eligible dollar donated to ADRA Canada towards the cause.
ADRA is a global non-governmental organization (NGO) network operating in more than 120 countries.