Chinatown Street Festival

• Saturday, Aug 15th, 2026
• Official Chinatown event poster says event time is 12-8pm but there will be people walking around well before that.
• There will be a parade and official opening ceremony at noon.

• Thank you for volunteering!!!
  • Please try to arrive and stay for your entire 2 hour timeslot.
  • Jackson, Ralph, Daniel and Eman will be filling in all the remaining timeslots.
• Jackson/Ralph will get everything setup up with the Chinese congregations earlier in the morning.
  • It will take time to move tables and everything to the site from church and setup, decorate, hang signs, set up games etc. (tape, zip ties etc.)
  • So hopefully, everything is all setup before you arrive for your volunteer shift.
• Chinese side is bringing water.
• Church will be open for volunteers to use the washroom.
  • But please mind your valuables. There is Mandarin church service Saturday as well. If you need to lock something away, put it in Pastor Kat's locked office or the locked storage room (up-up stairs).

When you arrive:

• Have a quick prayer
• Find the tent
• Put on a button (optional)
• Fill a need or relieve a tired volunteer

Your main responsibilities during your volunteer shift are:

• To be friendly and chat with people visiting our tent
• Run games (2 volunteer positions)
• Show our other volunteers what to do, as they arrive and you leave
• Cooperate and build relationships with Chinese side congregation members.
  • Chinese side is organizing a kids craft table

If you are comfortable or up for a challenge:

• Plant seeds and/or share the gospel as opportunities present themselves
• Pray for people

• Always start with chit chat.
  • A great way to start a conversation is to ask if they are enjoying the festival and what they've seen / eaten etc.
• Welcome them into our tent(s) and show them the activities that are available.
• Bless people with a big smile and greeting.

Remember games are meant to be fun. Not impossible. Use your discretion depending on the age/skill of the player.

1. Setup: Make sure the players don't pull their chairs closer.
   • There are tape lines on the ground for the chairs. If they come too close their lines will tangle with other more easily.
2. Explain: To win, you must catch 2 fish of your color.
   • You can have people race or just have them win on their own. Depending on age of players
3. Place all the fish on the lazy susan (if they are not on there).
4. Spin the lazy susan lightly and say “Go!”
   • If it slows too much, you can spin it some more to keep it interesting. Try switching spinning directions.
   • Don't spin too hard or all the fish will fall off.
   • Let it stop spinning completely, so it's easier for kids.
5. Once someone wins or everyone has had enough time playing, end the game.
   • Use your discretion here, depending on how many people are waiting to play.
     • Ask people to line up behind the chairs?
   • Ask them to put their fish poles in the bamboo posts.

Bridge the conversation (as the Spirit leads): Does anyone know what the numbers on the rocks reference? 2 (fish) + 5 (loaves) = (Feeds) 5000. Give them a handout flyer.

Setup: Ensure that the table has 1 predator animal (bear/lion/wolf), 13 sheep, 8 coins, 1-2 people figures.
The rest of the items should be in the basket hanging under the table.
Layout / rearrange the items on the table.
Ask the player to try an memorize the items. Give them some time (a few minutes at most). Take a photo of the table if you need.
Close the red curtain.
Change 5 things:
Must do: Remove one sheep and/or remove one coin. Put them in the basket below the table.
Optional: Swap out one of the people figures or predators from the basket.
Optional: Add one of the predators or people figures from the basket.
Optional: Move an animal to a new location or rotate it
Optional: Switch 2 items from their relative locations on table.
Optional: Flip a coin on the table.
Open the curtain and ask them what five things changed. Use your fingers to keep track.
Give hints as needed.
For kids, you can make the changes more obvious or let them team up.
Bridge the conversation (as the Spirit leads): Did you notice the missing sheep/coin? Give them a handout flyer.

Give prizes as you see fit. We will have a bunch on hand. They need to last the whole day.

• There will be signs in our tent that show the 3 bibles stories. If you see people looking at it, feel free to approach and ask if they have questions.
  • If it goes well, give them a related button (shepherd, coin, jesus feeds 5000, bread / fish button).
• There will also be a sign with a salvation message. Again, feel free to approach if someone is looking at it.
  • Don't be aggressive.
  • If it goes well, ask to pray for them.
  • If it goes well, give them an anime bible.
• If people are watching the games, you can chat them up as well. The games are themed around the 3 stories so it should be easy to bridge the conversation.
• You can also wear button(s) to help facilitate conversations. If you are comfortable praying for strangers, put on a button/pin that says, “How can I pray for you”. Buttons will be available from Jackson/Ralph.

• It is good to be familiar with these 3 bible stories incase people have questions or want more details.
• There is a summary here, but I encourage you to dig deeper and let the stories root in your hearts/minds.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep teaches that God deeply loves every individual, actively seeks out those who stray, and rejoices greatly when they return. Found in the Bible in Matthew 18 and Luke 15, the story features a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one that is lost.

Core Themes
God's Pursuit: The shepherd actively looks for the missing sheep, showing that God pursues people who are lost or hurting.
Immeasurable Value: Every single person matters to God, no matter how small or distant they feel.
Great Joy: There is massive celebration in heaven when a single lost person repents and comes back.

The Parable of the Lost Coin is a short story told by Jesus in the Bible (Luke 15:8–10).
A woman loses one of her ten silver coins, lights a lamp, sweeps her house, and searches until she finds it. When she finds it, she celebrates with her friends, which illustrates the great joy in heaven when a lost person turns back to God.

The Story Details
The loss: A woman has ten silver coins and loses one.
The search: She lights a lamp, sweeps the floor, and looks very carefully in the dark and dust.
The joy: She finds the coin and calls her friends and neighbors to celebrate together.

The Main Meaning
Great value: Just as the coin mattered to the woman, every single person matters to God.
Active seeking: God searches hard to find people who are far away from Him.
Heavenly celebration: The angels in heaven are very happy when even one person repents and returns to God.

Jesus feeds 5000 using only five loaves of bread and two fish. This well-known miracle is recorded in all four gospels of the Bible: Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6.
The Large Crowd: Jesus went to a quiet place, but a huge crowd followed him to listen and be healed.
The Need for Food: As the day grew late, the disciples told Jesus to send the people away to buy food.
The Boy's Lunch: Jesus said the disciples should feed them. Andrew found a boy who had five small barley loaves and two fish.
The Multiplication: Jesus blessed the food, broke the bread, and gave it to the disciples to hand out.
The Leftovers: Everyone ate until they were full. The disciples then gathered twelve baskets of leftover pieces.

Main meanings:
Jesus as the Bread of Life: In John 6, Jesus explicitly connects this food miracle to himself. He states that physical bread only satisfies temporary hunger, but he is the true bread from heaven who offers eternal life.
God’s Provision and Abundance: The story shows that God provides for both spiritual and physical needs. The twelve baskets of leftovers symbolize complete, overflowing abundance—more than enough for everyone.
Partnership with Humanity: Jesus did not make food appear out of nowhere. He used a boy's small, seemingly insufficient gift and multiplied it through his disciples. This shows that God chooses to work through willing, everyday people to accomplish great things.

This is what the sign with a salvation message will look like. Again, feel free to approach if someone is looking at it. You just have to follow the numbers and explain each step. Feel free to bring your own witnessing tools as well (colored bead bracelets etc).

Our 2 tents are right by Moon on 1st Street. We are joined to Kama's (Mandarin congregation member business) tent that will have a small stage for dance performances.

Suggest you park in James Short / Harmony Parkade. It is free Saturdays.