Pay It Forward Christusfees back in Kariega, Dispatch

The inspired Pay it Forward Christusfees (PIFCF) is back in Kariega (Uitenhage) and Dispatch from October 14 to 23 with a variety of events to equip and bless the community.

And during the week before the PIFCF — from October 8 to 14 — locals are invited to take part in a 7-day Pay It Forward Challenge in which they will be invited to accept daily challenges to do good without expecting anything in return.

The festival programme includes a financial seminar, a music workshop, a woman’s evening, school events and more.

Lizé Saunders, one of the founders of the initiative, told me how the festival started. In 2018 she and her friends Sonja du Preez and Anneli Gouws performed at a festival in Robertson. That festival was themed “pay it forward”. After the event Sonja said that God had put it on her heart to start a PIFCF in Despatch, Uitenhage and Kirkwood.

She said Sonja told them of a time when her uncle wanted to study medicine but the family could not afford to pay for his studies. So, his mother (Sonja’s grandmother) walked from house to house, offering to wash dishes or bake cakes, to raise money for her son’s studies. “People’s hearts were just open, and they generously gave without expecting anything in return,” said Lizé.

Sonja’s uncle is now 80 years old, and still practicing medicine, touching hearts as he does so, she said. His story inspired the three women, who have since done remarkable work giving back to their communities and teaching people the power of unity and giving without expectation.

Suicide prevented
Lizé. said that In 2019 the three women went to some schools with Oom Karoolus amd Lente and the group Onbeskaamd. They presented an anti-bullying campaign with the central message of “The God who sees me”. After their visit to the schools, they received a letter from a boy, saying that he had been planning to take his own life on that day. He said that hearing “God sees you and He cares about you” saved his life.

From that moment the women knew that they couldn’t stop there, said Lizé. They held their first PIFCF in 2019, which included a 30-day pay it forward challenge, a ladies’ tea, a blood drive and many other events, all of which exceeded their hopes and expectations. 

In 2020, they hosted a virtual concert, giving back to artists who had been disadvantaged by the pandemic.  And last year they held a Weetbix drive to help feed underprivileged children. They intended to collect 30 boxes, but instead received over 500 boxes.

With the lifting of lockdown regulations, they are able to host a PIFCF again this year. The programme is:

October 8 to 14 — 7-day Pay-It-Forward challenge before the festival. Participants will be invited to accept daily challenges to do good. The challenges will be posted on the PIFCF website and in the UD Express.

Saturday October 15 –Financial seminar, led by Wilco Naumann, writer of God & Geld. Tickets cost R50 (includes a workbook and catering).

Sunday October 16 — Covid-19 We Remember to Celebrate event to remember lives lost to Covid and to celebrate those who survived it.

Monday October 17 — Music workshop for worship teams, presented by Onbeskaamd.

Tuesday October 18 — Lynette Beer will visit primary schools to speak to educators on temperaments. Oom Karoolus & Lente and Onbeskaamd will visit the students.

Wednesday October 19 — Lynette will visit the high schools to speak to teachers and Onbeskaamd will visit the students.

Friday October 21 –Gospel evening with Onbeskaamd, Oom Karoolus & Lente, Leon Ferreira, John Nelson and Carindé Van Schalkwyk.

Saturday October 22 — Ladies’ evening with Lynette Beer and Carindé. Tickets cost R50 per person.

Sunday October 23 — Festival will close with Danie Botha performing at Huis Van Heerlikheid

More information about the Pay It Forward Christusfees is available online at: http://pifcf.co.za/ and https://www.facebook.com/pifcf.

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