Willow Park Church

The Screwtape Letters, Saltmine Theatre Company and the London Marathon

Thank you to all of those at Willow Park Church who supported the performance of "The Screwtape Letters". We have received wonderful feedback and close to 3000 people came to the event. Many lives were touched and challenged; the staff and volunteers were amazing as ever and the theatre company was totally blessed by the church and the way they were treated.

I thought I would take the opportunity to explain in some detail about our future plans with Saltmine and how this relates to the London Marathon. There have been a number of questions so I wanted to clarify these points.

Our Vision

Our Vision is to bring Saltmine into Kelowna again. You have seen the amazing standard of their work, and this translates into many different forms. Our aim is to bring a performance team into the area to do community outreach events across our city and valley: special theatre evenings, dinner theatres, Bible story performances, fun events for families, drama workshops and so on. We may even be able to offer Saltmine's award-winning educational shows to area schools. Outreach and community engagement is the heart of what we want to do; and we may have our own 'Willow Artists' trained and ready to go by the end of it. That would be wonderful.

FAQ's

How will we raise money to bring Saltmine back?

Myself, along with Pastor's Jeff McNairn and Gary Swabey will be collecting pledges to run the London Marathon on April 17, 2011. Pledge forms are available at the church office and at each Community during weekend services.

What will the money raised through the Marathon go to?

The money pledged will go fully to paying the costs of getting a Saltmine Team here and their time while in the valley. It goes directly to the project.

Will it pay for your airline tickets and hotels?

No, what is raised will go to Saltmine for their work in Kelowna with Willow Park Church. Saltmine has offered to pay for our flights to London, and we have tended to stay in ministry centres/billets in the past.

Why the London Marathon?

As a charity organization in the UK, Saltmine has a few allocated "entries" in the London Marathon available to them. (These entries are highly sought after with over 100,000 organizations applying for the 38,000 available spots.) Saltmine has given Willow Park Church three of their spots and have agreed that all money raised by us will go directly to projects in Kelowna. Also, the streets of London capture the imagination!

When do you go, and is this a holiday for the Pastors?

I plan to fly out on Tuesday the 12th of April and land back on the 18th of April. With jetlag recovery and running the marathon, there may be a couple of days to visit but not really a 'holiday'.

Why the 3 pastors?

I believe with 3 pastors there will be more commitment across the Willow Park Church communities. Also, there is nothing better to build "team" than a 26.2 mile run. I would love the elders to do it next time...?

What if we do not raise the target amount?

I always aim high and if we raise $10,000 then we will work with that amount; if we raise more then "Praise the Lord"! I raised $30,000 last year with David Robinson before I came to Kelowna.

I hope this answers your questions and you capture the integrity of my heart. I have raised close to $100K in the last 5 years running, donating every penny to various projects. In the future I look forward to running perhaps for MCC, Child of Mine or the ARK. This is a great way to raise extra money and connect with a larger community.

So go on, pledge $26.20 - a dollar for every mile ...

Keep running the race,

Pastor Philip Collins

How to Pledge & Donate

You may pledge or donate online by choosing an option below. Pledge forms are also available at the church office (439 Hwy 33 W, Kelowna).

Videos (meet the Marathon runners)