Kolaka Regional Government Christmas, Donations Collected for Sumatra

KOLAKA, WN—The Regional Government (Pemda) of Kolaka Regency together with the community held a Joint Christmas Celebration on Friday evening (26/12) at a hotel in Kolaka City.

This activity was attended by more than a thousand Christians from various church denominations in Kolaka Regency.

The celebration was also attended by the Regent of Kolaka Amri, elements of the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), the Chair of the Kolaka DPRD, the Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB), leaders of BUMN and BUMD, as well as a number of community figures, each accompanied by their wives.

The series of celebrations begins with a Christmas service led alternately by priests.

The peak of the service was marked by a Christmas message delivered by Pastor Dovi Chrisnius from the Protestant Church in Southeast Sulawesi (Gepsultra) Congregation Imanuel Kolaka.

In his Christmas message, Pastor Dovi emphasized the importance of a family life attitude that is guided and controlled by God.

According to him, the condition of society is basically a reflection of family life.

He gave an example, haphazard exploitation of forests, greedy nature management, and corrupt practices often stem from the attitude of living in a family that is hungry for material things and never feels enough of God’s blessings.

Meanwhile, Kolaka Regent Amri admitted that he was impressed by the enthusiasm of Christians in participating in the joint Christmas celebration.

Referring to the National Christmas theme, “God is Here to Save the Family”, Amri emphasized that life in society and the state is very much determined by the condition of the family.

Therefore, he invites all Christians to organize family life from an early age through implementing a healthy lifestyle and attitude of faith based on religious values.

“Parents must be role models for their children. If in the past life was not right, then from now on it must be changed. If in the past you liked to drink, start to change. And what we are most afraid of is drugs. That should never be in our families. We support law enforcement officials to create a society that is free from drugs and other societal ills,” stressed Amri.

Previously, the Chair of the Joint Christmas Committee with the Kolaka Regional Government, Yudha Widyatama Nugraha, reported on a number of activities that had been carried out ahead of the peak of the Christmas celebrations.

These activities are dominated by social actions, such as donating blood, cleaning public areas, and distributing Christmas gifts and basic necessities to underprivileged communities.

According to Yudha, the entire series of activities is in line with the sub-theme of Christmas with the Kolaka Regional Government, “Through Christmas we bring peace and prosperity to families amidst diversity towards a just, advanced and superior Mekongga Earth.”

“The committee agreed that Christmas should not only be interpreted as a religious ceremony, but also as a means of strengthening tolerance, unity and synergy between regional governments and all elements of society,” he said.

On another occasion, Deputy Chair of the Kolaka Regional Government’s Joint Christmas Committee, Marsel Palayukan, added that this year’s Christmas celebration was also enlivened by the performance of choirs and vocal groups from various churches, as well as welcoming dance performances by Sunday School children.

Apart from that, the committee also initiated fundraising aimed at victims of the flood disaster in Sumatra.

From this collection, funds amounting to IDR 4,011,500 were raised.

“The number may not be large, but all the church members who attended felt like they were part of a big family who wanted to share and lighten the burden on our brothers and sisters who were struck by disaster,” said Marsel. (**)

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