Blenheim pastor says churches need to work closely with other community groups if they hope to impact families in their area.

Ross Banbury, from the Oasis Family Church, is a carpenter turned pastor, and has been overseeing the childrens’ work during their after-school programme that is part of the Safer Communities street cleanup project.

The clean-up happens two or three times a year, and focuses on a street with particular social needs.

“The street intensive is for a week and so for five days we run a group from four to half past five outside in the street,” Mr Banbury explained.

The afterschool programme is a partnership with Tracy Cresswell, of the Elim Church, who teaches a Bible lesson before getting the children working together and giving them the opportunity to learn new skills.

They recently helped 20 local children build a rocket car.

“We’re calling it a rocket, but it has ended up looking more like a batmobile,” he said.

Mr Banbury says the church has a role “to bring the Kingdom of God into our community”.

“The initiatives have given us a chance to engage with the other agencies in town and partner with them,” he said.

“The police coordinator says it is practical Christianity and taking real Christianity into the streets. It’s been good to talk about the message but also show practically that we want to be involved in the community.”

For an earlier clean-up for a street that backs onto a river, the church built an ark made out of polystyrene that they floated on the river.

“Since then we’ve taken those kids for a trip to Picton in the school holidays – and we go to that street on Sundays and pick up the kids who want to come to our Powerzone Sunday School programme”.

Recently the church took about 30 people by bus to the Picton Aquarium as part of the active dads programme.