By Joe Lubasa
Three months from retirement, a church pastor from Wigston has described how much she enjoyed her final season of Christmas in the job.
Pastor Mary Buckley, of Life Church in Wigston, has served for 19 years and will retire in March 2025. Among her many responsibilities, she believes Christmas is important not just as a season in the year, but because of the biblical significance it has on us.
“To think that God sent his son for me has made the difference of Christmas being about me and Christmas being about me and Jesus, and I find that exciting,” she said.
“I love the atmosphere, the family feel, and it is a very hospitable time.”
Pastor Mary said she has always enjoyed preparing for the Christmas season within the church and in her own personal time – a time which highlights the importance of making sure everyone feels loved and accounted for.
She said: “In church from September, I make sure that everyone knows Christmas is coming. All the teams start to prepare from September as we want to do things excellently.
“I make sure that I have time to think about my own life with Jesus and I make sure that I send everybody a card in church.”
An initiative that happens every year at Life Church is the handing out of Christmas hampers to those who are less fortunate within the community, a project which has seen significant progress in recent years.
“It started a few years ago when our local community workers asked for help with 6 or 7 hampers of gifts and food, and they were handed out,” said Pastor Mary. “And from then on, we’ve grown in how much we give and how much is delivered to people.
“Last year we had 160 hampers given out. This year we’ve had 60 large hampers as well as 1,000 gift bags. It’s about the means of providing someone with a lovely meal.”