The Rosser United Church continued with their festive tradition of building its annual ice church for everyone to enjoy last Friday.
The holiday tradition started over a decade ago and families and church members have continued to keep it alive.
The purpose of the project is to work together to create something that the church community — and the greater community — can enjoy.
Each year, the Sunday school re- quests that members of the congre- gation make ice blocks at home. They can use whatever they want to form the ice blocks, old milk or juice cartons as well as four-litre containers or five gallon pails.
These larger ice blocks are used for the “foundation” of the ice church. Some families have fun making coloured blocks using food colouring in the water.
This year Sunday School teacher Brooke Darragh said they had 11 families including 17 children help with the construction
Families deliver the ice blocks to the church and on construction day, young and old gather to peel cartons off of ice blocks. Many hands stack blocks on top of the large foundation ice blocks creating the ice church or wall. Snow is used mortar and water poured sparingly from watering cans to glue blocks in place.
On Christmas Eve everyone in the congregation is welcome to place a battery-operated tea-light in memory/honour of family or friends in the crevasses between blocks of the ice church. Usually someone sets up a flood light behind the ice church to draw the attention of those driving through town.
To view this year’s ice church, visit Rosser United Church in Rosser Village of Highway 221.
