Final Leg of Race for Preparation of Buddha’s Birthday

The sixth preparation meeting for the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration was held on 11th April, and in the presence of Venerable Juexi, the meeting was chaired by BLIA South Island President Almeric Cheng. Those who attended included BLIA South Island Advisor John Lai, Vice-presidents Mei-Hua Chen and Jack Liu, the twenty sub-group leaders, committee members as well as the Presidents of BLIA South Island Young Adults Division One and Two, totaling 40 people.

Each group reported their work in progress, and collectively, group leaders reported that;
1. Twelve groups accruing to 120 people are participating in the offering ceremony.
2. 25 babies have confirmed their participation in the Baby Blessing Ceremony, and 15 more are expected to register on the day of the event.
3. The Ceremony group has run through the process of the whole Dharma Function in detail.
4. The number of stalls and performances has been finalised.
5. The Administration group will finalise the Speical guest namelist a day prior to the Dharma Function.
6. BLIA North Island members will come to Christchurch to help with the event. They have been assigned to Ceremony and VIP Reception Groups’, as well as to the food stalls.

Venerable Juexi reminded everyone of the importance of collaboration between the Ceremony Group and VIP Reception Group, and the support of each group is the main criteria for a successful event. When the meeting concluded, leader of Logistics Group, Mr. Happy led over ten group members to move the Buddha Statue from the storehouse it is kept in to the Temple. During Buddha’s Birthday, the Logistics Group will also shoulder the responsibility of security.

The final preparation meeting for Buddhas Birthday Celebration is scheduled for the night of 16th April, and all committee members are confident of yet another successful event.