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Over the Easter long weekend, the KCC Convention Centre in Katoomba was filled with the sound of music and preaching, fun and laughter, as over 1,700 delegates gathered at Katoomba Easter Convention to celebrate the 'Kindness of God'.
After a year-long break, the KCC Convention Centre in Katoomba was once again filled with the sound of music and preaching, fun and laughter, as delegates gathered at Katoomba Easter Convention (KEC) to celebrate the 'Kindness of God' in brilliant sunshine.
This year, KEC was hosted in a new and innovative COVID-safe format, combining a high-quality livestream for Adults and choice between an in-person program in the Blue Mountains or Video On-Demand content for Children and Youth. 
KEC 21 Children's Program in Katoomba
KEC 21 Youth Program in Katoomba
KEC 21 Volunteers
With so many options for access, we saw over 1,200 adults and 500 children join the KEC21 program, with families tuning into our livestream from as far and wide as the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Chile, Singapore and the USA.
By providing online access to KEC, many were able to join either for the first time or to relive childhood memories. “Our family of 5 have enjoyed being part of KEC for the first time. We are thankful for livestream. What a wonderful way to spend our Easter.” – The Moore Family “So great to be able to join KEC online from Melbourne after having grown up attending it each year in the Blue Mountains.” - A. Laird For some delegates, online access was a demonstration of “God’s great kindness” at a time of adversity: “God's great kindness is shown in that Pamela was able to join us despite having had a heart attack and nearly dying 7 weeks ago, and that she could stay in her nightie and dressing gown to do it.” – E. Beckers In addition to the normal program, on Easter Sunday, the KCC Plaza was transformed into a colourful showground as delegates of all ages gathered to enjoy fellowship over a sausage sizzle, fairy floss, jumping castles, silent disco, an Easter Egg hunt and a Children’s Concert with Children’s Entertainer, Dan Warlow. 
Jumping castle at the Easter Sunday Family Fair
Easter Sunday Family Fair
This year, the Adult Program welcomed a variety of guest speakers, interviewees, and musicians. Bible teachers Kirk Patston, Paul Tripp, Matt Fuller, Don Carson, and Peter Williams preached from various books on the Kindness of God. The Bible talks served to remind delegates of God’s kindness demonstrated to us in Jesus, and the subsequent call for Christians to be a kind and gentle witness in a complex and post-modern world.
KEC 21 Speaker, Kirk Patston
To make the teaching more practical and concrete, we were joined by Special Guests such as Nicole Starling who shared a biographical talk of God’s kindness in the life of Elizabeth Saunders, an Australian Christian woman and Pastor’s wife who served God in the early days of Colonial NSW. According to Nicole, her life was “quietly poured out in the service of God and others” and that like Naomi and her Ruth, she was a vulnerable woman who lived out God’s kindness in a way that was costly and sacrificial. 
Nicole Starling shares a biographical talk on the life of Elizabeth Saunders.
Special Guests Dr. Louise Gosbell and Mohammad Shahmaleki also joined the platform to share their conversion stories and practical testimonies of God’s kindness. In her testimony, Louise shared how God’s kindness has compelled her to serve the disabled in her community and to use her research and experience to help churches become more inclusive to families with Special Needs. Mohammad shared how God’s kindness compels him to support needy families in Iran, and to help them gain access to medicine, education and the word of God. 
Dr. Louise Gosbell shares her personal story at KEC 21.
L-T Hopper interviews Mohammad Shahmaleki
On top of preaching and testimonies, the KEC program also featured much-loved elements such as worship in song by the KEC band and African-Australian band Afrofest and book reviews. 
KEC 21 Band
African-Australian worship band, Afrofrest
Although COVID has continued to impact on in-person gatherings in 2021, we praise God for the opportunity to gather in a smaller scale, and that for many, KEC was an encouragement and blessing for the entire family:
“We have really enjoyed this great reminder of the great kindness of our wonderful God! We missed catching many friends in person but have been blessed so deeply!” – The Smiths & Youngs “Thank you so much for a wonderful weekend. Our whole family has been greatly encouraged and blessed. may we go forth in kindness!” – Amy Hueston Katoomba Easter Convention will return in 2022 from Friday 15 April – Monday 18 April. Mark the dates in your calendar and we hope to serve your family again next year! In the meantime, you can stay up to date with KEC on Facebook or Instagram. Do you have feedback for us? Fill out the feedback form here.
Missed out? Tune into our livestream!
The KEC livestream for Adults and Children will remain available until end of April 2021. Whether you missed out on KEC this year or would like to extend kindness to a family in need, you can purchase an access pass on our website.
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