A CHURCH in Southampton gave away presents worth £1,000 today as hundreds gathered for a special Easter Sunday service.

Two-hundred Easter eggs were also given to children free of charge at Victory Gospel Church in Portswood.

Youth Pastor, Joshua White, wanted to bring the community together to celebrate the most important day on the Christian calendar.

Speaking to The Daily Echo, Joshua said: “This is the first time we’ve ever done it, but today is the most important day on the Christian calendar as we celebrate what we believe to be the greatest gift that’s ever been given.

“We believe what the Bible says – ‘Oh God so loved the world that he gave his only son’ – so, in that spirit, we wanted to give today and be generous today, especially given the tough economic climate that people are in, to give people some hope and joy – that’s what we’re here for.”

Daily Echo: Youth Pastor, Joshua White, with some of the giftsYouth Pastor, Joshua White, with some of the gifts (Image: Joshua White)

Joshua’s grandfather, Ron, founded Victory Gospel Church in 1980 alongside his wife Margaret, as what started out as a handful of people is now a congregation of 400 people from as many as 50 nationalities.

It’s that vast and multicultural community that Joshua hopes will benefit from the church’s Easter giveaway, as those attending could win anything from a laptop to a chocolate Easter egg in a celebratory raffle.

READ MORE: The West End woman behind the 'unique' door wreaths

Joshua added: “What I think it does for the community is firstly, it gets more people together here and they get to talk and connect and meet other people.

“Even though we’re a few years out from the pandemic there’s still a lot of isolation within the community and one of the things we’re able to do is provide a hub and a family for people who don’t have one.

“Church is a big family under our father God, so we’re able to provide family and community to people and it’s such a blessing to see people who are lonely and are vulnerable connect with other people and get to know their local area.”

Joshua added: “It doesn’t matter where you’ve come from, it’s where you’re going to.

“We believe in caring and loving others and making a difference to those who need it most.

“We want to make a difference.”