On December 1st and 2nd of last year, 14 of IGL’s children’s homes participated in the 7th Annual StarFest, a competition hosted by the IGL Childcare Department for children’s homes during the Christmas season. Every year there is a Christmas related theme, around which the competition and festivities are centered. The children compete in the following activities: singing, Scripture memory, speech, dance, drama, drawing, poetry, and Bible quiz. During the semi-finals, a team from the Childcare Department travels to each home to judge these activities. All the children who participate receive a prize, but only those who get first place move on to the final. For the finals competition, the home must combine all of the different activities into a 30-minute drama that portrays the theme. The finals are held in the first week of December at Carmel Conference Hall in Sharon Gardens. Along with the competition, there are puppet shows, singing, and speaking. The children look forward to this event every year. It is a special time for them to learn more about the Lord Jesus and celebrate His birth. Star fest also gives the children a chance to share the talents God has given them. Through this program, many of the children have gained self-confidence and have begun to realize their value in the eyes of God.

With 14 of the Children’s homes joining in the festivities in 2007, there were 750 children involved! Mr. Timothy, the guest judge taught songs and performed puppet shows. The children enjoyed this entertainment a lot.
For the competition, there were brackets of three to four homes that competed against one another. The theme for this year was The Word became Flesh from John 1:14 so all the performances were oriented around this concept. The children did an amazing job of portraying this theme. Each home found a unique and creative way to show the impact that Jesus has made in our lives through His becoming a man. They are very talented children and it was obvious that there was a lot of hard work and preparation that went into preparing for their performances.
The homes awarded first and second place in their bracket received prizes such as a set of drums or a bicycle. There were prizes also given to the best actor and actress in each bracket, the winner of the Bible quiz, and the overall best home. 

The results for 2007 are as follows:
Bracket A
Vishranthi Home- 1st
Grace Emmanuel- 2nd
Krupa- 3rd
Open Arms- 3rd

Bracket B
Blessing- 1st
Elizabeth- 2nd
Maranatha-3rd
Tabitha- 3rd

Bracket C
Mercy- 1st
Bethel Care- 2nd
Hebron- 3rd

Bracket D
Sharon- 1st
Rebecca- 2nd
Anderson- 3rd

Hebron Home was chosen as the overall best home of the year. Bethel Home in Bihar also received a prize for their participation. The children from this home were unable to participate in this competition because they speak Hindi, not Tamil, but they performed some traditional dances and songs for everyone to enjoy. Blessing Home also received a prize since it was their first year participating in the Star fest program. 

The following are reports from a student intern who helped with the StarFest programs last year:

Elizabeth Home Star Fest Semi-finals

When we arrived at Elizabeth Home on Sunday, November 11th, it was nicely decorated for the Star Fest program. There were around 60 children who were eagerly waiting and preparing for the semi-final. The pastor opened in prayer and then the children sang some songs. Mr. Sam introduced our Star Fest team and then Miss Rani led the children in the Star Fest theme song. After this, Miss Rani and I taught the children an action song in English. They were loud singers and they participated in the actions enthusiastically. Afterwards, I spoke to them about the Star fest theme and how we can apply it to our lives. Mr. Rajeevan interpreted for me and then prayed. Following this, the competition began. Both of the speeches given were excellent and the speakers were very animated (they were actually brother and sister). Both of the dances that were performed were also great. They were very creative using objects like candles, ribbons, and stools as props. They are two of my favorite dance routines so far in the semi-finals competition. The skits were also excellent and the children were very expressive. I was also impressed by all of the drawing at this home. The artists were young, but very talented. The program was great and the children put a lot of time and effort into it. After we passed out the prizes and sweets, two of the girls performed the traditional dance of Tamil Nadu. The pastor and his wife had our team for dinner afterwards. 

Sharon Star Fest Semi-finals

The second Star Fest semi-final of 2007 took place at the Sharon Children’s home on Sunday, November 4th . The competition was held in the chapel with about 300 children in attendance. The community college students also came to watch the competition. The room was full of excitement before the activities even began. Miss Rani opened in prayer and then Miss Esther lead the children in singing the Star fest theme song. Mr. Sam introduced the Star Fest team from the IGL childcare department and after this, I had the opportunity to share from God’s Word. I talked about the Star Fest theme, “The Word became Flesh” and how we can make God’s Word and His love become alive in our own lives. Mr. Sam prayed for our time, and then Mr. Rajeevan proceeded to start hosting the competition. It was obvious that the children had put a lot of time and effort into preparing for the semi-finals, and they did a great job. Jakama, a young boy in grade 5, quoted an impressive 38 verses in two minutes! Both the A team and B team did an excellent job in the dance competition, and they had great costumes. The skits were very humorous and enjoyable for the audience. All of the artists did an excellent job portraying the Star Fest theme, and it was difficult to choose a winner. After the contest was finished, we distributed prizes and sweets to the children. They had a wonderful time, and they are all looking forward to the finals in December.