A Celebration of Compassion takes place next Saturday, September 22, with Songs of Praise at Deer Park Baptist Church, Tenby.

The organist will be St. Mary's Church director of music, Dr. John Harrison, who has kindly agreed to accompany a selection of popular hymns, including some well-known Welsh tunes. There will also be a solo or two at this event, which has been organised by the Hesed Christian Fellowship to tie in with Compassion's 'Life in a Day'.

A charity endorsed by Tear Fund, Compassion is an amazing organisation that enables someone to share the Father's love by sponsoring a child in need. Short videos will form part of the celebration, demonstrating some of the joy of being associated with Compassion.

To sponsor a child costs £18 a month - just 60p a day, yet that is equivalent to the income of many of the families helped by the scheme. But this is about much more than just money! Sponsors are able to send personal gifts, photographs and postcards. They write to the children, receive regular replies and soon learn about the improvements they have helped to make in these young lives.

After 12 years of being sponsored through Compassion, 18-year-old Arlen Ortiz from Honduras wrote to all the sponsors: "I can't find the words to express my gratitude and the love I have for you. I consider you my family and my friends, because without knowing us, you decided to take our hand to cross this path called life."

(Arlen was able to learn needlework and crafts, sports, drama and computing. Now she teaches Bible class at the project and hopes to continue studying law after graduating from accounting at High School level.)

Observer staff member Patrick Ovenden first came across Compassion when the charity was described at a concert given by modern hymn-writer Graham Kendrick.

Patrick says: "In a world of poverty and violence, our relatively comfortable lives are often shattered by news of hopeless suffering and problems we can never solve.

"But through Compassion it's so easy to show love, providing practical, and spiritual, support for the most innocent and vulnerable.

"It is an indescribable privilege to receive letters from India, knowing there that a child not only benefits from what I can give, but also prays for me on a daily basis!

"At 60p a day, I believe that a lot of households should be able to sponsor a child, and I hope that everyone will rally together and make this event a celebration to remember."

A Celebration of Compassion, the songs of praise evening, starts at 7 pm and is expected to end before 9 pm, so the whole family can take part. The Hesed Fellowship are grateful to Deer Park for their support and the kind offer of their church building.

Refreshments will be served during the interval, which also provides an opportunity to examine the work of Compassion through some of their literature. Profiles of some real children awaiting sponsorship have been sent especially for the celebration, so September 22 could be your chance to change a life for ever.