Kingdom City, a church located in central Airdrie, is looking to offer encouragement and friendship with their first-ever 'Night of Hope'.

The two-hour event is set to take place in Nose Creek Park in Airdrie on September 19 from 6pm until 8pm.

Nathan Kliewer, a pastor at Kingdom City, says the pandemic has affected everybody in Airdrie differently and Night of Hope is meant to bring people together in a positive way.

"We are coming out of some pretty crazy times. We're in crazy times, still. We've had a growing sense that once restrictions lifted and opened a little we wanted to find a way where we can provide a beacon of light for anyone who needs it. Reaching out to the community is important to us and we felt this was a good place to start."

Kliewer says although it's an event run by a church, it is not a religiously dominant event.

"It's open to anybody and everybody. We're having live music with one of our worship bands but there won't be a lot of preaching or long messages. It will be full of music and short, inspiring words for people."

Kingdom City decided to run the event in a public park as opposed to within their church itself because, as Kliewer states, it's a neutral place that people are familiar with and doesn't pose a barrier to someone who might not want to go inside a church.

"People already know this place and that it's a safe space. It's a nice place to hang out, it's got trees and playgrounds. Your kids can go play at the park while you visit with others."

Night of Hope is a free event for all ages that will be accepting donations to the Airdrie Food Bank as an optional entry fee. Kliewer says they're always looking to give back to the community and the Airdrie Food Bank is important to a lot of people.