Bushwick Org to Sing Carols Around Neighborhood on Christmas Eve

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — Bushwick carolers from TENT Ministries, Inc. will be spreading cheer all throughout the neighborhood on the morning of Christmas Eve, singing from Maria Hernandez Park down Knickerbocker until they reach Wyckoff Plaza. They'll be passing out free candy canes, hot chocolate, presents, digital photos, and prayers, TENT said.

TENT Ministries is a local nonprofit organization founded by a man named Jason Ayala, who says he is inspired by the power of faith to heal people from vicious addiction cycles, as well as crime, poverty, and abuse. TENT is an acronym that stands for "To Empower Not Tear-down."

"We wanted to do something different for the community, because caroling, no one does it anymore, in Bushwick especially," Ayala told Patch.

The mission of TENT to Ayola is to bless people and also to help them get to the right city departments to get help with their addictions or shelter from the cold, he told Patch. Ayala, who was born and raised in Bushwick, said TENT wants to "change the face of evangelizing."

TENT conducts all kinds of weekly charity projects for the community, like food drives and blanket runs for the homeless, he said.

TENT helps homeless people get up off their feet, but it also helps people who are not homeless, Ayala added. He said lots of people in Bushwick are losing their homes or starving even within their homes, and he doesn't want to intimidate them out of TENT's charity projects by limiting them to just homeless people.

"I think if we just show people love, no matter what denomination they're from, I think this community would be a whole lot better. A hello and a how are you and a smile goes a long way."

The carolers begin their singing on Saturday, Dec. 24 at 9 a.m. at Maria Hernandez Park.

Photo credit: Public domain