St James' Church is holding a gala this weekend to raise money for refugees in South Sudan.
Members of the Whanganui East church are concerned by the plight of the African nation, according to pastor Mo Morgan.
South Sudan, like most of eastern Africa, is suffering from a serious famine, but this has been compounded by an unstable political situation.
"The displacement among the population has been huge," Rev Morgan said.
"A lot of people are living in refugee camps and getting food to them is very complex. The situation is getting really desperate."
She said church members asked themselves what they could do to help South Sudan, and began by learning more about the situation.
"We want to raise awareness of the plight of the people of South Sudan. We can't do everything to fix the situation - but we can do something," Rev Morgan said.
All are welcome to attend the gala, which will be held at St James' Church in Boydfield St, between 9.30am and 1pm on Saturday, June 17. It will include crafts, white elephant, sausage sizzle, lucky dip, bouncy castle and more.
The money raised will be distributed by TEAR Fund.