Community Praise
Over the past several years the Community Praise Team made up of church members and Christian friends have been working hard to serve those in our city who are less well off or who lack the means to provide for their daily needs.
Each Thursday morning the kitchen team begin the work with the preparation of food for the lunch and the laying up of the tables. But of course the work begins long before that with the planning of menus and frequent expeditions to local wholesale and retail stores to source the foodstuffs. Our local Foodbank also assists us occasionally with excess produce.
Once the meal is on the go, the whole team breaks for prayer. Just a few minutes of quiet reflection is a great way to focus on what we are doing and why, and energises us for the events of the next hour and a half. As the cooks return to their cooking duties, the rest of the team open up the church for our visitors, many of whom have been waiting patiently in the lobby for the past half hour.
As people gather, we welcome our visitors and chat with them and listen out for any prayer needs which may then be brought before God during the service. Once everyone is gathered we hold a short service of worship, prayer and reading of the scriptures. The service also includes a short talk explaining the teachings of Jesus and sharing the gospel message. For this we are very grateful to our rota of visiting speakers who give their time and effort to this ministry on a regular basis. The service always ends with a blessing upon the lives of all those present and the food that has been prepared for us.
We then move into the rear dining room for lunch. Before and after the lunch there are opportunities for our visitors to select second hand clothing from the range we hold for them in the Green Room. It is a great blessing to be able to supply people, who are often in desperate need, with clean, dry underwear, socks and shoes as well as warm jackets and trousers, thanks to all the many donations of clothing we receive from members of the church as well as local people who have heard of our outreach and want to help others through us. After lunch we also allow our visitors to use the shower facilities for which we supply them with shampoo, soap, shaving materials and towels.
In 2024 we were pleased and encouraged by passing a spot inspection of our kitchen by a local council inspector to retain our current 5 star food hygiene rating.
Each Thursday morning the kitchen team begin the work with the preparation of food for the lunch and the laying up of the tables. But of course the work begins long before that with the planning of menus and frequent expeditions to local wholesale and retail stores to source the foodstuffs. Our local Foodbank also assists us occasionally with excess produce.
Once the meal is on the go, the whole team breaks for prayer. Just a few minutes of quiet reflection is a great way to focus on what we are doing and why, and energises us for the events of the next hour and a half. As the cooks return to their cooking duties, the rest of the team open up the church for our visitors, many of whom have been waiting patiently in the lobby for the past half hour.
As people gather, we welcome our visitors and chat with them and listen out for any prayer needs which may then be brought before God during the service. Once everyone is gathered we hold a short service of worship, prayer and reading of the scriptures. The service also includes a short talk explaining the teachings of Jesus and sharing the gospel message. For this we are very grateful to our rota of visiting speakers who give their time and effort to this ministry on a regular basis. The service always ends with a blessing upon the lives of all those present and the food that has been prepared for us.
We then move into the rear dining room for lunch. Before and after the lunch there are opportunities for our visitors to select second hand clothing from the range we hold for them in the Green Room. It is a great blessing to be able to supply people, who are often in desperate need, with clean, dry underwear, socks and shoes as well as warm jackets and trousers, thanks to all the many donations of clothing we receive from members of the church as well as local people who have heard of our outreach and want to help others through us. After lunch we also allow our visitors to use the shower facilities for which we supply them with shampoo, soap, shaving materials and towels.
In 2024 we were pleased and encouraged by passing a spot inspection of our kitchen by a local council inspector to retain our current 5 star food hygiene rating.