LUNCH CLUB
The Lunch Club is now a well established part of the churches life and outreach. We have been serving a simple lunch prior to the Monday Afternoon Meeting for the past fifteen years.
The home made soup is much appreciated; we usually have a choice of two (and even three) varieties followed by biscuits and cheese, fruit and tea. The menu and the cost have been constant from day one, but as food prices have risen considerably over the years we may have to review the charge in 2009.
We have been pleased to welcome a number of new ladies who have been introduced by their friends and neighbours. Our founder member Eileen Brady has now settled happily into a Care Home at Eckington, and sadly, one member - Nellie Houldsworth died during the year. Most of our members live alone, and they enjoy the warm friendly atmosphere as they meet and chat with friends. Seven of them have celebrated, or will shortly celebrate, their 90th birthday.
The Kitchen Crew continue to do a superb job – without them there wouldn’t be a lunch. So thank you to Joyce Berry, Joyce Wilton, Tilly Dwyer, Margaret Howroyd, Linda Carr, Sheila Hadcocks, and Denise Thorpe who joined us this year. Thanks go to Nick Beasley and his deputy David Grime, for their help in setting out the tables and chairs.
If you would like to sample the fare on offer, meet with a great bunch of “mature but young at heart” ladies and enjoy a good chat over lunch, then please join us one Monday.
Millie Kemp
MONDAY AFTERNOON FELLOWSHIP
The Monday Afternoon Fellowship continued much the same last year with a membership of 50 +, most of who manage to come each week as we do provide a bus for a number of those who come to lunch. This is paid for by the members at £2 per round trip, but we do get a grant of £10 from the Town Council and we manage to pay the bills as they come in.
Arranging a varied programme is not easy, as with failing hearing and eyesight, we sometimes find it difficult to suit everyone. On the whole I think what we do is appreciated by most. Our aim is not to be a ‘club’ but to share the love and care that Jesus showed and to try and get over the gospel message in whatever way we can.
Several members of the church have shared with us their holiday adventures and experiences. We have been to Egypt, Istanbul, Swaziland, and The St. John’s Jerusalem Eye Hospital with Dr. Tony Bethel when we collected £70 for this work. In 2009 we hope to go to India and China and possibly New Zealand with an update on Malawi, all this from a chair in the schoolroom.
We like to include discussions in our programme and where possible involve the members with games and quizzes. Our Christmas Event is always a great time and 56 of us sat down to one of Mildred’s excellent Christmas Teas. Each received a small gift boxes containing chocolates made by Pat Key and Rita Barfoot and a Christmas card for everyone from the kitchen staff. Thanks go to members of the church who move tables and chairs and provide transport when it is needed and for the support in general that we receive.
We have a new Spring Programme out and have offered a Senior Alpha to anyone wishing to come, as we need to encourage the ladies to think more seriously about their faith and what they believe, which is a challenge.
Working with such a mixed group with quite a few very elderly members, we do lose people and Nellie Houldsworth, one of our older members died earlier in the year. We are very sad that Eileen Brady has found it necessary to go into residential care at Eckington Court. She has been a dedicated, hardworking member of the church for many years as Deacon, Treasurer, leader of MAF and more recently started the daytime fellowship which has been a real success now run by Joyce Sorrill. She was the one who had the insight to start the Monday Lunch which is much appreciated by the ladies and has increased our attendance. Church members have been fetching her to church on Sundays and she came at Christmas, but transport and timing do not make it easy to fetch her on Mondays. We remember with gratitude her contribution to the Church and need to ensure that she is not forgotten.
We will be celebrating at least two 80th birthdays and three 90th birthdays during 2009 we send birthday cards to everyone, with flowers on the special occasions. We have had a number of ‘younger’ ladies join us which is good and we would like to think that age will not prevent this work from continuing to provide an outreach to the community, as the age of the kitchen staff and main organisers is not much different from the members. However we are all in it together with the Lord to serve Him as best we can and He will guide us through. Anyone is free to join us for lunch 12.15 to 1.15 pm or the afternoon meeting as we have a good time of fellowship.
Rita Crowson