Sharing more than a meal

Thursday Fellowship, which is affiliated to Christ Church Barnet, meets every week for activities that include a visiting speaker, shared meals, bring and buy sales, quizzes, and always a short, open-to-all act of worship.

The 50-strong group, which is advertised by word of mouth and by the neighbouring Open Doors Centre, brings all types of local people together, around half of whom are church-goers. They share friendship, skills and experiences, they relax in good company, and everyone gets the chance to worship God, wherever they are on their individual faith journey.

Many activities include a fundraising element, and CUF was fortunate enough to benefit from this spirit of generosity.

One of the organisers, Judith Brearley, explains:

‘‘I knew about Church Urban Fund and I thought they might be a good cause for the Fellowship. They came and gave a talk, and people enjoyed finding out how they tackled loneliness and poverty at a grassroots level, by working alongside local churches.

Our members are interested in the outside world – we don’t want to be insular, and fundraising helps us engage with big issues like hardship. We are a Christian group – we always open with a Christian message – but it’s through our friendship and actions that we are showing the love of Jesus.

Today is our bring and buy sale. Some members have problems walking so I asked if they wanted me to fetch them anything from the stall and they said no, and cheerfully handed me a donation instead. People are generous and kind!”