....and delicious desserts, all prepared by a top London restaurant, were served today to homeless people at Farm Street. It's all done very correctly - all volunteers have their temperatures checked, we wear masks and surgical gloves and so on. But the atmosphere is, despite all that, relaxed and chatty. The aim is neighbourly companionship as much as anything else. And there's a Creative Writing course starting - some of the guests have said they have a book/poem/autobiography in them - and over lunch there is music and lots of long conversations...
It's all punctuated by prayer - we begin the day with prayer, there is Grace before and after lunch, and our discussion time ends with prayers. Our chaplain is Fr Dominic, and he is patient and friendly with everyone, a popular figure who has put in hours of work to make this project happen.
I'm usually stationed at the trolley where the food is served, dishing out on to plates, while others as waiters go to and fro, and a kitchen team keeps up the steady flow of teas and coffees while tackling the washing-up. After our guests leave at 2pm we have a general discussion and meeting...and can eat up any leftover food from the serving-trolley...
There are a good many other churches doing similar work - and good liaison between them all - and no shortage of volunteers. Next time some one tells you that Christianity in Britain is dead, just mention that.
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