Each year on Christmas Day we hold Christmas Together for people who would otherwise be alone, for whatever reason, to join with others for a Christmas lunch and festivities.
Christmas Together, previously called Christmas Alone, was the idea of Rev Derek Rigby 30 years ago when he was the minister in charge of both Great Tattenhams Methodist and Banstead Methodist Churches. Initially it was held at Banstead church as they had better kitchen facilities. It was funded by the churches but we often received donations from other sources.
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| One of the early Christmas meals at Banstead Methodist Church |
When Great Tattenhams Methodist church united with St Mark's in 2004, our new united church continued to support the initiative. In 2020 it was agreed to move the venue to St Mark's as Banstead Church could no longer help due to an ageing congregation. In 2021 the Covid epidemic prevented us having a gathering but with very little notice we operated a "Meals on Wheels" delivery service. Since then the event has continued at St Mark's Church and many of the volunteers have been with us for many years.
The day starts with the morning service, followed by entertainment and a full Christmas Dinner and finishes with the showing of the King’s speech.
Over the years, various people have cooked the dinner. There has been the odd occasion when things did not go quite so well behind the scenes, such as when the chef was drunk or when the frozen turkeys failed to defrost, but our guests would not have been aware of these difficulties.
Volunteers from the church and the community undertake administration tasks, visiting, transport and the entertainment as well as food preparation on Christmas Eve and cooking. Particular thanks go to Keith and Anne who coordinate the volunteers on Christmas Day. and to Janet and David Willock who organise everything before the day.
On average we get 30 – 36 guests but we could easily manage 50 plus. Advertising is through posters, social media and Age Concern and maybe we do reach all those who wish to attend. So going forward the Church will continue to provide Christmas Together as it is well received and valued by the community.
One of our guests commented "what an uplifting day it has been. Everyone was happy, the day was really entertaining and lighthearted."
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| CHRISTMAS EVE PREPARATION 2024 | |
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