Christmas Market – Saturday 21 November

This year’s Christmas Market will be held in the hall on Saturday 21 November from 11.30 am to 3.30 pm.  Our famous jams, preserves, home baking and tablet will be on sale as usual, together with hand-made craft items and plants.  There will be games and competitions with prizes and the ever-popular lucky numbers stall.  And this year we will be serving posh afternoon teas with delicious dainty sandwiches, home-made scones and delectable cakes – and all at a much more reasonable price than can be found elsewhere!

Please put the date in your diary and come along to support this event in the church calendar.  In due course we will be looking for people to help man the stalls, serve refreshments, contribute baking for the cake stall and the teas, hand out fliers in Covent Garden Piazza and any other tasks that need to be done.  And if you have any other ideas for the Market, please speak to the Church Secretary.

Harvest Thanksgiving – Sunday 11 October

Our Harvest Festival service will be held on Sunday 11 October and will take the form of all-age worship.  Once again this year we are asking you to bring gifts of food or money to support the Westminster Food Bank, based at Westminster Chapel.

The food bank provides three days’ worth of nutritionally balanced (non-perishable) food to residents of Westminster who are experiencing financial crisis through a voucher scheme.  This is done in partnership with front-line care professionals who identify people in need and give vouchers.  People can also be referred on to other agencies where appropriate.

The Food Bank publishes a list of items which are acceptable, and this has been repeated below.  They ask that items should be unopened and undamaged and have a “best before” date at least three months away.

Last year you were very generous in your donations to support this service to those who live in Westminster and find themselves in crisis.  We hope that you will give generously again this year.

Here is a list of items requested by the food bank.  Please bring only items listed below.

Fruit juice (long-life carton)
Fruit (tinned)
Vegetables (tinned)
Sugar (250g or 500g)
Milk (UHT or powdered)
Tomatoes (tinned)
Rice pudding (tinned)
Sponge pudding (tinned)
Instant mashed potato
Biscuits or snack bars
Pasta sauces (jar)
Soup (tinned)
Meat/fish (tinned)
Rice
Pasta
Jam
Pulses (tinned) eg kidney beans, lentils
Tea bags
Instant coffee
Cereals (not whole-wheat biscuits)
Cooking oil (250 ml)

Please check that items are unopened and undamaged and have a best before date at least three months away.

Church membership

The Minister will be running a class of enquiry for anyone interested in joining the church on a Saturday during the autumn, probably on Saturday 24 October.  If you are interested, please give your name to the Minister or to the church secretary.