Jun 14, 2019, 3:45 PMPaul King
Hemel Church Takes Part in Big Lunch
Instead of cars, our church car park was setup with BBQ, tables of food, hay bales for seats, colourful bunting around the perimeter and children running around whilst adults converse.
Do you know your neighbour? Did you know that 1 in 5 people have never spoken to their neighbour?
So, the idea for the Eden Project's 'Big Lunch' initiative, for neighbours to get together for one day and have lunch was a special planned activity of the Hemel church. The aim was to improve the happiness and wellbeing of people within the church community. For a few hours one day a year, cars would stop and communities come together in a street to meet, greet, share, swap and laugh. And the reason, none other than if we all just stop our busy lives, talk and laugh with those people around us, a positive change can occur.
For the second year the Hemel Hempstead Seventh-day Adventist church took up the challenge. The Bennetts End neighbourhood in Hemel Hempstead is small but spread out, so we produced flyers that were distributed to the houses and placed a large banner on the noticeboard.
The Big Lunch wasn't just about inviting the neighbours who live around the church but also to the Adventist community who worship at the church each week to a community BBQ on the afternoon of Sunday 2 June. It is a time for church and community to come together. Instead of cars, our church car park was setup with BBQ, tables of food, hay bales for seats, colourful bunting around the perimeter and children running around whilst adults converse.
The sun shined bright as the community of Bennetts End came and together with the church to enjoy a time of being together. Laughter and general chatter were heard as food was served and new friendships formed. We had achieved what the Eden Project had intended, for everyone to just stop, have a good time, enjoy the food and the precious time spent with each other.
Instead of cars, our church car park was setup with BBQ, tables of food, hay bales for seats, colourful bunting around the perimeter and children running around whilst adults converse.
Do you know your neighbour? Did you know that 1 in 5 people have never spoken to their neighbour?
So, the idea for the Eden Project's 'Big Lunch' initiative, for neighbours to get together for one day and have lunch was a special planned activity of the Hemel church. The aim was to improve the happiness and wellbeing of people within the church community. For a few hours one day a year, cars would stop and communities come together in a street to meet, greet, share, swap and laugh. And the reason, none other than if we all just stop our busy lives, talk and laugh with those people around us, a positive change can occur.
For the second year the Hemel Hempstead Seventh-day Adventist church took up the challenge. The Bennetts End neighbourhood in Hemel Hempstead is small but spread out, so we produced flyers that were distributed to the houses and placed a large banner on the noticeboard.
The Big Lunch wasn't just about inviting the neighbours who live around the church but also to the Adventist community who worship at the church each week to a community BBQ on the afternoon of Sunday 2 June. It is a time for church and community to come together. Instead of cars, our church car park was setup with BBQ, tables of food, hay bales for seats, colourful bunting around the perimeter and children running around whilst adults converse.
The sun shined bright as the community of Bennetts End came and together with the church to enjoy a time of being together. Laughter and general chatter were heard as food was served and new friendships formed. We had achieved what the Eden Project had intended, for everyone to just stop, have a good time, enjoy the food and the precious time spent with each other.