A community café envisioned during a prayer meeting as a way to help and serve those more vulnerable and isolated is celebrating its seventh year.
Crofton Community Café runs once a month in the Parish Council hall just off the High Street in the village outside Wakefield.
The vision – which came out of a prayer meeting while the church was in interregnum back in 2010 – began as a regular coffee morning idea for those folks on their own or lonely in the village – but within two months it became a Saturday morning café idea and seven years later now runs once a month offering hot drinks/toasted tea cakes/cakes and the occasional bacon buttie! All for free!
They have even been awarded a grant from their Sainsbury’s Local branch just down the road.
The vision was Richard Sellens's who worships at Crofton Parish church – this is his story:
He wrote: “It was during an interregnum in 2010 the church had a prayer meeting one January evening and I was asking God how we might best love and serve the people of our village of Crofton, Wakefield.
“As often happens in my experience in prayer meetings, my mind started to wander.
I got to thinking about those who are lonely in our village; how might we practically love them?
“How about I get a group of people together to run a coffee morning on a regular basis aimed at those who live alone?
“The church building is not suitable but there is a building in the village used and owned by Crofton Parish Council. It is close to many council properties occupied by single people and some elderly folk. This would be a good place…….
“If you believe God wants you to do something, strike while the iron is hot and work with what you have instead of bemoaning what you do not have.
“I believe that God is not so bothered about bums on seats in church, but that we love those around us as God loves them.
If you have a vision of what God wants you to do, follow it up and just do it!
You can read Richard's story in full as part of Bishop Tony’s Share Your Story for Lent season here: http://allsaintscommunity.org.uk/videos/share-your-story-for-lent-i-had-a-vision/