The Revd Jane Brown, Rector of St Mary's Church Garforth, shares how a new Place of Welcome has helped to tackle isolation in the village and create a welcoming space for those in the community:
"Back in 2019, we began to build a vision for St Mary's, which centred around hospitality and welcome. The experience of social distancing and isolation only highlighted how appropriate this vision was.
"So after a pilot in Summer 2021, our Welcome Café was born. Currently it runs from 10am -12 noon each Wednesday, and we would love to run it more frequently. We have volunteers from St Mary's Church and St Benedict's Roman Catholic Church.
"Another strand of our hospitality was to start a new baby and toddler group "FunTots" on Wednesdays from 9am -10am. We have been amazed at the response and the stories of isolation in these young families. Many of the families stay for a cuppa in the Welcome Café, which makes it a little noisy and chaotic for the first 45 minutes or so, but what a joy it is.
"Wednesday mornings are now the busiest time of the week in the Church and Parish Centre (other than Sunday), but what a wonderful atmosphere there is - people coming and going, people chatting, sharing thoughts ideas and skills, even singing sometimes!
"It is still early days. We know there are many more people out there who need somewhere welcoming and safe to go for a cuppa and a chat. For now, Wednesdays feel like the day when, in many ways, we seem most like Church - a loving, caring community, welcoming everyone."
If you church is interested in Places of Welcome, contact Peter Smith at Wellsprings Together for a chat.