One of my parishioners stopped me outside the Polling Station last week to ask if the church (building) was open. He confessed he wasn’t particularly religious but wanted somewhere quiet to go and perhaps light a candle and remember his wife who had passed on some years before. He said how much comfort had had received from attending a local group where he could make new friends and just chat. Thank God for groups like that!
No one likes to be the object of pity or on the receiving end of “charity”. None of us wants to be considered “a needy case”. We just want somewhere we can turn up and have a chat and maybe a home-cooked meal, share a beer or glass of wine and perhaps play cards or a board game. We’re not especially lonely (not really); we’re just looking for friends.
We’ve got a few groups like this around the community; some are attached to the church, some aren’t. None of them try to get you to follow any particular creed or regulation; that’s not why they’re there. These groups exist to promote friendship and meeting together – something most of us like to do. You probably know of some near you. By all means, let me know about them and I’ll happily give them a plug in this column!
I’ll just mention two groups that I think are really great. ReFresh meets in the SLH Methodist Hall on the High Street most Tuesday mornings at 10.00am. On the 3rd Tuesday they follow up with a delicious meal for just £3. There’s a great team of local people running it and everyone has a wonderful time.
MannaFest meets at 6.30pm in Victoria Road Chapel (just up from the roundabout) this Friday (15th) and fortnightly thereafter. There’s a delicious three course home-cooked meal for the cost of a voluntary donation, music and plenty of good company. A similar team of local people run it and it lasts about two hours.
Looking for friendship and good company? Why not try a local group? After all, they say a stranger is just a friend we haven’t met yet. God bless you!
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