In the bag: Rev Ruth Chapman (back row, centre) and parishioners at St Matthew’s, ready with their Easter gifts
St Matthew’s Church in Park Hill has been awarded funding from a church charity, the Benefact Mission Money Grants, which will allow it to continue running weekly cafés where helping people’s mental health is a core mission, and which has helped it prepare hundreds of small Easter gifts to distribute in the area’s care homes.
On Monday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm, the church runs a “Renew 121” well-being café where it is “OK not to be OK”.
This café offers tea, cake and a chat, or a place in silence but in company if you would prefer.
St Matthew’s is part of a network of churches in Purley and South Croydon offering this support.
For Easter, while chatting, the café has produced little mesh bags containing an Easter Decoration, small chocolate eggs and a card with a Bible text.
The vicar of St Matthew’s, Rev Ruth Chapman, will be distributing these little bags to the care homes in the parish at Easter time.
With the grant the café will be able to make more little bags for different seasons of the year. So the next bags will celebrate summer holidays and then in the autumn they will be filled with lavender.
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This is great news and welcome. I hope it brings great Easter blessings to those in need and shows that there really are many caring people in the world.