Dear Friends,

I must begin by saying a big thank you to all who led our Easter services, providing breakfast and help with the Great Bitterne Bake Off, we had a lovely weekend celebrating our risen Lord and eating together. I am reminded of a recent service led by our minister Sarah when the theme was Jesus eating with folk, something which happened on many occasions not least the supper on Maundy Thursday and indeed early on Easter day when we celebrate Holy Communion as we remember our Lord rising from the dead, a very special service. We read in the bible that Jesus enjoyed the hospitality of many different folk during His ministry and welcomed all when he provided it Himself, even feeding five thousand on one occasion!

We as a church offer hospitality in several different ways, not least our community café on Wednesday and Saturday (more help always needed for Saturdays) and our monthly lunch which regularly serves a cooked meal to thirty plus friends. We also offer’ hospitality’ to those in need by donating food to the local Basics Bank, thank you to those who regularly pop items into the box provided in the corridor and to Dave and Sue who pass it on to the distribution point at Bitterne Park.
The Bible teaches that food is both a physical necessity and a spiritual blessing, emphasizing gratitude and sharing.

We pray that God will continue to guide us into new ways of providing hospitality to the people of Bitterne and beyond.

God bless,
Ian