Week of Prayer: Feast of Fun at Home

Together Liverpool is delighted to be funding 24 churches to host Feast of Fun at Home activities that will benefit an estimated 1,400 children across the diocese this February.

Events starting on Saturday February 13 include on-line bread baking sessions, half term breakfast and lunch clubs, pancake parties and food hamper deliveries.

Thanks to our funders including the National Lottery, we have been able to provide small grants of £75 to £500 to support churches to run these food-based activities in their communities.

The activities are part of Together Liverpool’s Network of Kindness project, and many of the events are being run in partnership with local schools, businesses and community organisations.

The social justice charity is inviting people to join their staff and Trustees in a week of prayer from Saturday February 13 to Friday Feb 19, for the 24 churches involved, as their congregations share kindness, joy, connection and food in their communities.

A prayer diary for the week is available for download.

Among the free activities is an online bread baking workshop for families run by St Peter & St Paul’s church in Ormskirk, in partnership with a local baker who is providing boxes of ingredients.

Meanwhile the congregations of St Nathaneal's Walton, West Wigan Hub, St Mary’s Walton, and St Mary’s Hale and Halebank are assembling and distributing half term food and activity hampers throughout the week (Feb 15-19).

Also running a week-long activity are is All Soul’s church Springwood, who are providing lunches for families this week, and pancakes for their community.

At St Andrew’s Church in Clubmoor, Liverpool, children are being provided with half term lunches and an on-line pancake party and St Gabriel’s, Huyton is hosting a special Mardi Gras event.

Pancake parties are also being run on Shrove Tuesday by Holy Trinity church in Wavertree, Transform Widnes, St Stephen’s Hightown, St Mark’s Haydock, The United Parish of Birchwood and Woolston, St Mary’s Waterloo, Kirby Team Ministry and Prescot Parish.

St. Michael & All Angels, Burtonwood are running a week-long breakfast club, and an online holiday club is being run through half term by Trinity Church Page Moss, South Liverpool Methodist Church and Halewood Parish.

The Living Room Church in Norris Green is hosting family cooking lessons and Speke Baptist Church are holding Bake through the Bible sessions with families. There will be a family Bingo night at St Anne’s Aigburth and a whole week of activities at St Mary’s Grassendale, including a treasure hunt.

Dr Naomi Maynard, Food Insecurity Lead Executive for Together Liverpool said: “We are delighted to be able to support 24 churches across the Diocese of Liverpool to host Feast of Fun at Home activities this February.

“This winter-time lockdown has been challenging for many families, with schools once again online and children missing vital connections with wider family and friends. For some families already living on the breadline, the pandemic has pulled them further into poverty, with household food becoming a source of anxiety.

“We wanted to support churches to spread kindness this half term in their communities, hosting food-related activities to help bring people together.

“We are excited by the range of creative activities on offer. The churches have estimated 1,400 children will take part in a Feast of Fun at home activity. We are so thankful for the congregations and their community partners who are volunteering and working hard to help make this a reality.”

The churches hosting Feast of Fun at Home activities are:

• Holy Trinity church, Wavertree: Pancake Party - Tues Feb 16
• Birchwood and Woolston: Pancake Party - Tues Feb 16
• Christ Church Norris Green: Family on-line cooking – Sun Feb 14 & 28
• Transform Widnes: Two Pancake Parties - Tues Feb 16
• St Mary the Virgin, Walton: Half term food hampers
• St John and St James: Activity Day
• St Stephen’s: Pancake Party - Tues Feb 16
• St Nathaneal’s: Half term food hampers
• St Mary’s Grassendale: Feast of Fun activity week
• St Anne’s Aigburth: Family Bingo Night – Fri Feb 19
• St Mark’s Haydock: Pancake Activity Day - Tues Feb 16
• West Wigan: Half Term Food Hampers
• St Michael’s Garston: Craft Day – Sat Feb 13
• St Mary’s, Waterloo: Pancake Party - Tues Feb 16
• St Mary’s Hale and Halebank, Widnes: Half term activity Hamper
• Kirby Team Ministry: Pancake Activity Event - Tues Feb 16
• St Andrew’s Clubmoor: Half term lunches and Pancake party
• St Gabriel’s, Huyton: Mardi Gras event - Tues Feb 16
• St Peters and St Paul’s: Family Bread Baking activity
• Trinity Church Page Moss and Halewood Parish: Holiday food club
• St Michael & All Angels, Burtonwood: Half term breakfast club
• All Souls Springwood: Half term lunches and pancakes
• Speke Baptist Church: Bake through the Bible
• Prescot Parish: Pancake Activity - Tues Feb 16