Mammoth Event

We've noticed that The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen has been getting a bit busier week on week in the last few months, and last night's Soup Kitchen was quite a mammoth event.

For the last year, numbers had been dropping, though there remained a significant core of regulars and we were still regularly feeding well over 100 people, but the quantity of soup we were making each week had dropped down from 200 litres to somewhere between 70 to 100 litres a week, with the occasional Soup Kitchen dragging on for a while until the last of the soup had gone.

Then a few months ago we noticed this trend beginning to turn, with more people coming for soup and the soup going in a much shorter time.

Last night we served 100lts and it was gone in twenty minutes, having served about 250 people and a total of 400 cups. We haven't seen a queue of regulars that size for quite a long time, and it was so busy we had to say no to filling pots, something we haven't had to do for several years. 

There are a few tangible reasons for the resurgence in attendance for our Soup Kitchen, winter is a big reason, especially as the cold weather has set in early this year. Also, with inflationary pressures seemingly on a relentless upward trek, the small social welfare grant of R390 (£16.25) a month is so pitiful it's barely worth the hassle it is to sign up and claim for.

So as a church, once again it's a joy and a blessing to be able to serve some of the neediest and most vulnerable people in our community and beyond, and we will be increasing the quantity of our weekly Soup Kitchens again, beginning with 140 litres of delicious homemade soup next Thursday. 

Thank you LORD!