Community Dinner

COMMUNITY DINNER. Since its beginning in December 2010, All Saints Community Dinner has been our biggest outreach programme. During that time there have been 80 community dinner evenings, regularly with attendances between 80 and 100 people. The Community Dinner offers and delivers a warm welcome,  social interaction and a hot, freshly-prepared meal to a broad section of the community – which contributes significantly to All Saints’ local reputation as the town’s most community-minded church.

A core team of volunteers work hard to prepare every meal, while other members of the parish just drop in to help with any job that needs to be done. Support from fellow parishioners has been vital to the success of this programme. Often, young people doing their community service have helped to serve and clear up.

After the meal, a Games Evening is held upstairs, arranged by “Brighten Up”, a neighbouring children’s educational and games shop. This attracts a number of adults and children to experience the latest (non-computer) games.

The Community Dinner has never been about raising money for All Saints. The dinner is free of charge, but a free will offering basket is near the door for those who wish to contribute. After covering expenses, the excess is put back into the community. Over six and a half years, $10,250 has been donated to various local causes such as East Wellington Community Services: Food Share, the Early Years Programme, the Seniors programme, and the Mobility Bus; as well as Special Friends, Rural Women’s Support, the Upper Credit Humane Society and Youth for Christ.

Starting in fall, 2017, the Community Dinner evolved beyond the vision of its founders and now partners with other groups from the community who carry out the hosting and cooking responsibilities in the All Saints parish hall, while All Saints members assist with organization, set-up and clean-up support.

We welcome anyone to help in any way and you don’t have to be a member of All Saints or any church. Just join in on the night.