Lunch club day and another new member. 

Today we gave out personalised Christmas cards, handwritten by one of my loyal helpers - one for every year of her age, and she's as old as my mother.  We also gave out token Christmas gifts - two sample size Divine chocolates in a little gold organza bag (which is quite possibly a meeting of fairtrade and slave trade, but we'll not push it too far) to each diner and slightly larger gifts to the restaurant staff.

As I walked round from table to table giving out the cards, the new member did an in depth study of the table and was truly amazed when I handed her her card (my loyal helper is quick at writing, and our timing is suitably cunning).  The gentleman sitting next to her, who has only been coming a couple of months himself, but who received a birthday card on his first visit, looked her and said gently, 'see, I told you...'

All the helpers were exhausted before we began today, and minor mistakes abounded, but we had a good time.  If our members go away feeling valued and included, then we've got something right.  Most of them we'll see again in just over a week for our carol outreach event... this, I always claim, is pay back time because they have to listen to me speak for five minutes telling them God loves them and that Christmas is a celebration of Jesus, the Light of the World.  My prayer, as in previous years, is that in 'church' they will find the inclusion and warmth we endeavour to model at lunch club.

Now to lie down in a darkened room and recover enough to read a smidge more Baptist history!