2009 Christmas Story
1. Christmas Lunches
The AHAG (Aylesbury Homeless Action Group’s) Christmas lunch programme, ran from Christmas up to New Year’s Day. Eight different Aylesbury churches organised one day each. Several of these events were held in the newly renovated community centre at Aylesbury Methodist Church in Buckingham Street.
The Methodists organised the lunch themselves on 30th December. Church members led by Steve Wright (left) provided food and entertainment for 26 homeless and under privileged members of the Aylesbury community. Steve said, “I feel it is a fantastic use of the community centre, providing a vital service to the most vulnerable in our society, which is at the heart of what we as Methodists are all about.”
2. Carol Aid
A packed congregation at a traditional candlelit carol service on 20th December at Aylesbury Methodist Church gave £560 to Christian Aid. Another Christmas service collection went to Action for Children, as well as the donated toys and other gifts given to the Action for Children’s family units in Milton Keynes. Church members also took part in the annual Shoeboxes for Romania Appeal.
Rev. David Jenkins, the Methodist Minister commented, “The generosity of the people belonging to the church never ceases to amaze me. They are very aware of the needs people are facing and are quick to respond.”
3. Cards for Good Causes
This year’s Cards for Good Causes held in
Aylesbury Methodist Church in Buckingham Street, achieved sales of around £23,895. Shop Manager and Aylesbury Church member Cliff Darlington (right) said, "We are very, very pleased with that. We are slightly up on last year, which considering the downturn and the new competition of cheap cards in town, we think we've done very well. Our Area Manager is also well pleased."
Clifff runs the shop with the help of 100 volunteers drawn from local churches and the charities involved.
Charities receive at least 75p in the pound from their card sales out of which they have to pay for the production and distribution of their Christmas cards and any VAT. In the past five years this has amounted to more than £20 million from their 350 national outlets. See www.cardsforcharity.co.uk for more information.