11th September 2021. Today we held a surprise church lunch to celebrate Simon’s twenty five years in ministry and also to mark 3 years of his ministry here at ABC. Over 70 church members were joined by specially invited guests from Simon’s previous church at Aston Clinton for a an informal buffet followed by two short speeches. At lunch time Simon was told by Nicky to get ready to go for lunch with Diane, his mum. The family all piled into the car and Nicky then drove the 400m to the church whilst Simon was totally unaware of what was going on. The event was orchestrated by Brenda supported by a team of volunteers who somehow managed to keep the event under wraps. At the conclusion of the meal, after the speeches and the thanks, Simon was presented by a caricature drawn by a local caricaturist, Bob Bond. We all thought Bob captured Simon’s likeness very well.

The cake was made by David Hanchard and decorated by Helen Lawrey. Simon’s card was designed and created by Perrie Sims.

Tuesday 7th September 2021 – A new beginning. There was a real buzz about the place – a delicious smell of coffee and a lovely atmosphere. It was the first day of the new “Love Aldwick” Community Café run by Perrie Sims and her enthusiastic team, and 32 people (some already known to the church) and a number of new folk came together to enjoy one another’s company, sitting in groups around some tables and sitting on some colourful chairs.

There was a real buzz about the place – a delicious smell of coffee and a lovely atmosphere. It was the first day of the new “Love Aldwick” Community Café run by Perrie Sims and her enthusiastic team, and 32 people (some already known to the church) and a number of new folk came together to enjoy one another’s company, sitting in groups around some tables and sitting on some colourful chairs.

There’s a lot of bad news, loneliness and heartache around and ABC simply want to bring a little of the sunshine of God’s love into the dark corners of life. As Perrie said “We just want to share and enjoy one another’s company and make a difference”. The Café only charges £1 per head but also sells yummy cakes and as it moves forward it will be seeking to share any profits and/or make donations to local charities. The Love Aldwick Café will run every Tuesday morning from 10am to 12 noon. There will also be occasional games, quizzes and guest presenters whilst the church will also be continuing to run a regular Luncheon Club and Craft Group and West Meads café followed soon by a “Toddler Time” and “Messy Church”.