Ministry with people who are currently homeless

Street Banquets – First Sunday of the month at 4pm

In response to a pious statement, “Blessed is anyone who eats bread in the Kingdom of Heaven”, Jesus tells a parable. This is the story of a king who is throwing a dinner party and he decides to invite his friends to join him for the celebrations. But, one by one, each of those people who were asked to the dinner turn down the invitation for what they consider to be very valid reasons. On hearing their excuses the king is ‘hopping mad’, and he orders one of his servant to go out into the lanes and back alleys and invite those folk who are never invited to a party. By doing so, the most needy of society become honoured guests and receive a taste of God’s New World.

That parable told by Jesus has been the inspiration for us to run what we call ‘Street Banquet’. This regular event of food and fellowship began about seven years ago in the redundant graveyard on Park Road (behind the Birmingham Polish Centre), before moving indoors, first of all at the Methodist Central Mission, and now at The Church at Carrs Lane.

Invitations

A week before each Street Banquet invitations go out to members of the city’s Street Community. Over the years these invitations have been distributed through outreach teams and the staff of SIFA Fireside. There is a team of volunteers who act as chefs, waiters and befrienders, and they have been drawn from a variety of churches and students from the Queen’s Foundation.

In our attempt to be faithful to the message of Jesus’ parable, those who attend the Street Banquet are treated as honoured guests, and the number of those honoured guests has been increasing at an alarming rate during recent months. Thirty invitations are sent out with the understanding that people can bring companions with them, which has meant that up to one hundred people attend. By the grace of God and the culinary skill of the kitchen team, everyone who comes is welcomed and fed.

Need is growing in our society. Food has become a political issue. The gulf between the users of Food Banks and customers of High Street Banks is widening. The team is called by Jesus to offer a different way of living by welcoming those in need and sharing a taste of the New World.

For more information, email Revd Dr Neil Johnson or call 07946 093070 (If your device does not open an email programme when you click the email link, please right click on the link and paste into the ‘To’ box of your email programme.)

We are grateful to be part of the Birmingham Christian Homelessness Forum.

If you are interested in finding out where there is support for people on the streets, there is up to date information here on Street Support

And information about current sources of food are on the Food Justice Network: