Every second Monday a group from our church community gets together in Cowaramup to chat over a cuppa. Some bring their craft projects, others simply enjoy the informal company over a hot drink.
“These people are my friends. They are like sisters.”
The initiative began about three and a half years ago after a casual discussion over a cuppa was being enjoyed midweek by a few congregational members. The value and enjoyment of meeting and chatting was discussed, and so they decided to open it up to the congregation by way of a regular time and place to meet fortnightly.
Since its beginnings it has been a popular regular meeting space, and highly valued by those who attend. We asked some of our regulars what it is they appreciate about Coffee Group, and these were some of the responses:
“This is where I can catch up with my church friends and share ideas and
skills.”
“Conversation is never dull on coffee mornings. We discuss a lot of issues
and I learn a lot, listening to different opinions.”
“It used to be something I attended if there was nothing else to do. Now I
mark it clearly in my diary so that nothing interferes with it.”
“It gives me a reason to get going on a Monday morning. What will I wear? I
watch the clock so that I’m not late.”
“These people are my friends. They are like sisters.”
“We don’t always see eye to eye but we are confident we can be ourselves.”
“We have seen many craft projects completed in the nearly four years we have
been meeting. But this is by no means the reason I go. Even if I sit and do
nothing, I am part of a supportive group that is an extension of my church
and my faith.”
It’s wonderful that something as simple as getting together over a cuppa can be such an important part of people’s week!
Coffee Group meets fortnightly on Monday mornings from 10am at Smithereens Cafe in Cowaramup. If you would like to know more you can email the office and we will pass on the information – unitingchurch.mr@bigpond.com
Each week our volunteers greet a steady stream of kids with a caring smile, and a healthy breakfast to start their day. It’s also been wonderful connecting with the familiar faces of children we’ve seen grow from our other activities such as playgroup, Ready Set Go and Uniting kids. And as the weeks and months go on we are seeing regular children come in and say ”good morning” and chat about their week. It has been good to see the growing confidence with the kids, helping them learn basic skills such as buttering their own toast, lining up, sharing and even just saying hello and thank you. We hope that dropping in to Breakfast Club on Fridays is a good start to their day.
Breakfast Club is run by wonderful volunteers, and supported by the staff at Margaret River Primary School. We are sponsored by Foodbank WA which provides a lot of the non-perishable items such as cereal, tinned fruit and baked beans. It is also made possible because of the generous ongoing support from our local businesses – Riverfresh IGA and Brumby’s for perishable items such as milk, butter and bread.
