The Grassroots Team were surprised by a gift of a box of delicious samosas on Wednesday. During the Grassroots team meeting, friends from IHT (Islamic Home Tuition) delivered a box of samosas as part of their Ramadhan service to the community. IHT have been delivering boxes of samosas during this month of Ramadhan to various Churches in Luton as an act of friendship. It was certainly well appreciated by the Grassroots team. Thank you IHT!
With the summer speeding by, the Annual Bishop's Cup Cricket Match is soon to take place! This is a great day of friendly cricket, family fun and inter faith fellowship, and is always enjoyed by all (even if Luton has not yet won the competition).
More details are below and we very much hope to see you there! Please do let us know if you would like to join in as part of the Luton team. This could be Luton's year to win the cup!
Date: Sunday 3rd August
Time: 12noon - 7pm
Venue: Woodside Leisure Centre (Watford Town Cricket Club), Horseshoe Lane, Garston, Watford, Herts, WD25 7HH
Rain Venue: Parmiter's School, High Elms Lane, Watford, Herts WD25 0UU
Teams from Bedford, Luton, St Albans and Watford must have at least three religions represented with a maximum of four players of the same faith. Players may be clergy and lay people, men or women, and as young as 15 years of age.
Come along to support your team and make new friends!
Schedule for the Afternoon:
Arrive from 12.noon
1.00pm Pitch 1 Watford versus St Albans
Pitch 2 Bedford versus Luton
3.30pm Bring and Share Picnic
4.30pm Pitch 1 Championship Match
Pitch 2 Third place match
7.00pm Awards presentation
Luton's annual Peace Walk is one of the highlights of the year. Every year, Lutonians - local people from various cultures, backgrounds and beliefs, of all faiths and none - gather together to walk to a few different places of worship, as friends.
This is a great chance to learn about different faiths in a friendly, welcoming and non-threatening atmosphere, as well as standing for peace and all that is good about Luton.
This year's annual Peace Walk in taking place in Farley Hill area. The event will involve a visit to several different Churches in Farley, as well as Farley Hill Mosque and Farley Hill Community Centre. We are also hoping to work with local schools in the area. To top it all off, the event will finish with a delicious traditional English afternoon tea, hosted by the Reconciliation Walk Community in Farley.
The event is taking place on Saturday 20th September 2014, from 2-5pm. Please do put the date in your diary.
This is something not to be missed! More details will be released in due course. Please do get in contact should you need any more details.
The Near Neighbours Funding Briefing Session for Churches is taking place on Wednesday 21st May at 10am - 11:30am at St Hughes Church in Lewsey Farm (Leagrave High Street, Luton, LU4 0ND).
The Keynote Speakers are:
a) Bishop Richard Atkinson (Anglican Bishop for Bedford & Luton and Near Neighbours Trustee)
b) John McCallum (Near Neighbours Development Officer in Leicester)
This will also be an opportunity to ask questions about the Near Neighbours programme nationally or locally in Luton.
Please kindly encourage any interested individuals to make use of this opportunity. Near Neighbours Programme is routed through Church Urban Fund, with a view to access and use Church of England local parish networks and outreach. Near Neighbours small project grants fund is aimed at empowering local people to identify and develop solutions to improve their local community and neighbourhood, by bringing people together. You can find out more about the Near Neighbours programme by visiting their website http://cuf.org.uk/how-we-help/near-neighbours
We very much hope that you will take this opportunity to attend this briefing to find out how your Church can utilise this great resource. If you are able to come, please could you confirm your attendance by phone 01582-416946 or by email to admingrassroots@btconnect.com by 6pm on Wednesday 14th May. This is to assist us with seating/catering arrangements, please.
The Near Neighbours Programme Briefing Session for Faith Communities is taking place on Thursday 8th May at 6:30pm - 8pm (including refreshments) at Holy Ghost Catholic Parish Centre's Executive Lounge.
The address is 33 Westbourne Road, Luton, LU4 8JD. Holy Ghost Parish Centre are kindly allowing parking in their car park for this event.
The Keynote Speakers are:
a) Bishop Richard Atkinson (Anglican Bishop for Bedford & Luton and Near Neighbours Trustee)
b) John McCallum (Near Neighbours Development Officer in Leicester)
There will also be an opportunity to ask questions about the Near Neighbours programme nationally or locally in Luton.
Please kindly encourage any interested individuals to make use of this opportunity.
Near Neighbours small project grants fund is aimed at empowering local people to identify and develop solutions to improve their local community and neighbourhood, by bringing people together. You can find out more about the Near Neighbours programme by visiting their website www.cuf.org.uk/how-we-help/near-neighbours
We very much hope that you will take this opportunity to attend this briefing to find out how you can utilise this great resource. If you are able to come, please could you confirm your attendance by phone 01582-416946 or by email to admingrassroots@btconnect.com by 6pm on Tuesday 6th May. This is to assist us with seating/catering arrangements, please.
Over 110 women across faiths and cultures attended Women loving Luton, organised by Ghar Se Ghar women.
The opening address was given by ‘Love Luton’, now in its 4th year supported by 20 businesses. The closing address, by Deputy Police & Crime Commissioner Cllr. Tafheen Sharif, spoke about the importance of women in society, women inspiring change and the recent introduction of Clare’s Law.
The evening was full of interest and laughter with presentations on a range of subjects: a fashion & design collection; books about Luton by a local author; fundraising to save a 143 year old church organ; and businesses related to health and dance. Other women spoke about their experiences of life in Luton.
Students from Luton Adult Learning brought along ‘cultural boxes’, a diverse collection from across the world. The Zimbabwean Ladies Fellowship, the Sai Singers and a local poet performed and entertained. A fashion parade demonstrated the cultural mix of women in attendance, providing an array of colour.
Fairtrade refreshments in the cafeteria gave the opportunity for everyone to socialise and enjoy food together.
Our annual Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations culminates in a stall held at Luton Mall. This year's stall was held on Saturday 8th March.
Volunteers from Fairtrade Luton were joined by friends and colleagues from
Members of the public were able to sample Fairtrade wafer biscuits, Fairtrade Palestinian Medjol dates and Fairtrade dried fruit, as well as find out more about Fairtrade by looking at the Fairtrade display of products and the leaflets available.
Over 150 petitions for Fair Bananas were signed. Bedfordshire honey from a Luton producers was also on display, generating much interest.
The Co-operative membership, long-term supporters of Luton's Fairtrade project, kindly supported the event.
To find out more about this year's campaign for Fairtrade bananas, themed Stick with Foncho, please visit http://foncho.fairtrade.org.uk/
Please do get in touch if you would like to get involved with Luton's award winning pioneering Fairtrade work.
The last two weeks have been jam-packed with Fairtrade events and activities in schools, workplaces, community organisations, places of worship and businesses across the UK.
Luton’s Fairtrade celebrations have been highlighted by an extra special achievement: the launch of Luton’s first Fairtrade School, St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Junior School. Special guests including Chair of Luton in Harmony Pastor Lloyd Denny, Methodist Superintendent Julie Bradshaw, vice-chairs and representatives from Luton Council of Faiths, stalwart Catholic Fairtrade volunteers such as Maureen Borbone, Sr. Maire Hayes and Lee and Andrea, attended the launch assembly on Friday 28th February.
Pupils from Year 6 led the show, giving a star stopping performance demonstrating how, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr "Before you finished your breakfast this morning, you'll have relied on half the world." The children reminded all how Fairtrade is a way to love our neighbour, one of the most important commandments in all Christian teaching as well as in other faiths too. The play ended with a celebratory song and dance, headlined by a pupil dancing in a Fairtrade banana suit.
St Joseph’s has worked tirelessly over the past few years to support Fairtrade, working closely with Fairtrade Luton group. Pupils enjoyed a visit from Fairtrade banana producer, Tookie, from the Windward Isles, presented Fairtrade at Luton Peace Walk, held Fairtrade fayres, tuck shops and information days, visited Sainsbury's supermarket as well as learning about Fairtrade in their lessons and assemblies.
To find out more about Fairtrade, visit http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
As we are starting to try and recover from Fairtrade Fortnight activities, a little celebration of some of the events that went on in Luton...
Fairtrade Master Chef at the University of Bedfordshire
All are invited to attend a community afternoon tea taking place on Saturday 15th February. 3:30-5:30pm . Please contact Catherine for more information.
You are invited to join us for afternoon tea at St Margaret's Church (Luton, LU3 1HT) on 15th March, 3.30 - 5.30pm. An opportunity to get to know neighbours who may come from a different background to you, to build on the strengths of the diversity in Luton.
This will follow on from the previous event we had in February, sharing ideas for activities for future events. There is hope to get ongoing funding for this project.
Please arrive early as there is a full programme.
The last two weeks have been jam-packed with Fairtrade events and activities in schools, workplaces, community organisations, places of worship and businesses across the UK.
Luton’s Fairtrade celebrations have been highlighted by an extra special achievement: the launch of Luton’s first Fairtrade School, St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Junior School. Special guests including Chair of Luton in Harmony Pastor Lloyd Denny, Methodist Superintendent Julie Bradshaw, vice-chairs and representatives from Luton Council of Faiths, stalwart Catholic Fairtrade volunteers such as Maureen Borbone, Sr. Maire Hayes and Lee and Andrea, attended the launch assembly on Friday 28th February.
Pupils from Year 6 led the show, giving a star stopping performance demonstrating how, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr "Before you finished your breakfast this morning, you'll have relied on half the world." The children reminded all how Fairtrade is a way to love our neighbour, the second most important commandment in all Christian teaching. The play ended with a celebratory song and dance, headlined by a pupil dancing in a Fairtrade banana suit.
St Joseph’s has worked tirelessly over the past few years to support Fairtrade, working closely with Fairtrade Luton group. Pupils enjoyed a visit from Fairtrade banana producer, Tookie, from the Windward Isles, presented Fairtrade at Luton Peace Walk, held Fairtrade fayres, tuck shops and information days, visited Sainsbury's supermarket as well as learning about Fairtrade in their lessons and assemblies.
To find out more about Fairtrade, visit http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
We are enjoying a very busy Fairtrade Fortnight 2014. This year's theme is Stick with Foncho, and the fortnight has been packed with various activities in the community of Luton.
Members of Fairtrade Luton & Grassroots delivered a role play at Madinah Holiday Camp. The camp, run by Islamic Home Tuition - a local community organisation providing teaching and events for children and adults, with over 100 children taking part. Children found out about healthy eating and ethical foods, as well as learning more about their religion and moral living through songs, crafts, drumming and stories.
The Fairtrade role play was about a banana producer in Ghana. Shouts of “don’t do it!” were cried by the captive audience as “bad business man” forced the price down with no hope of breaking even for the producer. The children were delighted when a fair price was paid under Fairtrade terms. Stickers were handed out and children signed a petition to make bananas fair with the stick with Foncho campaign for this Fairtrade Fortnight 2014 (24th Feb-9th March).
Petition signed by children at Camp Madinah
To find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight, please visit http://foncho.fairtrade.org.uk/
Luton's International Women's Day Celebrations are soon to take place.
Precious Pearls is taking place on Thursday 6th March at Bury Park Community Centre (161 Dunstable Road, Luton, LU1 1BW) from 6:30pm-8:30pm.
This is a very special, women only event where ladies can share their stories and talents, meet other ladies from different backgrounds and cultures, enjoy entertainment from different cultures, consume delicious refreshments and food, and celebrate together.
Please RSVP on 01582 416946 or gharseghar@btconnect.com
At an event during The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Ecumenical Deans on behalf of Churches Together in Luton group invited ministers and lay people from all the Churches in Luton, to spend a morning of reflection on the theme of Christian Presence and Engagement in Luton.
The event was kindly hosted by Mgr Kevin McGinnell at Holy Ghost Catholic Parish Church on Westbourne Road. Bishop Peter Doyle of Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton and Rev Geoff Colmer, Regional Minister and Team Leader of Central Baptist Association were the two main keynote speakers. They were extremely inspiring.
Revd Geoff Colmer said, “Relating together in partnership in Luton is the only way forward, because no one Church could serve the community and meet its needs on its own.” He also quoted former Archbishop Rowan Williams who upon meeting someone would ask this question, "What is God already doing in this person and how can I help?”
Bishop Peter Doyle, emphasized the need for God’s grace to retain a balance in us; and challenged the inherent and natural prejudice in us: encouraging all to build bridges as Jesus did with the Samaritan woman. He encouraged preaching and finding ways of communicating hope. He said, “Our role is to try to connect and integrate to restore human dignity.” What a profound and sane challenge for us all.
Following two such inspiring talks, all present were led into four group discussions addressing the issues, as mentioned below, in Luton’s context;
The most pertinent Qs asked were:
Overall the morning was very worthwhile. In a short span of time, much was spoken of and achieved. Long live the spirit of the Church, to continue exploring the meaning in its being a Christian presence in the world.
Every year, Luton holds a Preparation Day for Women’s World Day of Prayer. During this day, participants get the chance to discover more about the country from which the service comes; this year EGYPT. Women get a chance to sing together when practicing the hymns for the service and they also share together a Bible study session. This year’s Preparation Day is taking place on Monday 27th January at Central Baptist Church in Park Street, from 9:30am – 3pm. The cost for the day is £3. Hot drinks are provided but please bring your packed lunch along. This is a great chance to meet women from all Christian denominations.
Women’s World Day of Prayer truly is a global event. Women from 170 countries, from Samoa to Albania to Taiwan, circle the world in prayer for 36 hours! This year participants will learn about Egypt’s culture and way of life, and what life is like for women and children living there. This year’s theme, Streams in the Desert, promises to make this an inspirational and hope-filled event of women coming together to pray and celebrate, living out together the calling to informed prayer and prayerful action.
Women's World Day of Prayer 2013. The service was prepared by women from France, on the theme of I was a stranger and you welcomed me in
Happy New Year to you all from Grassroots, Luton! We hope that 2014 is a very peaceful and joyful year for you.
Centre piece used at the last Prayerful Dance session of 2013
If you are considering taking up something new this year, why not consider joining Luton's Prayerful Dance Group? The group meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month here in High Town Methodist Church Hall from 3.30-4.30pm.
New members will be very welcome.
This year's Circle Dance Christmas Special- Dances for the Festive Season - took place at Hockwell Ring Community Centre on Saturday 14th December 2013.
A lovely group of people took part in this special event celebrating Christmas.
The Shepherd’s Dance - this is a traditional French Dance in which the dancers hold candles and mark out the shape of a star with their footwork as they progress
Circle Dancing is a great opportunity for people to join in an inclusive and enjoyable type of dancing that does not require a partner or any previous experience. Men and women of any age are very welcome to join in.
Please do get in contact if you would like to find out more about regular circle dancing sessions and special events.
All are invited to Luton’s Annual Peace Light Service taking place on 16th December at 7:30pm, at All Saints Church on Shaftesbury Road, Luton LU4 8AH.
The Peace Light (flame) is brought from Bethlehem. Initially it began as part of a large charitable relief project to help children in need in Austria and abroad. Since 1990, with Scouts’ and Guides’ help, this light is now distributed across Europe at Christmas time, spreading the Message of Peace in all countries. It encourages all to work for peace
The Circle Dance Christmas Special Event is taking place this Saturday (14th December) at Hockwell Ring Community Centre. All (men, women, young, old, and those of any dancing ability!) are welcome to join in from 2-4pm. Bring along food to share at this free community event.
