Birstall Coffee Shop celebrated 30 years of service and outreach to the people of Birstall this year.  Run by a team of volunteers from all three Birstall churches and beyond, it opens every Tuesday to Saturday from 10am until noon.  It offers tea, coffee, delicious homemade cakes and scones but, more importantly, a place to come and meet your friends and, if you don't feel you have many, a place to come and make new ones.  For many people living by themselves the coffee shop is a hugely important place of contact with others.  It's for all ages, and there's often an age-span of ninety years between the youngest and eldest coffee shop customer.  On top of all that, the coffee shop raises significant amounts to support charities every year.

Our annual service to celebrate the coffee shop was, appropriately, a cafe style service on the theme bread and fishes.  We thought of the "bread and fishes" that the coffee shop offers (a room, friendly volunteers, tea and cakes) and shared stories of when we've seen God take that offering and make much more of it.  We also made a tableau of the feeding of the 5000 in playdough, though you have to appreciate that we were working in the Impressionist style!