Hospitality & Social

The First Friday Coffee morning has been running for almost 15 years and takes place on the first Friday of the month in the lower new hall from 9.00am – 11.00am. It is open to everyone including non-parishioners and the hall has a step-free access. Coffee mornings are popular with all age groups and provides an opportunity to meet existing friends and get to know new people in the parish community. The team of volunteers provide tea, coffee and home-made cakes, scones and are keen to welcome new visitors and introduce them to others. For more information or to volunteer as a helper please contact the parish office.

The ‘Meet & Greet Team’ are composed of a group of young parishioners who have taken on this special role as part of their Post Confirmation Ministry. They welcome members of the congregation into Church on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month and are on hand to meet and greet all members of the congregation. The team were introduced to the parish in October and are enjoying their new role and have been well received by the parishioners. If you are a post-confirmation young person and would like to be involved in this ministry, please contact Martine in the parish office.

The team are part of a greater Parish group who welcome members of the congregation as a regular part of the Church’s commitment to make our parish a place as open and informative as possible. The welcome table at the back of the church (it is available for most of the year and removed only to allow for Sacramental celebration information connected with Confirmation (May), First Holy Communion (June) displays information about all the various parish societies and programmes, information for children and adults, the Liturgical Calendar and formation programmes. If the information above about our Ministries is not available at the rear of the church it can be found on the parish website (stanselmstbec.org) or from the parish office.

The Parish Social Events & Fundraising Committee support and provide events in the parish throughout the year of a social nature; in doing so they provide an inclusive opportunity for all members of the parish to be involved in social interaction. Over the years the following events have taken place: Biannual Parish Ball, Auctions, Quiz Nights, Barn Dances, Salsa Nights, a Jubilee Supper. Annually the committee supports the Parish Christmas Fayre. All monies raised through these events provide much needed funds for the parish financial structure. The Committee are also invited to support parish sacramental programmes including providing the Communion Breakfast for the First Holy Communion celebrations, the Blessed Sacrament Procession tea, and Healing & Anointing Mass tea. We are extremely fortunate to have the support of so many enthusiastic and committed members, without whom many of the events would not happen. All events are supported with the greatest sense of community. We are always looking for new volunteers so if you want to continue to foster and deepen our sense of community and raise funds for our parish through organising and hosting fun social events – please get in touch with us through the parish office.

The Soup & Sandwich Club welcomes the senior members of our parish on the second Friday of every month, post morning Mass, in the lower new hall from 10.30am – 12noon. We provide a welcoming and friendly place to come and socialise with other parishioners and enjoy a good, hearty, homemade lunch. Canon William and the team often pop in and join us to get to know our members too. Run entirely by women volunteers from the parish who produce all the homemade food – the club offers soups, savoury dishes, selection of sandwiches and a variety of delicious freshly baked cakes. Special events include our annual Christmas Party, when the room is decorated, the foods are themed, raffles are held, and prizes are won. Posters are displayed on the parish notice boards, as well as in the parish bulletin/website with the details of upcoming events for the 2 weeks leading up to the gatherings. We look forward to welcoming you are our next lunch.

The Men’s Group was originally established over 10 years ago and would meet each month from September through to July. Our meetings are a mixture of discussions, sometimes on a spiritual theme and social events. New members always very welcome to come and meet other men from the parish, share a drink and a discussion. We end the evening with night prayer. We are currently looking to re-establish this group so do get in touch with the parish office for further details. The Annual Christmas Pudding Night ‘Stir Up Friday’ This annual event takes place in the crypt of the old hall when up to 70 gentlemen of the parish come together donning their cooking aprons to create two mouth-watering Christmas Puddings (complete with vintage sixpence pieces). The event organised by Tom and Martine has become one of the highlights of the calendar and Brendan with his unique brand of showmanship brings the evening to life! A fish and chip supper are provided for the evening. Canon William concludes the evening with the annual blessing of the puddings before a sing-along by all the gentlemen and another year of the Pudding Club Society is over with puddings being despatched to far flung parts of the Empire & British Isles.

We are looking to restart the Parish Ladies’ Group. Our group is an invitation to every woman in the parish community. We have regular get-togethers through the year when we can meet new parishioners and catch up with those we know already. We aim to provide friendship and support for each other. Our meetings vary in content, some are social, such as Pimms evening, quiz or talk and some are spiritual, including our annual Benediction Service. In the past we have travelled away on short breaks to Rome, Morocco, Avila and Spain. Every year at the end of November we have our annual Cheese & Wine Evening to which all ladies of the parish and female friends and family are invited to join us for a relaxing gathering to see in the Christmas Season.

“The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy, walk and be healthy. The best way to lengthen our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose”. Come and join the Parish senior walking group which has been established for over 10 years which has been steadily going and regularly ever since. We meet every Thursday at 11am by the park bench near the tennis courts on Tooting Bec Common to meet new people and get some fresh air. This is a small group of men and women, generally senior and we walk for about 30 minutes at a leisurely pace. It is a wonderful Common and our short journey is a visual delight which takes place in wonderful fresh air. We walk on lush grass and among some gorgeous trees. The wildlife is another simple pleasure. In this life if full of care” we do have time to stand and stare – and it does us all good. To look at not much happening is a therapy in itself. But don’t take our word for it…..Live Simply. Come and have the experience for yourself. We would be delighted to see you! We stop for tea andcoffee at the park café – always! If the weather is inclement, we will always try to meet up somewhere dry! For further details please contact the parish office.

Companionship for people in the parish, mainly retired who would like to appreciate company of others in similar circumstances. We meet weekly and engage in social interchange and support. Activities include cards, Bingo, Beetle Drives and quizzes). The afternoon concludes with tea before we close with a short prayer. We have opportunities to join in the First Friday Coffee Morning, Soup & Sandwich Club and the Mass of Healing & Anointing which is followed by tea and fellowship. Many of the group also partake and support our parish social events through the year. For more information or to volunteer as a helper please contact the parish office.

Twice a year we hold a ‘Welcome tour of the Church & Tea’ in May and October for all new parishioners. This comprises of a tour of the Church and information about the various Ministries on offer, followed by tea and meeting of the parish team in the lower new hall.

After the 10am Mass each Sunday (term-time) the ‘Welcome Group’ organised by Ramish and team provide refreshments for the parishioners in the lower new hall. This Ministry has been running for over twenty years and is well supported and everyone is welcome to pop in for a cup of tea, coffee and treats, a chat and make new friends. All welcome!