The Harvest Lunch this year will have a Syrian theme!!
In March this year there was a special event at St. Bride’s Church Fleet Street which marked two years since the beginning of the Syrian uprising. It was organised by Gill Newman, the wife of the Bishop of Stepney as part of her ongoing work to raise awareness of the Syrian conflict. She had travelled to Syria herself to visit some of the refugee camps and hospitals and spoke movingly about her experiences. The other speakers were Paul Conroy, the war photographer who was with Marie Colvin when she was killed, Martin Fletcher, The Times Foreign Correspondent who reports regularly from the conflict zones in Syria and Imam Mujahed, who organises and delivers aid with the charity Hand in Hand for Syria.
The conflict is ghastly, the suffering is terrible and there seems to be no obvious solution so it is tempting to turn away and feel that nothing can be done. However, Gill believes strongly in the saying “One person can’t change the world, but you can change the world for one person”. We have chosen to support Hand in Hand this harvest because it is a non-political organisation funded by individual donations which provides medical and humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the uprising, including people still inside Syria. Very few charities are able to get humanitarian aid into Syria and Hand in Hand regularly provides food and clothing to around 3450 Syrian families, some of whom are refugees at the Lebanese border. It also sends medicines and medical equipment into Syria and supports doctors and nurses working in civilian field hospitals. Sadly one of the volunteer doctors, who had worked at the Royal Free Hospital, was recently killed in Syria.
To raise money for Hand in Hand we have decided to change the menu for the Harvest Lunch this year and offer a variety of Middle Eastern food, from hummus and falafel to meat balls and chicken skewers. There will be a list at the back of church from September 8th which you are asked to sign if you are able to bring some food for the occasion. Suzi Takla, a Syrian member of our congregation, can provide recipes if necessary! After the Harvest Festival Service, and before lunch, there will be a very short talk from a representative from Hand in Hand who will describe the situation in Syria and what the charity is doing. We do hope you will come and support this important event in the life of Hampstead Parish Church. All donations from the lunch will be sent to Hand in Hand and we are sure that you will give generously.