Marion Dart of St. Aubin Methodist Church, Jersey writes;

Every Methodist woman knows that fund-raising is always with us. We have to raise money for our local church and circuit and for the various connexional funds, which depend on our support. We also have a responsibility to respond to the numerous calls from our neighbourhood and the wider community.

This means that alongside our worship, fellowship and evangelistic outreach, we have also to engage in a variety of activities that will produce money. Some of these have a period of popularity and then evolve or change or disappear over the years. However, I think that perhaps the COFFEE MORNING remains a continuing favourite.

I want to tell you about one such event that has survived at our church of St. Aubin, Jersey for 23 years. A friend who was one of our Women’s Work missionaries, stationed in what was then Rhodesia, was spending a holiday with me in the spring of 1979. I was then Circuit Women’s Work Treasurer and I invited the women of our church and our Circuit W.W. committee members to meet her. She told us something about her work, we had a small stall, served coffee and made £58. From such a small beginning, this coffee morning has become an annual event. We have just held our twenty-third effort and over the years we have raised £8,584, in the earlier years for Women’s Work and then for Network overseas work.

We have greatly appreciated, over the years, the support of friends from all the churches in the circuit as well as from partner churches in our ecumenical parish, and from friends and neighbours.

Our home was in no way suitable for holding a coffee morning but somehow we managed to squeeze in everything and everyone. Some who came said they enjoyed “the scrum”! Because of changed circumstances for the past two years we have been very grateful for the hospitality of our minister Rev. Ian White and Mrs. Diana White at the Westlea manse, Quennevais.

I am wondering whether our fund-raising effort will have to evolve or change over the next few years.