Harvest Stories 2025: Celebrating Generosity and Community Across URC Mersey
Churches across URC Mersey have been celebrating Harvest with joy, creativity and generosity. St Andrew’s Meols and The Uniting Church in Garden Lane, have shown how Harvest can bring people together, inspire action, and make a real difference in their communities.
St Andrew’s Meols: A Parade of Generosity
St Andrew’s Meols hosted a vibrant Parade Harvest Service, held café-style in the church hall. With croissants and drinks served beforehand, around 90 people gathered for a morning of worship, fellowship and fun. Led by Rev. Mark Bates and supported by Gill Bates, the service was brought to life by the enthusiastic participation of the Scouts, Guides and Brownies.
The young people led a quiz and gave presentations on sustainability, reminding everyone of the importance of caring for creation. Their energy and insight added a special dimension to the service, which was filled with warmth and community spirit.
The generosity of the congregation was truly inspiring:
99.40kg of food was donated to Wirral Foodbank
A large quantity of fresh produce was delivered to Wirral Ark
£60 was raised for the church’s Toilet Twinning project
It was a morning full of purpose and joy, and heartfelt thanks go to everyone who contributed.
Find out more about St Andrew’s Meols:
The Uniting Church in Garden Lane: Harvest with Heart
Representatives of 8th Chester Beavers at the church with L-R (standing): Mike Rawski, Sue Rawski, and Alan Johnson, Church Trustees.
The Uniting Church in Garden Lane recently held its Community Harvest Festival Service, led by Revd Ceri Gardner. The church welcomed gifts of food from the congregation and from the 8th Chester Beaver Scouts, who have become regular and cherished visitors.
Mrs Phan Phang, one of the Beaver leaders, shared: “We were thrilled to be involved with the church and community and love taking part, happy that our contribution will make a difference to those in need.”
Their donations were distributed to West Cheshire Foodbank and Save the Family, with 21kg of food going to each. Jessie Wickham, Volunteer Coordinator at Save the Family, expressed deep gratitude: “Thanks for your kindness. We were able to restock our community shop, ensuring that families facing difficult times have access to essential food supplies. We are especially thankful for the many years of faithful support we have received from Uniting Church in Garden Lane.”
Beyond Harvest, the church continues to be a hub of welcome and connection. The Saturday community café thrives thanks to dedicated volunteers, and since September, a team of Christian volunteers from Hong Kong have helped open the café on Wednesday mornings. This has created a new space for sanctuary seekers to meet with Moving On officers and Social Prescribers in a warm and welcoming environment.
Plum also continues its partnership with Bluecoat School, building on the creative work of ‘Wings of the Sky’ and deepening relationships week by week.
Find out more about The Uniting Church in Garden Lane:
Website: North Cheshire Circuit | Garden Lane
These Harvest celebrations remind us that when we come together in faith and fellowship, we can sow seeds of hope and reap a harvest of kindness. Thank you to all who gave, served, and shared.