Street Banquet

“People often find a hidden conscience to help the homeless around Christmastime,” according to Neil Johnson Pioneer Minister of Street Banquet, a Church at the Margins initiative, of the Birmingham Methodist District. However, when the trimmings are packed away and the turkey is a distant memory there are still people who find themselves hungry, without a home and with long winter nights stretching ahead of them.

But for members of the street community in Birmingham there is hope; around a hundred homeless guests are treated to a “proper sit-down meal” once a month, by Street Banquet, which The Revd Neil says “is a joy and a privilege to be part of”. The act of table fellowship, he adds, is incredibly powerful; “meeting a very human need of feeding our bodies and souls”. He explains that Street Banquet was founded on the parable of the Great Feast, Luke 14, “with the challenge to build a new community which is inclusive, empowering and committed to addressing social issues, especially homelessness”.

This homeless church has no regular base and as such it has much in common with sofa-surfers, going anywhere its welcome and moving on regularly so as not to outstay its welcome. Currently Street Banquet rotates between three venues: an Anglican church; the Salvation Army Citadel and a Unitarian Church.

Guests are supported by volunteer hosts, a cross-section of people, many of whom have themselves some lived experience either of homelessness, marginalisation or exclusion. The hosts are made up of three groups: the kitchen; learning and caring teams. These teams operate in a similar way to a church council, making decisions ranging from bible readings and training courses to menu content. The bite sized courses include, among many other things, food hygiene, de-escalation skills and bible study and, of course, alongside this pastoral care is always provided.

Hosts receive support too, they are invited to weekly bible classes, can undergo a variety of training and take part in quarterly celebrations. One host has even been spurred on to take additional college courses to further his own learning.

If you’d like to find out more: Street Banquet