What a brilliant time we had yesterday, pouring out a beautiful blessing for Yorkshire Day that we’d been brewing up for months…
We gave out 500 of these beautiful gifts, which included two customised Fairtrade tea-bags and a bespoke fridge magnet and postcard featuring our very own brewing prayer. Find out more and read the prayer here
We started just after 3pm and by 4:30 we had only empty baskets left! But as members of our praying community sat round them at 5PM prayers yesterday, we looked at them with even more of a sense of celebration than we had done when we’d managed to make enough gifts to fill them all…
This was because of the memories of all the smiles, laughter and conversations we’d had with the hundreds of Ilkley workers, residents and visitors who’d received the gift earlier that afternoon. There was just so much joy in it all. People’s faces lit up at the gift – especially when they realised it was focused on Yorkshire’s shared love of tea!
Lots of people said they could never say no to a brew! And many others commented straight away on Alison Helliwell-Hodson’s stunning artwork.
It was great to receive thank you tweets from shops we have a growing relationship with and to have a conversation with one business owner in particular who was thrilled with her gift and also remembered the roses we’d love bombed Ilkley with for Valentine’s Day earlier this year.
Best of all – as ever – is knowing that as well as that moment of connection when we give the gifts to people, smile and have a chat, the gift keeps on giving as it goes home with the person. Perhaps this year, the magnets and brewing prayer postcards will stay on people’s fridges even after they’ve drunk the brew made from those special Brew Up and Bless tea-bags…
One thing’s for certain though… the day had a special flavour that’s lingering well into today.
And actually the pouring out isn’t all quite done, because the window remains to keep infusing that joy into our community throughout August…
Yorkshire Day may be over but Yorkshire people’s love of tea isn’t, and passers by and car passengers are still stopping to look at – and take photos of – the artwork and brewing prayer displayed at the Sanctuary:
It is such a blessing to share God’s love, beauty and generosity with people!