In August 2019, we held one of our favourite Friday night Creative Loafing sessions. These evenings are held, so that members of our community who are not free on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the day, can come and bake bread and share fellowship. They begin from 5.30 pm onwards and conclude at 9.30 pm.
The community gathers to bake bread, share fellowship and instead of soup and a roll (which we have at lunch time), then we share toast, baked beans or spaghetti hoops.
Do look out for the advert for our next session which will be run by our One Person Participant Laura.
Visitors from Gateshead
On Tuesday, 24th July, the community here at Somewhere Else welcomed a group of visitors who had travelled down from Gateshead; to experience our "outrageous hospitality". Rosemary, Mike, Norma, Julie and Georgia May learnt about the work that we do here and enjoyed making bread to share with the people of Liverpool - including bemused workmen in hard hats! They were ably assisted by our facilitator volunteers Peter, Cindy and Jess. You can see their amazing loaves in the group photo, which also includes Peter.
Rosemary and her friends hope to use breadmaking in creating a new faith expression in their community, which is part of the Durham Diocese. We wi
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Steve Allen (27/12/57 - 30/9/17)
"Steve Allen, a long time member and friend of our community, died at his home (last year) here in Liverpool. I know that you will hold one another and Steve's family in love and prayer at this time. Through the years, Steve was a wonderful advocate and ambassador for the welcome, the acceptance, the hospitality and the love that is offered by the members of the Bread Church community to all. In the upcoming days and weeks, we will be placing a priority on offering gentle space and opportunities for support to this community" Ian Hu
Steve's funeral was held at Kensington Methodist Church , followed by a tribute where friends and family were invited to share their memories of Steve.
"I've never experienced such a warm and loving tribute as that given to Steve, It was heartfelt, genuine and real to the person he was, he'd have loved it", Mandy Clynick.
The community has created a 'Memories of Steve' board at the Breadchurch where we've shared our memories of Steve. Everyone is welcome to add their 'memory' to the board.
Also, many many people wrote tributes to Steve.
28 January 2018
Christmas 2017
Through the next few weeks we are collecting tins of beans and tuna for Kensington Community lunch. If you can help our
collection of beans and tuna get higher up the wall then please bring what you can to bread church each Tuesday and Thursday.
Let's see if we can reach the ceiling by Christmas!!!
13 December 2017
Saint Lucia's Day, or St Lucy's Day, is a Christian feast day celebrated to commemorate Saint Lucia, a 3rd century martyr. The day is celebrated in Scandinavia. so Joseph, our Norwegian Vincentian Volunteer, told us her story. He also told us how they mark St Lucia's Day in Norway.
We had great fun making St Lucia buns and they tasted a treat. They're very soft with a delicious Christmas spice flavour. Everyone who wanted some took some home.
September - November 2017
28 September 2017
Local poet Judy Mazonowicz treated us to an exciting perfomance of her poem BURST on National Poetry Day
Feeling the urge?
The tingling toes,
The shaking hands
The churning stomach
Then the lively mind
Sparking
Fireworks
Instead of sleeping
A sure sign
A sure sign
A sure sign of either love
Or the creative
A sure sign of not sleeping anyway
Grasp it –
Spit it out
Say it
Don’t let it stay inside and fester
Do it,
Tell her
Tell him
Tell them. -
Paint it
Sing it
Write it
Dance it
Bake it!
Take the chance or being the jester
At least, start it -
Put it down
On paper
Sow the seeds
And then the process can take over….
The sunshine
The womb
The colours
The warmth and time
Will take over
The light blue touch paper
And retreating
The purples bleating
The words competing
The heavy breathing
The oven baking
The movement starting –
Spirals sparking
The laughter and larking
All starting instead of sleeping
Feeling the urge
Do it Go on Do it
BURST!!!!!!!
September 2017
The Loaf Project
We are delighted here at Somewhere Else, to have been asked by the Liverpool Central Library to put on an exhibition of poetry and writings that the community have been doing with our friend and creative writer, Carole Benn.
The exhibition runs throughout September 2017 and is located on
the first floor of the Central Reference Library in William Brown Street, Liverpool. Just go up the escalator to the first floor and turn right. We are just past the enquiry desk, near to the
entrance to the Picton Reading Rooms.
On the opening night we distributed freshly made bread to the visitors in the library and had some wonderful conversations with those who came to view the exhibition.
Heather reports, "Tucked away in a quiet corner on the first floor with not much traffic at that time of night Carole, Andrew, Toni and I decided to bag up the rolls with the information inside and take our 'calling card' around those still at work. Very well received I must say. We had a good chat with those that ventured over to look as a result and I hope over the month many more people will come to look, read and pick up the information"
Please come along and see the exhibition and let all your friends know about it.
Welcome Lorraine
We wish Lorraine the very best as she begins her work as Administrator at Somewhere Else.
She said, "I'm looking forward to joining you at the Bread Church, I'm a novice at bread making so as well as working in the office, I look forward to improving my skills with all the experts here."
In the picture she's kneading her dough to make a granary loaf. It turned out beautifully, the first of many we hope!
21 September 2017
Congratulations are in order!
Vinnie met Milly at the Bread Church over a year ago. As they got to know each other, they became good friends and recently decided to get married. Milly, who is already a facillitator, is pleased that Vinnie has decided to join the team and enrol on our training course.
We wish them both the very best for the future.
5 & 7 September 2017
Deep Clean
Our annual deep clean will be on Tuesday 5 September from 10:30 am to 2 pm. Lunch will be provided (chilli con carne, vegetarian chilli and rice) to everyone at 1 pm. This annual event is always a great success and the response from our community is always fantastic... it's a true testament to the saying, 'many hands make light work!'
There’s a sign up list on the bulletin board in the Main Breadmaking Room to help us with catering numbers. Alternatively, you can call Toni Poole in the Somewhere Else office on 0151 706 0155 or send a text to the Minister's Mobile 07546 474598 if you would like us to add your name on the sign up list.
If necessary our cleaning will continue on Thursday 7 September from 10:30 am to 2 pm
Breadmaking and worship resume on Tuesday 12 September at 10:30 AM.
Many thanks for all of your continued support and love!
July 2017
Heroes and Sheroes Awards
Toxteth Town Hall recently hosted the inaugural 'Heroes and Sheroes of L8' celebration, to recognise the unsung who make a difference to community life in Liverpool. Rev Ian Hu, our minister at the Bread Church, and Frances Phillips, one of our regular bread makers and worshippers, were selected as part of a group of community leaders presented with badges of recognition by Louise Ellman MP.
Ian was nominated by Martin Zopa Huiskens, a facilitator at the Bread Church. He writes, "Authentic leadership is rare in our community, particularly with many men who tend to wear many masks. One of my inspirations for authentic leadership is Ian Hu because he is openly himself... (and) is honest about... his Christian faith."
Martin continues, "I have read about many leaders from the past, like Issan Dorsey, the Zen Buddhist monk whose biography 'Street Zen' was a real inspiration. As a Buddhist, I did not expect to find similar authentic leadership in a little Methodist church in Liverpool! See, Christians can be cool, Christians can inspire and provide authentic leadership. The 'Somewhere Else' church is a place of refuge for me. I feel safe there. May you continue to do your work for our community in Liverpool and beyond."
Ian writes, 'This recognition is 100% the result of the time and energy of all of our volunteer facilitators at The Bread Church who make our Tuesday and Thursday worship expressions come to life through the making, baking and sharing of bread. Without our volunteers, The Bread Church would cease to exist... they are the TRUE HEROES AND SHEROES!"
11 July 2017
Welcome home Ian!
Our minister, Rev Ian Hu is now back from his sabbatical and he was made very welcome by everyone. We'd like to thank all of the guest chaplains who provided excellent support while he was away.
Ian recently visited Woodchurch Methodist Church in Birkenhead where he shared some of his Sabbatical time with their baking group. Peter. one of our facilitators, said, "(It was) an honour and blessing to have him with us. God be with you Ian in everything you do.
29 June 2017
Goodbye Monika
Monika was a popular facitator at the breadchurch. She was a Vincentian Volunteer, someone who takes on the responsibilty of supporting the Minister and Administrator. And Monika rose to the challenge in so many ways.
We wish her all the very best for the future and look forward to her visiting us soon.
Thank you Monika for your hard work, your caring nature, your sense of fun and of course, your delicious soup!
22 May 2017
Congratulations to Mollie, Joanne, George and Monika on completing their facitlitator training. It takes several months and hard (but enjoyable!), work to complete the training. We all enjoyed a wonderful presentation ceremony to celebrate their achievement.
Also a huge thank you to Heather for running the course and presenting the certificates.
20 May 2017
Methodist Women in Britain enjoyed their breadmaking day!
A small group from the MWiB gathering in Liverpool came to explore ways of "looking at church in unfamiliar ways" by making bread with us. As well as making bread the group learnt about the history of the bread making community at Somewhere Else and an opportunity to sample our “outrageous hospitality”.
Their experiences were shared in a typical Somewhere Else bread-making morning and then, in the pouring rain, delivered the fruits of their labours to the Quaker Meeting House where the other MWiB attendees had gathered
Many felt that the opportunity to make bread in a warm, dry and welcoming environment was infinitely preferable to “looking at church in unfamiliar ways” by walking the streets of Liverpool taking photographs in the pouring rain!!
Our thanks to the little band of bread-makers who baked such wonderful bread.
2016
Nat's Poem
Nat visited us for the first time and offered to share her beautiful, heartfelt poem
Having all of my life being like a big merry go round
Being happy until you are dragged down
Confused, alone silent and frightened
Nowhere to hide
Nowhere to turn
Lost in a world
Where everything you have to learn,
Your knowledge, feelings, empathy and skills
Not racism
culture
sexuality
feelings
As we know we won't be fooled by the children of the revolution
We are all one individual no matter what creed colour race disability of sexuality
Or your beliefs or disbeliefs
Peace not war