[Ely Announce] The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

[Bridget Nichols]

NEWS from the Church of England

PR 06.12

10/01/2012

For immediate release

 

Encouragement to celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee with the whole
community 

The Church of England is encouraging its 13,000 parishes to engage with
communities to celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, as it as it
announces its participation in two national initiatives - The Big
Jubilee Lunch and The Big Thank You - via a helpful website section and
online video at www.diamondjubilee.churchofengland.org
<http://www.diamondjubilee.churchofengland.org> , produced by Mission
and Public Affairs Division and the Communications Office of the
Archbishops' Council. 

 

The brainchild of the Eden Project and championed ecumenically by HOPE,
The Big Jubilee Lunch will see millions across the country joining
together to have lunch on the afternoon of Sunday, June 3rd; the Church
of England is encouraging parishes to register their own Big Jubilee
Lunch at www.thebiglunch.com <http://www.thebiglunch.com> , or join in
with one already registered locally to make it even bigger and better.  

 

To give people an opportunity to say a personal thank you to The Queen
for 60 years of service, many cathedrals and churches are taking part in
The Big Thank You; the public will be invited to add their signature and
well wishes to a letter to Her Majesty The Queen signed by the diocesan
bishop and made available for personal thank-yous in the participating
cathedrals and churches. These letters will be compiled into one
national Big Thank You and delivered to Buckingham Palace.

 

The Revd Richard Frank of All Souls Church, St Margarets, Twickenham,
encourages churches to get involved with The Big Jubilee Lunch on the
new website section at www.diamondjubilee.churchofengland.org
<http://www.diamondjubilee.churchofengland.org> , writing: "All Souls
Church first got involved with the Big Lunch launch event in 2009, since
when we've helped host the street party alongside our local residents'
association each year. The roads that meet at the corner of our church
building are closed and we fill the space with tables and chairs, set up
a 'bandstand' on the corner - for live, locally 'sourced' music - and
provide a bouncy castle, free face-painting and hot drinks in the church
garden. It helps, of course, that the Big Lunch date is always a Sunday,
so the congregation spilling out of the morning service join with other
local residents, young and old, each bringing food to eat and share. Our
experience has been that it's a fantastic way to engage with our
neighbours, bless the community and open up the doors of church to those
who'd never usually make it, even into church the garden. In 2012 the
Big Lunch is one of the official events helping celebrate the Queen's
Jubilee. We'd enthusiastically recommend it for any local church in a
residential area."

ENDS

 

Full information on how to organize a Big Jubilee Lunch is available at
http://www.thebiglunch.com <http://www.thebiglunch.com> .