Host a Pancake Day this year

Host a Pancake Day this year And support organisations like Uniting in Care, Salisbury.

Julianne Rogers COMMUNITY

It is a warm, sunny day in October and the UnitingCare SA team is at Salisbury Uniting Church. We’ve come here to volunteer for a day and to learn about the ways in which Salisbury Uniting Church is connecting with its local community.

What a transformation this church has undergone in the last eight years since my first visit! It has gone from a rather gloomy maze to a gorgeous meeting hall with full kitchen amenities. And the people of Salisbury UC haven’t let one inch of this beautiful space go to waste – filling it with the local community.

Mondays to Thursdays Uniting in Care, Salisbury (the local UnitingCare organisation) offers emergency relief as practical assistance to the community. They have been doing this since 1993 and show no signs of slowing down. A fullystocked pantry is ready to offer people food assistance – including fresh fruit and vegetables from local food rescue organisations. But that’s not all: Salisbury UC also puts on coffee, tea and pastries for people who come in, have a chat and hang around.

Wednesdays are definitely the day to visit. The place is buzzing with activity from community groups to people sharing a beautiful meal together. Friends mingle while the kids zoom around with their juice. This particular week is barbeque week and the volunteers and guests have organised a band for the entertainment. While the servers are preparing lunch, the band is rehearsing. People are coming in and sitting down to chat or just to soak up the atmosphere.

The volunteers come from all walks of life: a young mother, a local council member, some retired ladies. A cake donation from a local bakery supplements the BBQ meat and salads on offer. When everyone has been served, the volunteers sit down to eat with them.

I sit next to an elderly gentleman who is originally from England and who had lived out in the country for a long time. We chat about all sorts of things. He comes because he is lonely and the food is great. He comes because he is lonely and the food is great. Salisbury Uniting Church’s community space has undergone a drastic transformation which invites the local community to spend time, share meals and have conversations. Photo: Julianne Rogers This beautiful fruit and veg trolley was purchased using UnitingCare Pancake Day funds. So too were two freezers that assist greatly with Uniting in Care, Salisbury’s catering needs. Photo: Julianne Rogers As we all begin to clear up, everyone disappears into the meeting room for movie time. Clearing up isn’t a chore because we’ve had such a lovely time and it means so much to so many.

The church is doing this because they want to make a positive difference in their community and live the good news of Jesus Christ.

Salisbury UC's Rev Nick Patselis smiles as he recounts the occasions on which he has been invited to his own church’s Wednesday lunches or movies by unsuspecting community members.

“We are blessed to be a church that is open Sunday to Sunday and as we were renovating, we felt that the vision God placed on us as a church was to be a church of ‘Open Doors.’ We value the trust the local community has placed in us by coming through our doors,” he says.

UnitingCare Pancake Day will be on again this year at Salisbury Uniting Church and funds raised will help support the work Uniting in Care, Salisbury, allowing them to carry on this grassroots ministry.

Churches, schools, businesses and community groups are encouraged to host a Pancake Day anytime in February or March and support their local South Australian UnitingCare organisation.