Plenty of cheer at church dinner

John Lennon may not have been thinking about Christmas dinner at the St Andrews St Church of Christ when he wrote Imagine, but the lyrics - "imagine all the people, sharing all the world" - were appropriate as they wafted through the hall yesterday.

The 21st annual dinner allowed diners to "share with a whole variety of people", minister Dave Brown said.

"It's people from all different walks [of life] getting together and enjoying the company of one another."

And the dinner may have been advertised as ideal for those "having a blue Christmas", but there was plenty of laughter in the room.

Mr Brown said the original idea for the dinner came in response to the number of lonely people at Christmas.

The event was advertised, and 37 people turned up.

Yesterday's dinner attracted 250 people, with 70 volunteers, many of whom would have been on their own if not for the event, he said.

The emphasis at Christmas was on getting together with family, but there were many reasons, including divorce or the death of a partner, why some people had no-one to share the day with, while others struggled to afford something special for the day.

The event started with carol singing, a dinner with a main course of lamb.

"I just think it's a great buzz," Mr Brown said.

david.loughrey@odt.co.nz