Portsmouth church cooks up storm as it transforms the 'traditional' church service

THE smell of bacon and sausages wafted out of a church hall on Sunday, as Christians ditched their traditional Sunday service for something a bit different.
The Crighton family, left, and the Chilongo family. The Big Breakfast at Drayton United Church, Havant Raod.       Picture: Chris Moorhouse     (040819-23)The Crighton family, left, and the Chilongo family. The Big Breakfast at Drayton United Church, Havant Raod.       Picture: Chris Moorhouse     (040819-23)
The Crighton family, left, and the Chilongo family. The Big Breakfast at Drayton United Church, Havant Raod. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (040819-23)

Drayton United Church in Havant Road, Portsmouth, organised a big breakfast even yesterday morning, raising money for Wessex Cancer Trust in Cosham.

The church holds cafe-style services once a month, but held this particular event in memory of church organist Chris Hyson, who died of cancer around a month ago.

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Raising hundreds of pounds for charity in the process, the church was out to show that Sunday services don’t have to just involve sitting in pews all morning, urging the surrounding community to come and have a look round.

Bernadette McMullan, 24 from Stamshaw, came along with her 13-week-old baby, Sebastian.

She said: ‘It’s so lovely to have something like this.

‘It gets everyone chatting to one another, which is really nice.

‘The community here is absolutely amazing – everyone looks out for everyone else, so it’s been nice to sit down and have breakfast with everybody.’

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David Hall, 68 from Widley, said: ‘It's a progression of the church, I think.

‘We’re not just sat in a pew, but instead having a community event together and raising money for charity in the process.’

Friend Roy Palmer added: ‘Families that eat together, stay together – and that is what we are at this church.’

The big breakfast was the brainchild of Reverend Andrew De Ville, who wants the church to branch out further into the surrounding community.

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He said: ‘We have a number of friends suffering with cancer and wanted to remember those who have sadly died from it too.

‘The money raised will go directly to the Wessex Cancer Trust team in Cosham.

‘We want to create a community where people of all ages can be together – we’ve got people who are very young and others in their 90s.

‘People are free to come and go in this church as they please.

‘In the future we’re hoping to work with the nearby care homes; if people can’t come to church, let’s take it to them.’

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