For Alexandra man Andrew Howley, faith, hope and community in action will be central to Christmas celebrations today.

Minister of the Alexandra, Clyde, Lauder Union parish, Reverend Andrew oversees the Alexandra Community Christmas Day BBQ Lunch, a free community lunch open to everybody.

The event has been a staple on the calendar for a decade - although Covid-19 did prevent it from taking place one year.

People from all over and all walks of life join for the meal - out of town visitors passing through, seasonal workers on working holidays, people who would otherwise be on their own or do not have the means to have a Christmas meal.  

There are also the volunteers who choose to serve at the meal for Christmas Day.

“It’s open to all people and we get a whole lot of people attending for a whole lot of reasons,’’Rev Andrew said. 

“For people who come, and visitors to have a day that they can celebrate together - and also an opportunity for people to volunteer and serve in their community.’’

It was hard to quantify the impact the lunch had on people - by the numbers an average of 70 to 80 people attend each year, however some years there could be up to 150 people, Rev Andrew said.

But it is also the intangible impact on the people - people experiencing Christmas in summer for the first time, people moving to Alexandra and facing Christmas alone, and those who may be struggling.

For Rev Andrew the reason behind the lunch was simple.

 “Because Christmas is for everyone.’’

“The common story is that Christmas is a time to celebrate, but it also emphasises the challenges we have in life,’’ he said.

“We had a couple of people visiting from Israel . . . and they commented how they wouldn't be able to do this at home, this type of open community event,’’ he said.

Faith was also central to Christmas celebrations for Rev Andrew.

“For me as a Christian it’s about celebrating the incarnation [of Jesus] and to be able to remember . . . the hope that we hope for and that's part of the Christmas day thinking.

“On a smaller scale, it's a time we can lay down our weapons in their many forms as people celebrate life and love.’’

People were generous towards the community lunch with donations of potatoes and cherries, and people stopping him in the street to give money towards it, Rev Andrew said.

“A big thank you to everyone that helps make it possible - Rotary, Lions, volunteers and everyone who comes because without them there would be no lunch.’’

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