Pentecostals 'Spreading Christmas Cheer' at London's tube stations

|PIC1|Christmas is a time when many of us will be looking forward to relaxing a little, cosying up indoors with friends and family, and eating a good deal of mince pies.

By contrast, members of one of London's largest Pentecostal churches, Jesus House, have been waking up at 4:00am since Monday, standing in the cold for hours on end to give out mince pies to the busy commuters and locals in the community.

Teams from Jesus House have been standing outside tube stations in north London giving out mince pies, cups of tea, coffee and hot chocolate in their annual "Spreading Christmas Cheer" initiative.

The teams, made up entirely of volunteers, have to get up early in the morning in time to serve the many morning commuters and passers by.

Yemi Akinyele led the team of around 10 people who were "Spreading Christmas Cheer" at Kilburn station on the Jubilee Line.

He said, "We did not start serving until around seven because though we had boiled the water beforehand in order to hit the ground running, when we got here we had to boil it again because we felt it was best to have hot tea rather than lukewarm tea."

Just outside the station the church members set up a long table behind which members prepared bags of mince pies for passers by. At another end of the table, hot drinks were prepared using a large water boiler.

At any one time, one or two people would stand among commuters handing out small bags of food or letting people take their favourites sweets from tins of chocolates. All the while a loudspeaker played gospel and Christmas music, to which the church members occasionally danced in order to keep warm in the cold.

The winter temperatures meant that the task of standing outside for hours, whilst giving out mince pies, chocolates and hot drinks to passers by, was not an easy or comfortable one.

"You can't keep warm. At the moment now I can't really feel my toes, and I can't feel the fingers on my left hand. But you know you can touch the water boiler," said Graham Sokari, Head of Reprographics and a volunteer from Jesus House.

Despite the cold, all those involved kept up high spirits and had a smile on their faces. According to Sokari, "The volunteers, they just come out and they smile and they're the best because you just tell them something and they go on with it."

Those involved spoke of how people had responded positively to the initiative.

|PIC2|Sokari said, "They come down and enjoy a chat, some will go on to tell you how much this has touched them, some give a testimony, some go as far as crying, some give their life to Christ, so it's all worth it.

"Some people you do not meet and you just smile at them, some people don't want to come, some people want to but you just have to say, 'come on, come on' and then you give them a cup of tea. Some come the next day, some come three times in the same day."

Team leader Akinyele said, "They have responded positively. Actually at the start they don't quite believe its real and they think there's a catch so they think, 'What is it, why are you doing it?'

"Everyone thinks there's a catch, but there is no catch. It's just like salvation I suppose. It's free and in the end it's safe. It's like 'So what do I have to do?' Nothing, just take it.

Some still find it difficult to receive the good will gesture for free.

"Many people so much appreciate what is happening that they insist that they give in return and want to give money. We say we don't take money. They say 'No, I have to, it's such a good thing you are doing that I want to give something'. So sometimes you just have to take it and don't deny them the opportunity to give back."

While some people do just rush on by it is clear that those who do receive a small gift, whether it be a hot chocolate or a mince pie do appreciate it.

Rita, a local said, "They've been very good, they've been here all week no matter what the weather is like and I wish them all the best. God bless them."

Irene, a commuter said, "I think it's a lovely idea, it's very nice. The spirit of Christmas is about giving and about not looking for anything in return and personally for me perfectly I was just ready for a cup of tea on a cold day like this. So I think it's very nice and I think it's a way of bringing the church into the community."

Nilu from Iran said, "It's fantastic. I'm not Christian but I love this because it suggests to people to be very nice and kind to each other and it's fantastic."

It is this kind of positive reaction which seems to motivate those who are giving out the tea and mince pies, whilst standing for hours on end in extremely cold temperatures.

Akinyele spoke of what he felt was most rewarding for him. "There's been a joy that comes from within from serving," he said. "I can't say its great getting cold or anything like that but it's nice. I've had an inner joy just doing it. I suppose that's what you'd call the joy of the Lord. But at the same time people's reactions have been fantastic.

"It's very rewarding doing what God wants done, and the people, as much as initially they may be reluctant or think there's a catch, once they see there isn't they are quite responsive. It's rewarding in that aspect."