On the afternoon of Sabbath 25th February 2023, in the presence of The Rt Honourable David Lammy, Member of Parliament (MP) for Tottenham and Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs alongside prominent members of Haringey Council, Tottenham Lighthouse Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church were recognised by the British Union Conference (BUC) as being a Centre of Influence for their community outreach endeavours which have been meeting the needs of those adversely impacted by the current cost of living crisis.
Presenting the award to Head Elder, Roger Charles was the BUC Director for Health, Adventist Community Services & Women's Ministries, Sharon Platt-McDonald, who said: "For all your community outreach through your food hub which has met the needs of those not only during the pandemic but also during this current cost of living crisis, it gives me great pleasure on behalf of the BUC to award you as a Centre of Influence. There are many other Food Hubs doing well, and we applaud them also. However, when Tottenham Lighthouse was featured on ITV News for their humanitarian work, they won hearts and captured minds nationally and internationally. May you continue to be a beacon of excellence, hope and light to your community and beyond."
Established in July 2020, the Tottenham Lighthouse SDA Church Food Hub, under the supervision of Community Services Leader Sophia Charles and her team of volunteers, have weekly met the needs of hundreds of people who have been adversely impacted by the current cost of living crisis on Tuesdays 11:30 am-1:30 pm and Saturdays (Sabbaths) from 3:30-5:30 pm.
Catching the vision of Church Pastor Jude Jeanville, members and one philanthropist generously donated monetary donations totalling well over £10,000, in addition to food which too was given out to those in need, as covered in a January segment of ITV News.
Addressing the Food Hub attendees, Jeanville told them: "You are our family, we exist for you, we are here for you, and we will do whatever we can to ensure you can manage yourselves during this cost-of-living crisis. Friends, we want to let you know we cannot do this alone. Today, we are supported by our local MP alongside council leaders, for which we are grateful. Thank you so much for supporting our food bank and all in the food hub queue; we love you all and will continue to do all we can to support you."
The Rt Honourable David Lammy MP commended Tottenham Lighthouse SDA Church as an excellent example of outdoor community ministry during a time of great need. He said: "I'm here to say a deep, sincere thank you to our Seventh-day Adventist Community for all you are doing on a Tuesday and a Saturday, week after week, without fail. You have been in service and mission beyond your faith community for over two years, and such work mustn't go unnoticed. You don't do it for praise but from a heart of faith and calling. Thank you for all you are doing in this tough economic time - for the food, generosity and organisation, for your selfless outreach and service to the diverse families and communities in Tottenham, Haringey and beyond. You are a faith community of influence, and as a Christian, I know that God is looking down with joy at work being done here."
Leaders of Haringey Council, Cllr Peray Ahmet and Cllr Ibrahim Ali joined Mr Lammy in expressing thanks to all the food hub volunteers for their tireless outreach efforts in the community: "It's a humbling experience to be here today as Leader of the Council and thank you for inviting me. The vibe and family atmosphere here is fantastic, and all the good work you do here is unspeakable. But on behalf of all of us at Haringey Council, thank you for all you do. Keep up the good work, and I'm sure we'll be back soon."
Also, present, a daughter of Tottenham, Cllr Michelle Simmons-Safo, expressed her pride in the achievements of Tottenham Lighthouse SDA Church: "The Word of God teaches us that we must be the salt of the earth, we have to go out to reach out and not be insular. So this church is an example of hope translating across England. Growing up in Tottenham, I remember feeling my mother's expectations of us from Tottenham graduating from university as unrealistic. Her response to this, which I did not understand at the time but do now, is that the prettiest lily grows by the muddiest bank, and this is what I have seen today - that the prettiest lily is feeding the community. It doesn't matter where you come from, it's what you do with your resources, and today Tottenham have shown up and showed out. Because of you, I can stand that little bit taller as a daughter of the soil, and I say thank you very much."
Jeanville expresses gratitude to the suppliers of food to the hub and to his leadership team and members for trusting the vision to come out of the boat (church) and go into the community: the commission of Jesus and the vision of the South England Conference, "Making Disciples and Building Communities." He is thankful to the British Union Conference for recognising the unprecedented hand of God through the ministry of dedicated members.
Other notable guests, Eve Ricketts and Shirley Harper expressed their profound joy at seeing the Tottenham Lighthouse phenomenon.
Mr Lammy, alongside BUC Director for Health, Adventist Community Services & Women's Ministries, Sharon Platt-McDonald, then spent the afternoon volunteering to serve the needs of those in attendance at the Food Hub.
