Christmas Gathering at Bexleyheath, Geddes Place URC
“Christmas Gathering Lunch Brings Community Together Over Shared Meal and Shared Values”
In a celebration of unity and understanding, people of all faiths and backgrounds will attend the Christmas Gathering Lunch, taking place on 21st December 12:30 at Geddes Place United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, Bexleyheath DA6 7DJ.
The event will bring together community members, faith leaders, and neighbours to share food, conversation, and connection across traditions.
Hosted by the Dialogue Society, the Christmas Gathering aims to promote dialogue and friendship among the diverse communities that make up Bexleyheath. The gathering will feature a shared meal, brief reflections from local faith representatives, and opportunities for guests to meet new people and learn from one another.
“In times when division can seem louder than connection, we’re coming together to show what unity looks like,” said Dr Ali Can. “This lunch is about breaking bread and building bridges — one conversation at a time.”
The Christmas Gathering will include:
● A festive shared meal
● Short reflections from faith and community leaders
● Opportunities for guests to meet neighbours of different backgrounds
● Displays celebrating local community diversity
● A volunteer-supported service promoting warmth and welcome for all
“Bexleyheath is home to an incredible mix of cultures and beliefs,” added Rodolphe Blanchard-Kowal, Minister of Geddes Place United Reformed Church. “This event reminds us that when we sit down and share a meal, we discover how much we have in common.”
Event Details
Date: 21, December, 2025 Time: 12:30–14:30 Location: Geddes Place United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, Bexleyheath DA6 7DJ.
Contact:
● Dr Ali Can, 07404050368, https://www.dialoguesociety.org/
● Rev Rodolphe Blanchard-Kowal, 07484257534, https://geddesplaceurc.org.uk/
Photos and interviews will be available to media during and after the event.
About the Dialogue Society
The Dialogue Society is a UK-wide charity dedicated to building bridges across backgrounds, beliefs, and communities. Its mission rests on three core ambitions: connecting communities, empowering individuals to engage, and inspiring new ideas for community building and meaningful interaction.
Through a diverse portfolio of projects, including nationwide Ramadan Iftar Dinners, the intimate IftarMe home-hospitality programme, Christmas Community Dinners, the creative Life of a Chickpea seminar series, Scriptural Reasoning sessions, and the Open Door initiative, the Dialogue Society aims to build meaningful opportunities for people from all backgrounds to connect, learn from one another, and build lasting relationships.
About Geddes Place United Reformed Church
Since its establishment in different places of worship in 1695, 1818 and 1988, the congregation of Geddes Place United Reformed Church meet together in God’s love, worship, ministry, outreach and partnership, serving our community and sharing a vision of God’s Kingdom for the world.
Being reformed sets us in a stream of tradition that goes back 500 years. In 1517 Martin Luther launched a movement of challenge in the Church that we call the Protestant Reformation. It reflects our continual aim of reforming ourselves to be a Church for the present day. We do not fear change, and we try to make our church a place where everyone’s insight and contribution is taken seriously.
