Perth Elim's Grub Hub outreach: it's a God thing
When Perth Elim set out to feed local kids during the summer holidays, its Grub Hub ended up blessing an entirely different group of people as Eric Scott told Direction
Have you ever launched a project that targets one group of people, only to find it takes off in a totally different direction?
That’s what happened when Perth Elim launched its Grub Hub two years ago.
The idea for the project, explains the church’s pastor Eric Scott, had come about during Covid when the church decided to help feed deprived kids during the summer holidays.
“People think Perth is an affluent place but the city centre is actually one of the worst areas in Scotland for multiple deprivation,” he says.
“We have a term ‘holiday hunger’ for kids on school meals who don’t really eat when they’re on holiday. We wanted to help them.”
As Covid restrictions were in place, the church started off with a table at the front door and served soup, bread, tea, coffee and biscuits.
But the response was not what they expected.
“Fairly early on, it became apparent that we were actually reaching adults rather than kids, so we kept going once the school holidays were over,” says Eric.
As restrictions lifted, they moved inside and ran the Grub Hub every Monday. “When we could meet in the church again, we decided it would be great to build a community because most people were coming to us out of loneliness. Some said they hadn’t had a conversation with anyone since the previous Monday.”
Over the next two years, the numbers grew – to a record 26 people in the month Eric spoke to us – a mix of regulars and new faces week by week. He explains that while the Grub Hub isn’t overtly evangelistic, there are opportunities for low-key faith sharing.
“We only talk to people about God if they want to hear about him, but we do tell them regularly that we pray for them. “I believe we’re reflecting Jesus to them because of our love for them.”
Lives are being impacted through the Grub Hub, and in some cases, faith is being birthed.
“One guy who came along was very prickly when he first started,” says Eric.
“After a few weeks, he told me his wife had left him 15 years ago and he hadn’t had a friend since then.
“This was maybe six months ago, but now, every Monday, he brings the most beautiful homemade cakes for the people here who he counts as friends. That’s life-changing!”
“He also always maintained that he hated God and that God hated him. Then, we had a joint church service at Easter and he came along. At the end of the evening, he had tears rolling down his face. He told me, ‘God doesn’t hate me and I don’t hate him.’
“What we’ve been doing for the past two years has been worth it just for that one man.”
He isn’t the only one. Eric tells the story of a homeless man who also comes along every Monday.
“He’s been coming to church on Sundays too. He mostly comes in around half an hour before it finishes and gets chatting to people. Through this, he’s been able to get a part-time job.”
But the impact hasn’t just been on the people who attend the Grub Hub. Eric has noticed a change in the wider church, too.
He says evangelism and community outreach have never been strong points for Perth Elim, but the Grub Hub has had an amazing effect.
“It has encouraged people and been a real confidence-builder – our members are more engaged because they’ve realised there is more to church than just meeting on Sundays and that there’s something for everyone to do. The people who make the soup, for example, feel they have a new purpose now.”
It’s even helped people share their faith.
“We’ve now got people who go out onto the streets doing evangelism in a low-key way. They explain they’re from a local church and ask people if they can pray for them. They got the confidence to do that in part because they were able to chat to people at the Grub Hub.”
And more churches are getting involved in caring for their community.
“In Perth, you can now get something to eat every night of the week purely from the churches. There are around eight involved and we have an agreement that we each provide food on different evenings. The council has been quite taken aback by this.”
The Grub Hub has had a superb effect on a lot of people and Eric is excited to see lives transformed. But he puts its impact down to God.
“We couldn’t make this happen – it’s definitely a God thing!” he says.
Celebrating 14 years as pastor
Eric celebrates 14 years as pastor of Perth Elim this month. Originally from Glasgow and ex-MoD, he and his wife Elizabeth moved to Perth after he was ordained.
“The church has grown and dipped and grown a few times while we’ve been here,” he says.
New people have joined since the pandemic, taking the congregation on Sunday mornings up to 50.
That’s partly down to the Grub Hub, Eric says, and partly because God has answered prayers for growth and increased engagement.
Among the new faces are several under-18s.
“We’ve had half a dozen kids and young people join us – they bring life to the fellowship.”
Eric is also trying to strengthen the church by finding out what people need from it.
“I started a focus group of teens up to a guy in his 70s. We talk about what they want and what they’re looking for.”
Ask a teenager that question, and they’ll likely tell you they want a pool table or video games, he laughs, so another important question has been asking God what he says people in the church need.
“The answer is to teach people in a way that is meaningful to them about the Word of God and how to live a Christian life as a disciple of Jesus.”
This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.
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