We were absolutely delighted to welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury to St Aldhelm's on 16 July, as part of his missional visit to the Diocese of London.

 

His visit to us was the final stop in his afternoon in North London, which saw him visiting all five Church of England churches in Edmonton to learn about our social action around food poverty. He spoke to church people and our secular partners and learned about our foodbanks and other social projects.

We walked with the Archbishop and the Bishop of London between our churches, carrying the Blessed Sacrament as an act of witness and prayer. En route we spoke to many people interested to know what we were doing, handed out leaflets and prayed.

At St Aldhelm's he visited our edible garden and met the young people who run our café and the afternoon culminated in a joyful short service in which he baptised our newest church member and commissioned over 100 Edmonton churchgoers to talk about their faith in the places they live and work. The service ended with the congregation praying for him and for Bishop Sarah and their ministry.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and leader of the Church of England and it was a privilege to share our day with him.