WORSHIPPERS from every Church of England church in south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will offer a free gift to their communities from May 17-19.

The Rev David Bevington, vicar of Shalfleet, Calbourne and Newtown, prepares for the Pentecost picnic on Calbourne Recreation Ground with pupils from Shalfleet C of E Primary School

All 140 parishes in Portsmouth’s Anglican diocese have been challenged to find a way of serving their neighbourhood for free, with no strings attached.
 
Churchgoers will be delivering bags of chocolates to residents, washing cars for free, tidying litter, throwing free parties and family fun days – and even giving away free ice cream from an ice cream van.
 
It’s all to celebrate the festival of Pentecost, when Christians celebrate the first disciples receiving the free gift of the Holy Spirit. It’s regarded as the birth of the worldwide Church, and organisers want to capture the party spirit with scores of free events.

Worshippers from St Peter’s Church in Petersfield will be driving around the town in an ice-cream van, offering people free ice creams. And churchgoers in nearby East Meon will tidy their village from 9.30am on the Saturday. They’ll meet in the village hall, and work until they share lunch back in the village hall at 1pm.

Worshippers from St Peter and St Paul Church in Hambledon will offer to wash people’s cars for free, from 9am until midday on Sunday 19 May at Manor Farm. Bacon sandwiches, coffee and cake will also be available.
 
Churchgoers from St George’s, Waterlooville, will give away pens, balloons and a giant cake in the town centre from 11am on the Saturday. They’ll also provide live music for shoppers to enjoy.

And those from St John’s Church, Fareham, will also be literally giving things away to local residents. Their Great Giveaway involves congregation members giving away household items and furniture on Saturday 18 May.
 
Worshippers from Holy Rood and St Edmund’s Churches in Stubbington, will hold a free party in the park, including a hog roast, face-painting and family games on Stubbington recreation ground from 12noon-3pm on May 18.

Churchgoers from St Matthew’s Church, Bridgemary, in Gosport, will host a free party in their grounds from 12noon-4pm on the same day. There’s live music, puppet shows, a fire engine and police car – and the chance for community groups to staff stalls, displaying what they do.
 
St Wilfrid’s Church, Cowplain, will organise a cow trail on May 18. Community groups have been invited to decorate cardboard cows on a historical theme, and the cows will be hidden in Queen’s Inclosure for families to discover.

Meanwhile, in Portsmouth, All Saints Church in Commercial Road will host a barbecue for staff and residents from All Saints Hostel next door, at lunchtime on May 18. St Peter’s and St Luke’s Churches will throw a birthday party that afternoon, with traditional games such as an egg-and-spoon and three-legged races.
 
At Christ Church, London Road, Widley, there’s a Great Portsdown Bake-Off, with budding bakers competing to cook the best cake. The News’ food critic Carol Godsmark will be among the judges, and guests will be able to sample the cakes for themselves after the judging at 3.20pm on the Saturday.
 
On the Isle of Wight, churchgoers from Calbourne, Shalfleet and Newtown will invite friends to a family picnic with games on Calbourne Recreation Ground from 4pm on May 18. The event will also include a family-friendly celebration of the Eucharist.
 
Congregation members from St James, East Cowes, will deliver a special gift to their neighbours in a new housing development next to the church. This will be a nicely-decorated bag of celebration chocolates with a gift card explaining the reason for the gift. Those from nearby St Mildred’s Church, Whippingham, will invite villagers to a free cream tea in their orchard.
 
St John’s Church in Wroxall, will hold a Pentecost party in their church hall on May 15, when they will welcome guests from Ventnor Handicapped Club. And worshippers from Brighstone, Brook, Mottistone, Shorwell and Chale are inviting the community to a kite-making workshop at 11am on the Saturday, in St Andrew’s Church, Chale. Everyone will then gather on the recreation ground opposite the church, to test their kites and share a picnic.

For a parish-by-parish guide to the weekend's plans, click here.
 
Canon David Isaac, who is chairing the planning team, said: “A festival weekend to celebrate the Church’s birthday shouldn’t just be a ‘family’ celebration for those within our congregations, but a party that embraces those in the wider community.
 
“We’re using the word ‘party’ to suggest that we can offer each of our communities something that shows God’s love. We often ask for their help in fundraising, but this will be a free gift.”
 
The weekend also involves prayer in Newport Minster, Portsmouth Cathedral and St Peter’s Church, Petersfield, on the Friday night to help worshippers prepare for the weekend. Prayer stations will be set up in each venue, and congregation members invited to come and go whenever they choose between 7.30pm and 10pm.
 
And on the Sunday afternoon (May 19), there will be eight Pentecost celebrations – one in each deanery – at which worshippers can give thanks for the weekend’s projects. For details of those services, click here.
 
For full details of what’s happening in each of our parishes, see www.portsmouth.anglican.org/pentecost.