20 Jan 2026, 18:18Maxine Donovan, Prayer MinistriesTottenham, Haringey, London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
Tottenham Lighthouse: Practising ‘Radical Generosity’
The final topic of the 10 Days of Prayer, ‘Radical Generosity’, caused me to reflect on the work that the members of Tottenham Lighthouse Seventh-day Adventist Church do for the community, year after year, rain or shine. In October 2025, Tottenham Lighthouse Church celebrated five years of running a Food Hub on Tuesdays and Sabbaths. Also, on 2 March 2026, it will be three years since we started ‘Sharing the Love Outreach Centre’ on Thursdays. It is a drop-in centre for people to get refreshments, support, socialise, and give members a chance to practise ‘Friendship Evangelism.’
In December 2025, Sophia Charles, the leader of Adventist Community Services, and her team decided to treat the people coming to the Food Hub and Sharing the Love with a lovely meal and gifts. George McGhan showed ‘Radical Generosity’ by undertaking to provide the ingredients and to cook the meal, free of cost. The initial date for this event was Thursday, 25 December. The people at Sharing the Love were looking forward to their meal. Then, it dawned on the organisers that on 25 December there would be no public transport. The date was changed to Wednesday, 24 December. The plan was to leave some of the food for the next day for people who came to Sharing the Love. However, Sophia Charles and her team were pleasantly surprised by the turnout of over 120 persons. In addition to the food and gifts they received, those who needed a free SIM card from O2 and Vodafone were provided with one. Tottenham Lighthouse applied to the National Databank and was successful. At last count, we have issued over 74 free SIM cards.
Now there was a dilemma, as there was no food left over. How would we feed the people coming to Sharing the Love the next day? George McGhan again showed ‘Radical Generosity’. He supplied the ingredients and cooked a sumptuous meal a second day running. His words were, ‘Even if there is one person coming, I want him/her to have something to eat.’ When he walked in with the big pots, we wondered if there would be enough people to eat all the food. We fed 33 people on Christmas Day. At the end, only some chicken was left.
However, the ‘Radical Generosity’ of George McGhan and his family did not end there. As he was taking the pots to the car, he spotted one of the regulars to the Food Hub at the bus stop. He went over and asked if he would like some chicken. The man said, ‘Yes’, and he invited him into the church. In conversing with the man, George McGhan found out that the man was homeless and had planned to sleep on the bus – his usual practice. However, the buses were not running, and it was bitterly cold. George McGhan could not leave the man in the cold, so he spoke to his wife and took the man home. The man slept at their home until 11:00 a.m. the next day. The homeless man was full of thanks and commented that this was the best, uninterrupted sleep he had had for months. Normally, he would wake up when the bus reached the terminus and then he would go on another bus to continue his sleep. We have so much to give God thanks for.
Ellen G. White wrote, ‘Search heaven and earth, and there is no truth revealed more powerful than that which is made manifest in works of mercy to those who need our sympathy and aid. This is the truth as it is in Jesus.’ (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 137) Let us all aim to practise ‘Radical Generosity.’
Written by:
Maxine Donovan, Prayer Ministry
The final topic of the 10 Days of Prayer, ‘Radical Generosity’, caused me to reflect on the work that the members of Tottenham Lighthouse Seventh-day Adventist Church do for the community, year after year, rain or shine. In October 2025, Tottenham Lighthouse Church celebrated five years of running a Food Hub on Tuesdays and Sabbaths. Also, on 2 March 2026, it will be three years since we started ‘Sharing the Love Outreach Centre’ on Thursdays. It is a drop-in centre for people to get refreshments, support, socialise, and give members a chance to practise ‘Friendship Evangelism.’
In December 2025, Sophia Charles, the leader of Adventist Community Services, and her team decided to treat the people coming to the Food Hub and Sharing the Love with a lovely meal and gifts. George McGhan showed ‘Radical Generosity’ by undertaking to provide the ingredients and to cook the meal, free of cost. The initial date for this event was Thursday, 25 December. The people at Sharing the Love were looking forward to their meal. Then, it dawned on the organisers that on 25 December there would be no public transport. The date was changed to Wednesday, 24 December. The plan was to leave some of the food for the next day for people who came to Sharing the Love. However, Sophia Charles and her team were pleasantly surprised by the turnout of over 120 persons. In addition to the food and gifts they received, those who needed a free SIM card from O2 and Vodafone were provided with one. Tottenham Lighthouse applied to the National Databank and was successful. At last count, we have issued over 74 free SIM cards.
Now there was a dilemma, as there was no food left over. How would we feed the people coming to Sharing the Love the next day? George McGhan again showed ‘Radical Generosity’. He supplied the ingredients and cooked a sumptuous meal a second day running. His words were, ‘Even if there is one person coming, I want him/her to have something to eat.’ When he walked in with the big pots, we wondered if there would be enough people to eat all the food. We fed 33 people on Christmas Day. At the end, only some chicken was left.
However, the ‘Radical Generosity’ of George McGhan and his family did not end there. As he was taking the pots to the car, he spotted one of the regulars to the Food Hub at the bus stop. He went over and asked if he would like some chicken. The man said, ‘Yes’, and he invited him into the church. In conversing with the man, George McGhan found out that the man was homeless and had planned to sleep on the bus – his usual practice. However, the buses were not running, and it was bitterly cold. George McGhan could not leave the man in the cold, so he spoke to his wife and took the man home. The man slept at their home until 11:00 a.m. the next day. The homeless man was full of thanks and commented that this was the best, uninterrupted sleep he had had for months. Normally, he would wake up when the bus reached the terminus and then he would go on another bus to continue his sleep. We have so much to give God thanks for.
Ellen G. White wrote, ‘Search heaven and earth, and there is no truth revealed more powerful than that which is made manifest in works of mercy to those who need our sympathy and aid. This is the truth as it is in Jesus.’ (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 137) Let us all aim to practise ‘Radical Generosity.’
Written by:
Maxine Donovan, Prayer Ministry
