As a community service, the members of our Sydney churches have held cooking demonstrations at our Schofields center. During these presentations a number of the attendees asked for some ideas about foods for a vegetarian barbeque; so it was decided to have a designated Sunday specifically for this purpose, and to include also a health segment.
The topic for the day was “Avoiding Arthritis.” Arthritis is a condition most prevalent in older Australians, affecting 49% of people 65 years of age and older. Br. Alasdair Pow spoke on foods that are beneficial in preventing this disease, and for those who are already suffering from it, he made recommendations about which foods can be eaten to help relieve the pain and which foods need to be avoided. He also spoke about a number of natural herbs that help with joint inflammation and pain relief.
After the health lecture, cooking demonstrations were presented. A number of vegan barbeque foods and a couple of beverages were included. The visitors who attended were very impressed with the variety of foods demonstrated and also with how tasty they were.
Back in the kitchen there was a hive of activity; many wonderful people helped with the food preparation, setting up demonstration trays, washing up and also cleaning afterwards. We are very grateful for these people. There were also those who set up chairs, tables, video equipment and the BBQ. Foods demonstrated were: Vivamy (named after Vivian and Amy) BBQ Burgers, Crispy Lentil Patties, Gluten Free Rice Burgers, Vegan Vegetarian Sausages, Soy Mayonnaise, Veggie Kebabs, Refreshing Green Drink and Pink Lemonade. It’s wonderful that so many help in these outreach programs and it would not have been able to be done without the help and support of all. May the Lord continue to make these community outreach events a success!