The Church Where Tea&Cake Is Served After Every Service

British comedians and co-founders
of the Sunday Assembly, Sanderson
Jones, right, and Pippa Evans sing a
song at the Sunday Assembly in Los
Angeles
photo:AP
Yes, tea and cake is served at the end of each
'meeting', but it's not your typical church, it's a
gathering of people who do not believe God exists.
It looks like a
typical Sunday
morning at any megachurch, except there's one
thing missing – God.
Sunday Assembly, Britain's atheist church, is a
gathering for the non-believers.
Nearly three dozen gatherings nicknamed "atheist
mega-churches" by supporters and detractors have
sprung up around the US and Australia – with more
to come – after finding success in Great Britain at
the beginning of the year.
And the movement, fueled by social media and led
by prominent British comedians Sanderson Jones
and Pippa Evans, is no joke.
"The Sunday Assembly has been called the atheist
church, but we prefer to think of it as all the best
bits of church but with no religion and awesome
songs," Jones told ABC.
attendees of the sunday assembly
playing a game
"Our motto is "live better, help often and wonder
more", and our mission is to help everyone live this
one life as fully as possible.
"I am at the moment doing this phone call from
Nashville, Tennessee, and we are launching a
Sunday Assembly in the buckle of the Bible Belt."
The faithless faith doesn't have a doctrine to rely
on, instead taking reference from the arts and
nature.
About 100 people turn up for each assembly. A
typical service includes inspirational talks,
readings and sing-alongs and always finishes with
tea and cake.
The founders aim to raise more than $US800,000
to help launch new congregations around the
world. So far, they have raised about $US50,000.
They want to find a new way to meet likeminded
people and make their presence more visible in a
landscape dominated by faith.
Jones got the idea while leaving a Christmas carol
concert six years ago.
"There was so much about it that I loved, but it's a
shame because at the heart of it, it's something I
don't believe in," Jones said.
"If you think about church, there's very little that's
bad. It's singing awesome songs, hearing
interesting talks, thinking about improving
yourself and helping other people – and doing that
in a community with wonderful relationships. What
part of that is not to like?" [NL]