Parish Church of St John Middlesbrough

I have been attending the monthly foodbank at St John's Church for a couple of years. The month before last I attended and then posted a review on this page which is self explanatory and I reproduce here "I shan't be going to the monthly foodbank again. I was leaving today (we were the last to leave), there was plenty of bread of both types left (white and 50-50). The grey haired woman said "You can have one of each", I said could I have two white instead of a 50-50 but she was adamant I couldn't. So I shouted back my friend who had just left infront of me and had declined to take any bread so he could get a white loaf for me instead of the 50-50 but she refused to let him. A very Christian attitude. Apparently others that had left earlier had agreed what they were going to get and swap before they left which is what we should have done but I'd never had a problem in the past. As other people said, this woman has an attitude problem. Last month she demanded to look in my bag, obviously suspecting I had taken something, but there was only my camera! Another woman said she had had a run in with her a while back accusing her of taking some crumpets!!" Last month I attended and thought the matter had been sorted out. When I said I had posted a complaint about it they said they hadn't received it and I had posted to the wrong church, St John's at South Bank! (I therefore subsequently posted an apology to that church). I actually read out my post to them. At the end of last month's foodbank the woman mentioned in the post actually asked if we wanted to swap our bread for a different type so I thought they must have had words with her. So that was last month and I thought nothing further of it. I departed amicably. However this morning I attended and after giving my name to the lady on the door as usual and taking my place in the queue for tea and a sandwich the grey haired man with glasses in the dark top (the Father?) approached me, told me I wasn't welcome and to leave! I asked why as I thought it had been sorted out and he claimed I had posted an "offensive" post on Facebook. I denied it and asked to see it and another gentleman showed me it on his phone. It was the message I have reproduced above and that I had read out to him last month! I don't see anything offensive about it. It is the truth. Anyway I left but two other gentleman chased me. Both were very pleasant (one black gentleman and one quietly spoken with a bit of a stutter) and invited me to go back in. I did but, despite my apologising for any trouble caused, the man in the dark top was adamant I couldn't come in. He claimed he had told me last month not to come back which is patently untrue, unless he whispered it under his own breath! After some discussion between the four of us the man in the dark top said I couldn't come in unless I posted an apology on the Facebook post retracting my statement! There was nothing untrue or offensive in the statement and I wasn't sure where it was posted anyway so I just left. The only thing I would change is that the woman concerned doesn't actually have grey hair but light brown! Other people who were there also agreed with me about her attitude. I have never had any problem with the remainder of the staff who are always very pleasant. Anyway I must say this man's attitude was very unchristian and it has further reinforced my attitude that religion is the cause of the majority of trouble in the world. Just to add to the above. If someone made a complaint about someone in a private company their complaint would be fully investigated, maybe be suspended meantime. The person making the complaint would not be barred from the business unless they retracted their statement. Which seems to add weight to the constant allegations of the church covering up for wrongdoing. Seems to be a mindset.

I shan't be going to the monthly foodbank again. I was leaving today (we were the last to leave), there was plenty of bread of both types left (white and 50-50). The grey haired woman said "You can have one of each", I said could I have two white instead of a 50-50 but she was adamant I couldn't. So I shouted back my friend who had just left infront of me and had declined to take any bread so he could get a white loaf for me instead of the 50-50 but she refused to let him. A very Christian attitude. Apparently others that had left earlier had agreed what they were going to get and swap before they left which is what we should have done but I'd never had a problem in the past. As other people said, this woman has an attitude problem. Last month she demanded to look in my bag, obviously suspecting I had taken something, but there was only my camera! Another woman said she had had a run in with her a while back accusing her of taking some crumpets!!

❤️

A quiet church to visit and see when in Middlesbrough

Went for the granddaughter rainbows