A vintage - and precious - tea party 

A group of girls brought their mums and grans to an east London Baptist church for a tea party with a difference.

In total more than 70 enjoyed delicious cakes and craft activities while hearing a message encouraging them to find their identity in God at Blackhorse Road Baptist Church in Walthamstow recently.

The church was playing host to a vintage tea party organised by Precious Ministries, which is all about encouraging girls to find their identity in God through art, craft, music, storytelling, love and laughter. Precious is run by artist and designer Louise Harmer and mum and youth worker Selina Webb, and based at Finchampstead Baptist Church.

‘Lots of voices tell us how to do it! Movies, music, adverts, actors, TV, Twitter, friends, Facebook. They all have expectations about how we should 'be'.

‘But their ideas and ideals are often incorrect because they expect us to 'be' the same, yet we were designed to be different.  We often listen to the wrong voices, trying to understand who we should be, but we miss out on just being ourselves, unique and precious…

‘We believe each one of us, is uniquely and wonderfully made by a creator God.  Listening to His voice instead of life’s background noise, gives us freedom from the pressures of mass produced perfection.  At Precious we are passionate about helping girls to hear this truth and choose this freedom.’

Precious organises conferences and vintage tea parties.

Among the guests at the tea party at Blackhorse Road were many non-Christians who do not normally come to church, said minister Malcolm Patten. Monica George (of the London Community Gospel Choir) sang and there were photo opportunities and a nail bar.

Malcolm who knows Selina and Louise from his time as associate pastor of West Croydon Baptist Church, said it was also the first time Precious had organised a tea party away from Finchampstead.