Auctioning Veg, Caring for Life

This week we auctioned off the fresh produce that had been donated to our harvest display. The proceeds of £250 were given to Leeds-based charity Caring for Life, which kindly loaned us two representatives to explain its ethos and work. I attended Leeds Reformed Baptist Church in Far Headingly back in ’97, where the charity’s founders worshipped. Peter Parkinson, the pastor, was an able preacher and his son Jonathan made this home-sick undergraduate feel most welcome. You can find out more by viewing its website here. I was particularly moved by one part of the presentation. We were told the charity had been offered substantial donations if only it would remove the embarrassing stuff about ‘sharing the love of Jesus’. The charity refused, losing the grants. God always honours those who honour him. 

Our regular auctioneer was off sick, so I stood in. Apart from not recognising half the fruit and veg, forgetting who made the highest bid, and failing to recall how much they had agreed to pay, I did an excellent job. On Saturday I was a market trader, on Monday evening an auctioneer. I fear my 2x great-grandfather, a Lancaster cattle dealer, would have advised against giving up the day job.