Stirring Up Community, One Bowl at a Time
Every Tuesday at St Luke’s Church in Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd Ministry Area, something quietly remarkable continues to unfold. Long before the doors open to the community, volunteers gather for Morning Prayer a grounding moment that sets the tone for a day shaped by generosity, friendship, and shared purpose.
What began as an 18‑week winter project during the cost‑of‑living crisis of 2022–23 has grown into an ongoing, thriving expression of community life. St Luke’s Soup is no longer just a response to hardship; it has become a weekly rhythm of connection, hospitality, and joy.
The soup is praised not only for its flavour but for the warmth of the welcome that comes with it. Flavours include red pepper, onion, minestrone, and pumpkin and potato. Every bowl is homemade and vegetarian, sometimes vegan, served with a roll and garnish, and offered completely free of charge. Around 36 bowls are prepared each week, with many delivered to those unable to leave their homes. The local ambulance crew still insists it’s “the best soup you’ll ever taste.”
The heart of each Tuesday is the togetherness. Ingredients arrive in the morning. Volunteers chop vegetables, brew tea, make toast, rearrange the church into a café, set tables, or wash up. Some are designated stirrers, and anyone who walks through the door is welcome to join in. By midday, the church is alive with conversation, laughter, and the unmistakable sense of belonging.
St Luke’s Soup has always been about more than food. It’s about friendship. It’s about connection. It’s about the simple but transformative act of showing up for one another. As Scripture reminds us, “Encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Week after week, that encouragement is lived out around tables filled with steaming bowls of soup and open-hearted conversation.
The project thrives thanks to the dedication of volunteers, the generosity of local allotment holders, the support of churches across the Pontypridd Ministry Area, and contributions from partners including the Tesco Community Champion, RCT Borough Council, and Pontypridd Town Council. Above all, it is sustained by the vision and commitment of St Luke’s Church, whose members continue to pour their energy and love into making each Tuesday a celebration of hospitality.
A recipe book now captures the flavours and stories of the soups created, but the true legacy of St Luke’s Soup is found in the friendships formed, the loneliness eased, and the reminder that when people gather around a table, something sacred happens.
What started as a winter initiative has become a flourishing community tradition, a place where everyone belongs, everyone contributes, and everyone is nourished in body and spirit.