Faith, books and conversation at Alresford Show

Alresford Show is a long-running agricultural show taking place in Hampshire on the first Saturday of September, drawing around 20,000 visitors each year. There’s something on offer for the whole family, from craft and produce stalls to BMX displays to sheep shows!

Gordon and Penny Curley, who work full time with Counties as evangelists, have attended Alresford Show every September for the last several years, helping to run the New Farm Chapel & Friends tent of witness, organised by chapel members Sarah and Tom Main. New Farm Chapel & Friends run a busy tent, complete with a small animal petting area, face painting, craft tables and a second-hand book stall. All in all, 15 members of the local Christian community help to run the tent throughout the day – painting faces, giving out goodie bags, and talking with visitors. Penny takes part in the face-painting, whilst Gordon runs the book stall – backed with years of experience running book stalls at Fareham Market.

Books and bargain Bibles!

Equipped with 16 banana boxes full of second-hand books, Gordon believes the key to the success of his stall is combining two universal appeals: books and a bargain. In particular, mixing both secular and Christian books has proved effective for pulling in a large crowd and engaging those of any or no faith.

Visitors often go straight for the boxes shoved under the tables, keen to find a hidden treasure. The browse-and-rummage nature of the bookstall provides the perfect opportunity for striking up a conversation with visitors. Parents often wander across from the face-painting queue, taking it in turns to wait with the kids while the other has a look through the books.

A key element of the bookstall is Gordon’s offering of £1 Bibles. One woman attending the fair with five grandchildren stopped to buy them a Bible each after seeing their excitement, telling Gordon it was important to her that each of them had one. The children were excited to receive a free Gideon New Testament and a comic book of Bible stories.

Questions about the different types of Bible on sale also act as a useful starting point for wider discussions around faith. This year was a great success, with 11 Bibles sold as well as eight New Testaments given away.

For Gordon, the power of the stall as an opportunity for witness lies in its simplicity, and just how doable it is. Universal attractions like books, face painting, and petting animals pull in large numbers of visitors, especially when most of the other stalls are more specialist and aimed at farmers. It’s the kind of stall that people revisit throughout the day – for a browse of the books, a quiet moment at the craft table, or just one more look at the animals. These repeat visits build trust, allowing plenty of time for unhurried, pressure free conversations. Faith is present and constant, without being overwhelming for newcomers.

Gordon’s favourite part of the day is seeing the team in action – Christians drawn together by their commitment, sharing the Gospel. For volunteers at the New Farm Chapel & Friends stand, the Alresford Show offers a joyful opportunity to reach out to their wider community, engaging with people of all faiths and none while celebrating local traditions. Even these small interactions can plant seeds of hope and belief, bringing people closer to God.