Sweet Monday Throws World's Largest Tea Party
A creative outreach broke records last night as the largest tea party in history with 7,291 guests at the University of Richmond's Robins Center in Richmond, VA.
The tea party celebrated the tenth anniversary of Sweet Monday, a women's ministry that began in 1995 in one woman's home and has since expanded to 37 states and nine countries.
Kim Newlen, founder and president of Sweet Monday, told the Richmond Times Dispatch, "It's like the story in the Bible about the five loaves and two fish, except this is five cupcakes and two pieces of candy. God has multiplied it."
On the first Monday of every month, women meet to have fellowship and grow in faith through scriptures.
"Like each Sweet Monday meeting, yesterday's tea party was steeped in spirituality," said Newlen to the Times Dispatch.
"I learn the most from the Bible, but after that, I learn most from women," she added. "I think I'm leading my pink purpose-driven life every day," referring to the color theme of Sweet Monday, a bright and festive pink.
Currently, the Guinness Book of World Records title for the World's Largest Tea Party is held by Singapore, where 7,121 attendees gathered for tea in 2001. Once the London-based Guinness verifies last night's event, Richmond will officially break Singapore's record by 170 people.