Photo Tina Nord on Pexels.com When I was in my twenties, I lived in Kings Cross in London and was a member of a local church. There, I got to know a man who was a former crack addict. We'll call him Pete. He was doing his best to put his life back together and… Continue reading The need for grace and truth: the complexity of compassion #1
Being Faithful in the Little Things – by Charis Odoki
Photo by Sedanur Kunuk on Pexels.com Recently, my family and I travelled to the Lake District for a family holiday and in between walks, swims and boat rides, we found time to visit an ‘arts and crafts’ home. If you are not familiar with the movement, essentially it was a reaction by a group of… Continue reading Being Faithful in the Little Things – by Charis Odoki
‘But you’re good at this sort of thing’. Engaging with poverty is for the whole church – by Gavin Howard
Photo by Ann H on Pexels.com Over 25 years ago, our church started doing an extraordinary thing. Every Saturday, it opened its doors to the people who lived alone, lived out on the streets or hung out in the vicinity of the church. Many of them would gather early outside the doors - along with… Continue reading ‘But you’re good at this sort of thing’. Engaging with poverty is for the whole church – by Gavin Howard
Community, commitment & conviction (and cake). A week I’ll never forget…
Over the last 18 summers, being a part of the Lee Abbey Youth Camp in Devon has been a great blessing to our whole family. However, last year I had a clear sense that it should be my last one, partly because of a growing idea to be involved in something more local. A vision… Continue reading Community, commitment & conviction (and cake). A week I’ll never forget…
Faith expressed through love: my favourite ever ‘work’ day
Images from Adam @norfolkweddingphotography / tomorrownight.com Almost 18 months ago, I arrived at one of Hope into Action's houses in Norwich to meet some of our tenants. A woman called Susie opened the door, welcomed me in and made me a cup of tea. Susie had not been in the Hope into Action house for long but… Continue reading Faith expressed through love: my favourite ever ‘work’ day
1996: an appreciation
London, 1996. The year before I had finished University in Hull and headed back to the capital along with two great mates I had made as a student. I only stayed back at my parents’ home for about a week before we all moved together into a house in Tooting. What strikes me now is… Continue reading 1996: an appreciation
What is MOST important to you? (and how this is relevant to homelessness)
Photo by Aytu00f6ren on Pexels.com The Kingdom Way Trust are a great Christian charity who run a range of services for people affected by homelessness in Eastbourne and run the local Hope into Action franchise. As part of their 15th anniversary celebrations this week they asked me to lead a seminar on ‘Why relationships… Continue reading What is MOST important to you? (and how this is relevant to homelessness)
Beyond deconstruction: why I choose to reconstruct my faith – by Tobias Mayer
Photo by Su00e9rgio Souza on Pexels.com In recent decades, 'deconstruction' has become the standard term for dismantling one's inherited religious beliefs—a stripping away of layers to find what is 'real'. But what, really, does it have to do with faith at all? Where is Jesus in the deconstruction narrative? Too often, it looks like a… Continue reading Beyond deconstruction: why I choose to reconstruct my faith – by Tobias Mayer
There is no Christianity without the local church
Photo by Maiko Valentino Bu00e1ez Brito on Pexels.com There is no shortage of Christian resources available to consume by yourself: the best sermons, the most brilliant worship music and the deepest contemplative prayer are all available online. But following Jesus cannot be done in isolation: Christianity is not an individual spiritual self-help programme. Jesus does… Continue reading There is no Christianity without the local church
‘Counter Christianity’: transaction or community? – by Jon Swales
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com These reflections were stirred afresh at the Hope into Action annual conference, Rooted: Homelessness Ends in Community and in particular during the seminar Rethinking Poverty and Our Response facilitated by Jon Kuhrt and Rachel Arnold. There is a kind of Christianity that excels at projects. The foodbank is… Continue reading ‘Counter Christianity’: transaction or community? – by Jon Swales
Leadership and Ego Management
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I worked for the charity Centrepoint who, at that time, ran four different hostels for homeless young people in Soho, central London. I managed one for long-term rough sleepers with complex needs, but I was asked to switch to manage the one for young people who were newly… Continue reading Leadership and Ego Management
Grace + Truth 