Photo by Pedro Silva on Pexels.com Andy Burnham could not have been any clearer about his priorities in his first few hours as the UK’s new Prime Minister. On his first morning as PM he visited The Passage, a homeless charity in Westminster, and then announced from the steps of No10: “I will soon go… Continue reading The problem with Andy Burnham’s pledge to end rough sleeping
Author: Jon Kuhrt
Jon Kuhrt has worked with people affected by homelessness for over 30 years. He is a former government adviser on how faith groups address rough sleeping and is now CEO of Hope into Action. He lives with his wife in Streatham, south London and they have 3 children. He likes football....but loves cricket.
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)
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
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
‘When The Music Fades: Power, Surrender and the Soul Survivor Generation’ by Lucy Sixsmith [review]
Soul Survivor was a popular and influential Christian youth festival which ran from 1993 to 2019 and attracted thousands of young people every summer. In addition, there is also a year-round church based in Watford with the same name. Both had been founded and led by the charismatic youth worker Mike Pilavachi. As a teenager,… Continue reading ‘When The Music Fades: Power, Surrender and the Soul Survivor Generation’ by Lucy Sixsmith [review]
Resisting the secularising drift of social action
This article was recently published in the magazine Baptists Together. At Streatham Baptist Church, we host a community meal on Wednesday evenings called The Vine. A wide variety of guests come along – some are sleeping rough and struggling with addictions but most are facing the challenges associated with isolation and basic poverty. The purpose of The Vine… Continue reading Resisting the secularising drift of social action
Inclusive fruits. Exclusive roots.
Recently, I re-published an article by Ian Paul titled The problem with the ‘inclusive’ Jesus which had originally appeared on his Psephizo website. I wanted to share it on G+T as I felt it was an article which took the Jesus of the biblical gospels seriously and grappled fairly with the inescapable tension between Jesus’… Continue reading Inclusive fruits. Exclusive roots.
Grace + Truth 