Last year, I got to know a young man who was begging close to where I worked. He was a real character, never short on stories or quips for passers-by. He told people that he needed money for accommodation. Fairly regularly, I used to make him cups of tea and talk to him. I always… Continue reading Homelessness is more than house-lessness: re-thinking kindness #3
Author: Jon Kuhrt
Jon Kuhrt has worked with people affected by homelessness and poverty for 25 years. He is a former CEO of WLM and is now a government adviser focusing on how faith and community groups address rough sleeping. He lives with his wife and three children in Streatham, south London. He likes football...but loves cricket.
Competition, duplication and saviour myths: re-thinking kindness #2
I was at a conference this week where the CEO of a homelessness charity said: ‘I was a corporate banker for a couple of years before I started working in homelessness. In my twenty years in this work, I think there is more competitiveness in the charity world than in banking.’ In the profit-making sector,… Continue reading Competition, duplication and saviour myths: re-thinking kindness #2
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‘If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you’ – rethinking kindness #1
I saw these words on a wall of a centre for homeless people I visited this week. I think they display a realism and wisdom which is helpful for everyone seeking to help people in need. The centre helps people with some of the most complex issues imaginable. But I was struck by the perseverance and… Continue reading ‘If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you’ – rethinking kindness #1
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Young people are dying for hope – Easter is more relevant than ever
Unforgiveness, pain, hatred, anxiety, gang violence... These were some of the issues that young people in our youth group wrote down as examples of things which spoil and scar our world. Perhaps most precious were the things written down which were too personal to share publicly. These were folded over. Each one was nailed to… Continue reading Young people are dying for hope – Easter is more relevant than ever
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A great gift to the Church: ‘Paradoxology’ by Krish Kandiah [Review]
The Bible is central to the Christian faith. But it’s also long, complex and parts of it are offensive to many people. And that includes a lot of Christians… I have always found much of the Old Testament difficult, especially books like Joshua which contain so much God-instructed genocide. What are we to make of… Continue reading A great gift to the Church: ‘Paradoxology’ by Krish Kandiah [Review]
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‘If the grain of wheat dies, it bears much fruit’ – Remembering Oscar Romero
Today is the anniversary of the assassination of the Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of El Salvador. He was murdered by government agents while presiding over mass on the 24th March 1980. He was shot dead at the altar in the chapel of the hospital in which he lived. Romero had used his position to speak up about the… Continue reading ‘If the grain of wheat dies, it bears much fruit’ – Remembering Oscar Romero
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Hope into Action and the new wave of Christian social action
Yesterday I was at the annual conference of the homelessness charity, Hope into Action. It was held at the vast Kingsgate Church in Peterborough and over 320 people attended. I had been invited to lead a seminar on how to ensure work with homeless people is both kind and effective. I’ll share some of that… Continue reading Hope into Action and the new wave of Christian social action
