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
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.
The Cross: the ultimate place of grace and truth
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com This week I went to see a Salvation Army Officer who runs a church centre in London. As I walked in, he and a colleague were speaking with three women. As I waited, it became obvious that the women had problems with homelessness and drug addiction and that he knew… Continue reading The Cross: the ultimate place of grace and truth
Taking the blog out of my own eye: giving up negativity for Lent
This week, my friend and former colleague Adam Bonner left the charity Livability after 12 years of great work. At Adam’s leaving do what struck me was the impact that his positivity and hopefulness has had on so many people. He has a great gift for seeing the good in people and the opportunities that… Continue reading Taking the blog out of my own eye: giving up negativity for Lent
Head over heart: the case against emotional empathy
In the mid-1990s, I worked in a large hostel for 140 homeless people. One resident (lets call him Brian) had incredibly strong body odour. His lack of personal hygiene and reluctance to wash his clothes became a real issue. It led to snide comments from other residents and frustrations grew among those who shared the… Continue reading Head over heart: the case against emotional empathy
Is the Church just ‘an NGO with a pointy roof’?
Photo by Kamil Zubrzycki on Pexels.com Vincent Donovan was a Catholic missionary who worked among the Masai tribes-people in Tanzania in the 1960s. He became increasingly concerned about the state of missionary work. Donovan observed that after a 100 years of missionary activity in East Africa, the Catholic Church was very busy, running several schools,… Continue reading Is the Church just ‘an NGO with a pointy roof’?
‘For Good: The Church and the Future of Welfare’ – Samuel Wells with Russell Rook & David Barclay [review]
In the 1990s, I used to buy just about every book I could find on Christian social action. Around the turn of the century though, I had to become more selective. One reason was because the number of books published on the subject increased so much. But also I had a nagging guilt about spending too… Continue reading ‘For Good: The Church and the Future of Welfare’ – Samuel Wells with Russell Rook & David Barclay [review]
A little bit of hope can go a long way – review of ‘Hector’ (15)
Hector is a gritty and moving road-movie about a homeless man travelling from Scotland to London for Christmas. It is tough to watch in parts, but is also heart-warming and brilliantly acted. It avoids sentimentalising the characters or the subject matter. Peter Mullan’s acting is gentle and under-stated in the title-role. As the film unfolds… Continue reading A little bit of hope can go a long way – review of ‘Hector’ (15)
Faith and homelessness: the further back you look, the further forward you can see…
Almost all homeless charities in the UK have their roots in the Church. Some are obvious, such as The Salvation Army, West London Mission, Cardinal Hume Centre, Providence Row, Emmaus, The Church Army and many others. Less people are aware that organisations like Shelter, the YMCA and Centrepoint were also established by church leaders and… Continue reading Faith and homelessness: the further back you look, the further forward you can see…
Lives on a knife-edge
Photo by Lum3n on Pexels.com This week I was in my local park with my youth football club. One of the kids found something left next to a tree and called me over. He had found a weapon. It was a jagged knife blade which had been bound with gaffer tape to a foot-long handle.… Continue reading Lives on a knife-edge
Why the Church needs these Alpha males
In her memoir of her journey into (and then out of) church leadership, theologian Barbara Brown Taylor writes about young people leaving her congregation: ‘One way or the other, most of the children had left by the time they were thirteen. Twelve was the traditional age for confirmation...it was their turn to decide, we told… Continue reading Why the Church needs these Alpha males
Grace + Truth 