One of the most exciting areas of my work with the West London Mission has been the development of our Chaplaincy over the last year. Our Chaplain, Ruth, does a great job across our services, offering spiritual support and care to our residents and users whose lives are so affected by homelessness, offending and addictions.… Continue reading Honest to God – a Psalm written by homeless people
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.
Please support me and Tom sleeping out to help homeless people!
I will be sleeping out, along with my son Tom, on Friday 18th October to raise money for the great work of the West London Day Centre (WLDC). The centre is one of the projects run by the West London Mission where I work. For over 40 years the WLDC has been at the cutting edge… Continue reading Please support me and Tom sleeping out to help homeless people!
Liberal Democrats Do God
It is incredibly easy to be cynical about politicians. They’re constantly slated by the press, and often with good reason. But I was struck by the impact this has a few years ago when I found myself at a wedding with a Christian MP and got talking with him and his wife about how the… Continue reading Liberal Democrats Do God
The five best books on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement
I have been taken aback by the response to my last post on the Secularisation of Martin Luther King. A few people who have got in touch admitted that they did not even know MLK was a Christian, let alone a church minister. Over the years I have gained a lot from reading about the… Continue reading The five best books on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement
The secularisation of Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King remains a hero to a wide range of people. But alongside the appreciation of his life and work, there is a consistent tendency of commentators to downplay or eliminate the Christian faith that King's civil right's activism was rooted in. A Baptist Minister Many people don't even know that King was, and always remained, a Baptist… Continue reading The secularisation of Martin Luther King
God does not have a mission for his church
Last weekend was a brilliant one in our local community. On Saturday, nine different congregations worked together to put on a Family Fun Day on Streatham Common. Over 2000 people came. Then, the next day, a joint 'Messy Church' service was held on the same spot to which the whole community was invited. Lots of… Continue reading God does not have a mission for his church
‘Hope in Challenging Times’
I love working for the West London Mission. We have just published our Annual Report which summarises what we have achieved in the past year. Its a great opportunity to celebrate and give thanks for the transformation we have seen in the lives of homeless and vulnerable people. This is what I wrote in my introduction: A… Continue reading ‘Hope in Challenging Times’
Power, corruption and lies
This week has seen two public institutions facing serious accusations of corruption. Firstly there were the claims by former undercover Police Officer Peter Francis that he was ordered to dig up ‘dirt’ on the family of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence. The allegations that Police were deployed secretly in an attempt to smear the victims… Continue reading Power, corruption and lies
Lost and Found: Faith and spirituality in the lives of homeless people – by Carwyn Gravell [review]
This article was originally published under the title 'Spirituality is part of caring' in The Church Times, 21st June 2013 In the day centre for homeless people that the West London Mission runs in Marylebone, the chaplain helps to facilitate a spirituality group, where rough-sleepers reflect and discuss the “deep things” of life. What I… Continue reading Lost and Found: Faith and spirituality in the lives of homeless people – by Carwyn Gravell [review]
Rise in rough sleeping reveals human cost of austerity Britain
The latest figures released from CHAIN, the official online database which records the numbers of rough sleepers were released on Thursday. They were not good news. They showed a rise of 13% this year in the numbers of those sleeping rough. This means that rough sleeping has increased 62% over the last 2 years and… Continue reading Rise in rough sleeping reveals human cost of austerity Britain
Grace + Truth 