Thank You – Glasgow Winter Night Shelter

I'm quite overwhelmed this year by the support given to the Glasgow Winter Night Shelter. I’m also challenged by the number of people calling for the extension of the service and to go beyond delivering a 13 week emergency service. Your passion for this work is precious and I want to try an answer your question as best I can.  

Closing the night shelter at the end of the season is never an easy thing for us to do. Our team all ache in the knowledge that for some, they’ll be back on the streets.

Yet the situation is complicated as I'm sure you can imagine. In fact I personally find myself going backwards and forwards in my mind wrestling with running an all year shelter, the pros and cons. 

There isn't an easy answer, but I want to share with you the arguments and what we feel we can do.

Homelessness is a symptom of many other things that are broken. While many believe addiction is the main cause of homelessness it is actually relationship breakdown that is one of the main factors leading to homelessness. Shelters, while important and often lifesaving, don’t provide long term solutions for those who are homeless. We want to see an end to homelessness and tackle the root causes of it and prevent it in the first place.

As well as tackling the causes of homelessness, we need to provide stable environments for people to heal and grow, this often means accommodation with intensive support to move forward, and we need to help people to take steps to improve their circumstances. Glasgow has a shortage of accommodation, and needs a blend of all types of accommodation to suit a variety of different scenarios.

The Glasgow Winter Night Shelter operates as a conduit over the winter months directing and plugging users into the local authority services and those of other providers including our own city centre project. It also acts as an emergency shelter during the harshest months of the winter. The local authority has a duty of care for many of those we serve at the night shelter, and we want Glasgow City Council to deliver on their responsibility. We believe this is a significant step forward and worth our while investing our time and resources as it has the potential to provide sustainable improvements. If we increase the length of our service we’re also nervous that the shelter becomes an accepted norm in our society rather than highlighting the scandal that homelessness is. It also could prevent the local authority from tackling the issue if they sense that we’ll always provide a service.

I'm nervous to talk about costs, only that I don’t want to use costs per say as a reason not to do something. However to give you an idea of the challenge ahead of us, if we increased our service to include November and March our costs would jump from around £55,000 to at least £115,000. Some of the increase in cost is because we would need to increase our staffing numbers to accommodate the scope for service.  Furthermore we’d need more volunteers willing to give up their time, we were short of volunteers this year and extending the time increases the commitment. It’s possible – but it’s a challenge.

It’s also desperately sad that people die on the streets during the summer months also; all too often the people we work with die in violent crime or drug overdose. We want to work all year round to prevent this from happening.

Many of those that financially support the work of the Glasgow Winter Night Shelter are suppliers of accommodation to vulnerable people and they are working tirelessly in their efforts to help people move into supported accommodation.

Any decision to extend the service would be taken in partnership with those who help us provide the service. The decision would also need to be made in September or October during the planning stages of the initiative to ensure the correct ratio of staff are employed.

One of our objectives is that in the future there is no need for the Glasgow Winter Night Shelter. To achieve this, other services need to improve and we’ll only know if this is happening if numbers start to drop at the night shelter. Looking at the data this year our service is still very much needed.

I hope this memo doesn't sound as though we have comfortably come to our conclusions, we also weep with the knowledge that every night in Glasgow there are people sleeping rough and we want to help. I also hope that this memo doesn't appear as an excuse for doing less because we feel compelled to do more – we must find a way of doing more which has the most impact. It mustn’t become about what makes me feel better, but rather what genuinely makes the best impact on people who have chaotic lifestyles.

Unfortunately increasing the time that we run the service for isn’t a decision that can be made at the last minute. The shelter requires a significant amount of planning and once the dates are set, staff are brought on board for a particular time.

Can I reassure you that there will be discussions about running next years’ service for a longer period and I will do my best to express the depth of feeling from our supporters to the other partners involved with the night shelter.

Can I personally thank you for your support, interest, prayers and passion and I look forward to working with many of you again in providing a much needed service.

Social Justice and Equality

I’ve just had the privilege on speaking about what Social Justice and Equality mean to me at the Scottish Parliament. I was asked to share the platform with Alex Neil MSP, the newly appointed Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice. 

Here’s an outline

The gospel according to Matthew records that Jesus said “…do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.”[i] It seems such a strange saying, almost advocating a pacifist “please just hit me again it doesn’t matter” response. While we instantly recognise that it’s a non-violent response, we don’t seem to understand why the other cheek? Are we to be door mats to be stepped on?

Rather this is actually a non-violent protest, a statement of equality that would have reverberated around the city and nation.

You see in order to be slapped on “the right cheek” you must strike with the back of your hand, and action that is strongly associated with master and slave, ruler and subservient, or someone of lower status in society. Equals would come to blows, or use palm of the hand. Hence turning the other cheek is a provocative statement of equality, it says I am not less than you, I am your equal and you should treat me as such.

Social Justice and Equality are much talked about subjects, and many work hard to achieve it, yet it still seems that they are forever on the horizon, just in view but out of reach.

Too often there are people in society who are invisible to us, that we don’t see or don’t notice, people who often need seen, heard and understood. Sadly and painfully we’re all too well aware that depending on where geographically you are born, and in to what kind of family can, with a few notable exceptions, often have devastating effects on your prospects.

Yet the value of a life born into poverty is no different from those born into security. We’re all different but “We're a' Jock Tamson's Bairns”

Sometimes we need to work a little harder with those who are vulnerable to level the playing field to provide the same opportunities for all of society. I feel compelled to work for a society that acknowledges that it must do more to support disadvantaged people – to help them reach their full potential.

Genesis tell us that God created us as to be human in His image, an image and something of our humanity was quickly broken. While I would strongly argue that it is Christ who redeems us, there is something in our care for the other that makes us all more human and less broken. As we participate in caring communities, we become more of who we were created to be as we give and receive the community’s care. That for me is just the start of Social Justice and Equality.

                                          

[i] Matthew 5:39 NLT

Ready for Change

Sometimes it is too easy to focus on what’s not happening in our city. We can be quick to moan about what’s broken and look for someone to blame. We have a habit of blaming our politicians and civic leaders for what goes on (or doesn't) in our society – we forget that we actually all have a significant part to play in shaping our culture.

Every day we choose and prioritise what we personally tolerate or commend, by either ignoring it or participating in it. What kind of society do you want to live in?

This week I was asked to come and speak at Glasgow’s Annual Homelessness Conference. Glasgow City Chambers Banqueting hall was full with over 200 delegates from the sector. Local authority, Social work services, charities, housing associations, NHS, not-for-profits and many more gathered to encourage, discuss and challenge each other as how best to serve the city’s most vulnerable.

I was able to share that Glasgow actually recorded some improvement in homelessness in the last five years – with a 38% reduction in applications for accommodation. However sadly what is being recorded is only a small percentage of the picture. Many non-statutory organisations either don’t record what they are witnessing or if they do collate data, have no vehicle to share that information with all the other agencies in the sector.

We know we have a problem of homelessness in Glasgow but the more I look into the problem the more complex it becomes. We recognised that we actually have to take the time to dig deep and uncover what’s going on and encourage many to share data and pull resources together to make a difference.

Working in isolation, no matter how capable you are, is nothing compared to working together.

The Apostle Paul challenged the Church in Corinth[i] to recognise that the Church is like a body, one body – many parts. It is a community of God given gifts, talents and skills. Working in harmony and encouraging each other the Kingdom of God can be seen, experienced and enjoyed.

There is recognition that across the city people aren't working well together. As a Christ centred organisation we have an opportunity to model collaboration and community. We can share.

What kind of society do I want to live in? One where there is a sense of responsibility, community and compassion – where we all work together.

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[i] 1^st Corinthians 12

Our Games

I’m currently witnessing sport and competition at its very best, determination, participation, encouragement and team work. The Commonwealth Games has brought a “buzz” to Glasgow. While Usain Bolt may or may not appreciate Glasgow almost everyone else is enjoying the carnival atmosphere.

Ensuring that those on the margins are brought into the centre of the festivities we hosted some games for our clients.

So often the men and women we serve face the day already feeling that they are beaten, they've lost and there is no point even trying. By the time we meet people at Glasgow City Mission they have been fighting and losing for so long, that they have already chosen to hide in addictive and destructive behaviour.

Table Tennis

Today Friday 1^st August I’m watching this very same group of people compete like their lives depended on it. I’m witnessing engagement and full participation, even when it’s difficult. I’m seeing people fall over, fail, not make the mark and yet pick themselves up and have another go. We've got long jump, basketball hoop challenge, football keepie ups, street bowls, 100m sprint, badminton and table tennis.

The noise at our main office on Crimea Street is quiet loud today, in fact the neighbours might complain. It’s not a destructive negative noise, it’s cheering, it’s support, it’s the constant noise of encouragement – it’s what’s needed.

Basketball

I can’t explain how personally exciting this all is for me. We work with these guys day in day out, and sometimes the whole “hopelessness” of the situation gets to the staff and volunteers too. But today, today is all about the possibility of winning. Today people are winning, and it’s BRILIIANT!!!

One of our jobs at Glasgow City Mission is to be the encourager to help those we serve to participate, engage, and remain determined and to help each other dust ourselves down and keep going. The apostle Paul reminded the Philippian Church that he could do all things in Christ who gave him strength[i]. It is still true for us today. The Spirit of Jesus continues to give us strength, strength to do the things we cannot do on our own.

We can and do see real change in the lives of the men and women we serve. We can have real hope for real change. Sometimes we all just need reminded of it.

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[i] Philippians 4:13

Supporters not commentators

Estadio Do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro

The FIFA world cup final will be played in Estadio Do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro. The stadium has a capacity of nearly 79,000. That’s a lot of football fans. Wimbledon Centre court capacity is 15,000 and whilst that is an awful lot smaller you’ve still got to ask how they fit 15,000 people into that area. The Commonwealth Games venues such as Hampden Park will have a seating capacity of 44,000, while the Emirates Indoor Arena can seat up to 7000.

This summer appears to be a feast for sports fans, so much to watch, but are we supporters or commentators?

While we all love to analysis a game or a race, examining the tactics, the competitor’s preparation and the mistakes they made, it’s pretty easy to comment afterwards. It’s much harder being in amongst the athletes actually competing, living and breathing each moment.

However there is a place for those who want to watch; those who are passionate about the sport and who feel they want to be part of it. They are not commentators, they are supporters. They are the 12^th man, the home support that changes the atmosphere, the noise that carries the runner home. They are genuine supporters. They make a difference, they bring “Home Advantage”.

In recent weeks we’ve become freshly and acutely aware of Glasgow City Mission’s supporters. We’ve got a great team of volunteers, a marvellous staff team and have some really positive partnerships which all help us serve those in most need. However we also have some wonderful supporters.

We need our supporters to continue to cheer us on, to call out, to clap and encourage – and we need you to pray!

We’ve recently seen what supporters can do through their prayers and noise from the side-lines when a decision that seemed irreversible regarding our Child and Family Centre was changed.

We need supporters who will continue to Pray and Participate in the work of Glasgow City Mission.

To seek out the Legacy we wish to see in Glasgow after the Commonwealth Games have been and gone, we’re hosting a prayer event Thursday 24thJuly 7.30pm at our main building in Crimea Street.

Don’t just be a commentator – be a supporter.

Not in my backyard!

Last week Glasgow City Council were met with significant opposition from local residents when they announced that they were planning to accommodate 40 homeless men in Burnbank House, Burnbank Gardens. The accommodation is currently being emptied of its elderly residents in preparation for the conversion.  It’s a two year temporary solution to allow the local authority to build purpose built premises in Possil.[i]

The local residents have expressed their concerns that men with drug and alcohol addictions and many with criminal records will be located right next door to young families the elderly and single women.

Meanwhile metal studs have been installed to deter homeless people from sleeping outside a block of flats in Southwark in London.  There is a fear when residents walk past someone sleeping rough. It’s sparked a debate about how we treat those who are homeless.

Take a moment and consider how you would feel if a homeless unit for 40 men was built next door to your house? What is going to be the impact? “Will there be a rise in petty crime, drug use and maybe violence. Will I go out alone at night, will I go out at all?” It may even affect the value of your house on the open market. Would you advocate the installment of metal studs outside your accommodation if it prevented rough sleepers?

I’m assuming that nobody deliberately moves into a street or area because it has these services. However whenever people speak about homelessness, everyone agrees that a certain amount of supported accommodation is required.

Where should it be located then? Do we need an Alcatraz style solution in the middle of the Clyde? Do we want to see ghettos in the city marked out for addicts and the broken?

Interestingly enough Jesus makes such a deliberate move. He comes to a cesspit of sin and destruction and lives with us. Eats with us, laughs with us and weeps with us. He dies and is raised to life for us. He does it all when he deliberately moves to be with us – we call it the incarnation.

We find hope in “God with us”. It changed the early followers of Jesus, and it changes us today.  In being present with us, what we saw, heard and experienced changed us. A remarkable love and acceptance of who we were, and understanding of our brokenness and a refusal to leave us broken.

So here’s an uncomfortable challenge to a church parish or Christian community. Who will deliberately invite the local authority to build a homelessness unit in their neighbourhood? Who will support it and engage with those in it. Who’s willing to see the potential in people?

People Make Glasgow – so the banners tell us, and they really do, every one of us. Not just the nice people that we’d invite in for a meal, everyone. Those caught in addiction make Glasgow, those who sleep rough make Glasgow, and those with mental health issues make Glasgow. However, if we haven’t already, we’re in danger of creating two Glasgow’s.

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[i] http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/protest-over-plan-to-create-homeless-unit-165988n.24398474

188 years

 How long will the poor, broken and abused struggle?

Glasgow City Mission will have its Annual General Meeting at the end of May. In 1826 David Naismith established the first City Mission in the world, right here in Glasgow. I often wonder how long he thought the movement would be needed. We’ve got minute books going all the way back to Glasgow City Missions inception, they are a fascinating read.

Glasgow has seen some great significant changes since those days, improved housing, sanitation, welfare state and education. It’s no longer 1826 – and like many I’m grateful for that. Poverty looks a little different, however there is still poverty in Glasgow.

Have you ever wondered why people behave, or react the way they do? When you ask children when they are little, what they want to be when they grow up, they don’t say… “I want to be an addict” or “I’d like to be a prostitute” or “Petty criminal sounds fun”. Somewhere in our life we can either be given more hope or it can be stolen from us. This junction can have a significant bearing on how we behave towards others and society in the future. Once bitten, twice shy.

The state can and does provide better accommodation than those in 1826 can ever imagine, it provides healthcare which would have been a fantasy when Glasgow City Mission was established. However in a world of hidden darkness and abuse, we still get to know men and women with horrendous childhoods, which have robbed them of hope, and then they turn to self-destructive methods of coping.  If we want to see an end to this form of poverty, we must eradicate the poverty of hope! In its place the men and women we love and serve need to see and have a hope and a future. [i]

As someone trying to follow Jesus, I’m convinced we’re supposed to reveal something of this hope and future to others. We should live in a way that reflects this hope, and gives others a taste of it. Will you join us in praying for change and participating in it? Would you be willing to befriend one or two people caught in a poverty of hope and journey with them to enjoy of life in all its fullness[ii], a life of the ages[iii]?

My children have fantastic dreams of the future. Children still dream about flying cars and teleporting. My dreams for the future and much less fanciful: I just want to ensure that in the next 188 years we see the end of poverty. What are your dreams?  

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[i] Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

[ii] John 10:10 (TLB)

[iii] Titus 1:2 (Weymouth)

If it were my son...

I have three wonderful children.

Our children give us more joy than anything else. Despite often feeling inadequate as parents, we live for our kids; I spent most of last Saturday on the floor laughing with them until my belly hurt. They are rapidly going through all the different stages of life, encountering emotionally and sometimes physical bruises on the way. However we want to give them the best start in life.

When we send them off to school we get nervous for them and wonder what or who will rob them of a little bit more of their innocence. We pray. A good friend once suggested that I should think about my children like ‘piggy banks’: “The world will rob them most days, but as long as you keep putting more in than is ever robbed from them they’ll always be in credit” We’ve tried to equip our children the best we can, instilling in them the faith and values that are important to us. We give them over to God, they are His.

My kids attend a great school which has pupils from all backgrounds, some of very troubled backgrounds. Sadly you can often see that reflected in the children, their behaviour, attitudes and fears. It’s all too easy for me to look at these scenarios and wonder what lies ahead for some of these children. Children that look just like my own, children that are at the same stage as mine. Children that seek love and affirmation just like mine. Statistically speaking my kids might have  better chances, but they too could easily fall foul of the brokenness of our world – I ache at the thought.

What would I do if one day I turn around to see one of my children, caught in addiction, homelessness, hunger, debt and violence? 

We are all someone’s child!

Yesterday I sat in a room full of the most influential people involved in homelessness in Glasgow. The group’s ability to change and delivery new strategies is significant, its desire to make changes is backed up by large budgets and the people in that room want to make a difference.

Each meeting we sit through statistic after statistic about some of the poorest people in Glasgow. Sometimes I forget that each number is a person, someone’s child: someone’s precious precious child. What would I do today differently if they were my children?

I believe that God is crying out saying “They are my children!” I believe that God weeps. Have you ever walked passed someone begging on the streets? We feel uncomfortable. If we’re brave we buy a cup of coffee and return with it for them, but all too often we walk passed making them feel invisible. I keep in my pocket some of Glasgow City Mission’s “Can we Help” cards.  These allow me to sit down and give a card to someone who is begging. In doing so I can explain all the ways in which we can help – starting with food. I want to live in a world where people feel it’s really important to sit, talk and understand how we can offer real help to people who need it, because one day it might be my son.

If you’d like some “Can we Help” cards contact the Glasgow City Mission office at info@glasgowcitymission.com The cards are free but we suggest a donation of £1 per card as this covers the cost of the first of many meals that we provide.

A week in the life of Grant Campbell (Just drinks coffee...?)

This last couple of weeks have been quite remarkable in the meetings and conversations that I have had the privilege of being involved in. I’m often asked what I actually do as a Chief Executive, and there are some weeks I ask myself the very same question over and over again. My job is an exciting and fulfilling one, which is sometimes mixed with tensions and frustration, but it’s often wonderful to see what’s happening in our city. God is always working. Here’s a snapshot of the past few days:

Tuesday 28^th January: Hamish Allan Centre – Improvements to the Night Shelter

Our Glasgow Winter Night Shelter has been up and running for two months now. With only four weeks left to run we met with the Hamish Allan Centre to see what improvements we could make to accommodating the men and women who use the shelter. The Hamish Allan Centre is the local authority’s first point of contact for those who present as homeless. We’ve been working closely with them over the past two years and our relationship seems to be getting better and better.

Not all, but some of those accessing the night shelter have complex needs. It can be hard with those who have addiction issues to prioritise seeking permanent accommodation. The Hamish Allan Centre accepted our proposal which improves the way people coming from the shelter can access and engage with the homeless services and increases the likelihood of those with complex needs actually getting the care they need.

Tuesday 28^th January: Kibble – Project OsKar

I travelled west to Paisley to visit Kibble, and more specifically Project OsKar.

This initiative has diverted over 50 tonnes of waste from landfill through a variety of recycling initiatives and by selling furniture through their warehouse showroom. Project OsKar works with six housing associations and has cleared and refurbished more than 10 flats and helped 150 low-income families equip their new homes.

It gives employment and volunteer opportunities for young people on the margins of society. It gives young people an opportunity to grab that elusive second chance. Really inspirational stuff.

Wednesday 29^th January: Granite House – Homelessness Prevention Integration Group

I was invited along to attend the H.P.I.G. (interesting name) which is a multi disciplinary gathering of all the local authority agencies and independent service provides who are involved in homelessness. There was a room full of 25 heads of departments, CEO’s and civic leaders.

There is an air of anticipation right now regarding the homelessness scene in Glasgow. There is a number of new personnel and a willingness to collaborate across different agencies to simply make the system work. We’re please that the Scottish Housing Regulator is holding microscope over Glasgow City Council at the moment and rightly so. This combination of factors is creating some momentum just now, and we want to take advantage of that to see if we can change things for the better. It was great to be able to contribute and for Glasgow City Mission to be represented at this meeting and for our perspective to be taken seriously.

Wednesday 29^th January: Business Partnerships

Had an absolutely fabulous meeting with a local Not for Profit. While I can’t go into all the details at the moment, I must share my surprise and delight at the social conscious that many business leaders have. While some companies are obliged to give a percentage of their profits, or do so for public relations reasons, there are some who simple what to do the right thing because it’s the right thing. How refreshing. While Glasgow City Mission is supported predominately by local churches, increasingly our commitment to social justice issues is challenging small and large businesses. In the run up to Christmas especially, scores of local businesses were only too happy to support our work. Glasgow City Mission, by the way in which we engage with those on the margins of society is challenging others to think about how they respond to those in need.

Thursday 30^th January: Glasgow City Chambers – Foodbank Forum

Foodbanks are never very far from the news these days, and we’re working hard with others in Glasgow and Scotland to ensure that we’re making the best of our resources, highlighting best practice and raising awareness of what is happening in our city. This meeting is an opportunity for foodbanks all over Glasgow to share what we’re are experiencing. While there are large amounts of anecdotal evidence, this group is also gathering data to reveal the extent of the problem in Glasgow and find lasting solutions. I was able to share with several independent food banks, the Trussell Trust and the local authority our findings. On Monday alone this week we had our busiest morning yet with 46 people visiting our own foodbank. There are some desperate stories out there of suffering but I am also encouraged by those willing to go the extra mile to help.

2014 could be a very exciting year for Glasgow City Mission as we work with others seeking to see God’s Kingdom come.   And it’s your praying, giving, fundraising, partnering, volunteering and goodwill that enables this to happen - thank you.

As the week draws to a close, I have the privilege of speaking at a Glasgow church on Sunday, and then enjoying the Superbowl with my neighbour into the wee small hours of Monday morning! A busy week it has been, but one that I pray bears much fruit for the sake of our city’s vulnerable.

Churches Worshipping 24/7

While there is not a guitar, organ, hymn book, worship band or data project in sight, churches all over the uk are worshiping through the night.

I’m delighted that churches are taking action to provide emergency accommodation for some of societies most vulnerable people, and they are doing it as an act of worship. Avodah (Hebrew) can be translated work or worship and I’m often challenged about the link between the two. What if our work is acceptable worship to God? What can we hold up at the end of the week – just like a little child who brings their crayon drawing to their dad – and looking to God say “I did that, do you like it?”

Our work isn't always worship, but it can be and has the potential to be. When our work is done in a way that reflects God and it is to the benefit of His glorious creation and kingdom it can be worship.

Christians are being obedient to the Father and reflecting something of God’s love to the homeless community in Glasgow – we’re giving them somewhere to sleep. We have employed a staff of 7 to deliver the Glasgow Winter Night Shelter service, but we also have a team of regular volunteers as well as further help from churches and others to make it all happen.

The team are working, and working really hard. As they work God is being worshiped, honoured, praised and He is getting the glory for the things he has done. The smell isn't always the best in the emergency shelter, but in God’s redeeming power there is a sweet aroma transcending to heaven and as God looks on at our work, or loving heavenly Father smiles at our crayon drawing and says “well done”. 

A BIG thank you to Renfield St Stephens Church for hosting this year’s Glasgow Winter Night Shelter and also a special thanks to all the partners, volunteers, supporters and fundraisers – “well done”

It’s Poverty & Homelessness Action Week (25 January – 2 February 2014) what could your church do as an act of worship/work to help those in poverty or who are homeless? Ideas are included in our Church Toolkits, why don't you have a look

Spot Changes for Leopards (Audio)

For those of you who missed it, we had a great weekend together looking at real change "Spot Changing for Leopards". Below are the audio files of the event. Enjoy.

Common Good

This is the rule of most perfect Christianity, its most exact definition, its highest point, namely, the seeking of the common good. For nothing can so make a person an imitator of Christ as caring for their neighbours.

St. John Chrysostom

I want to imitate Christ[i]. I don’t always get it right, but I try. I fell in love with Jesus because of how tenderly and gently he appeals to the broken and the marginalised in the gospel narratives. Somewhere in my journey I realised I was thoroughly broken and in need of His tenderness. 

Those in the New Testament accounts that had culturally come to accept that they were outsiders, castaways, shunned and ignored sat and ate with the living God. His words were warm, full of hope, acceptance and redemption.

Jesus spoke hard words too. Examine for yourself. You will find however those predominately harsh words spoken out of the Lord’s mouth were directed at the religious elite of the day. He criticised them for being stuck in their theological trenches and enslaving the people into rules and regulations that they themselves could not even keep.

Jesus ate dinner with prostitutes, thieves, con-men, the sick and the culturally excluded.

We can choose today to be part of the religious elite, arguing on our blogs and websites, tweets and Facebook about our theological positions and enslave people into our rules and regulations, or we can sit down and eat with the worlds poor and broken.

I want to imitate Christ I don’t always get it right, but I try. I believe that the more we imitate Christ, the more human - fully human we actually become. That is we reveal more of the image of God that we were created in when we imitate him. As we bear His image, reflect His nature maybe others will fall in love with Jesus as they discover how tenderly and gently he appeals to the broken and the marginalised.

I want to seek the Common Good for our city and our neighbours. John Chrysostom (347–407AD) challenged the church to seek the common good and this should not be seen in competition with ‘making disciples’ but part of it.

All too often our programmes, services and initiatives are clean, nice and inoffensive, while eating with those the world rejects is unpleasant and uncomfortable. I want to imitate Christ I don’t always get it right, but I try.

 
At this very moment I’m working with several agencies planning our emergency winter night shelter. We’re thrilled to be able to extend this act of love to some of the most vulnerable people in Glasgow this winter. I hope that as we do this we are imitating Christ and caring for our neighbours, and in doing so we are becoming more fully human.

Please pray for the Glasgow Winter Night Shelter, maybe your church would consider volunteering for this much needed service in the city. We're also looking for staff that can work over the 12 weeks. Please have a look at our website for details, or email gwns@glasowcitymission.com if you'd like to volunteer. 

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[i] Ephesians 5:1

"Baby, It's Cold Outside"

I was walking though Glasgow last night and the temperature had really dropped from the morning when I'd left the house. I didn't have a jumper on, and as I pulled my jacket round tighter and tighter I had a quick and albeit short reminder of homelessness.

I was out in the cold only for an hour, the central heating would have kicked in by the time I got home. I was cold now, but that wouldn't be forever. I could knuckle down and cope until I got home.

We've had great weather over the summer and actually it's carried on into the autumn. We walk about in our summer clothes and our attitude becomes very carefree. It's great. However it got very cold last night, and I was caught out with only a few layers on. I got home and into the warm, and soon forgot about my quick paced walk to the railway station, how I'd pulled up my collar of my jacket and sunk my neck deeper and deeper down to keep warm - oh for a scarf. I was home now. Three children tucked snugly warm in bed, and an embrace from my wife as we talk on a comfy sofa about our days.

What if you don't have a home? What if you don't want to go back to your home because of abuse, violence, fear?

Today is World Homeless Day (10th October) and I'm reminded that while my story might be shared by a number of people, there are many who don't have somewhere warm and welcoming to go to at the end of the day. It isn't fiction, it isn't a movie that we can walk away from, it isn't a nightmare that we are going to wake up from. The reality is there are people in Scotland who are sleeping rough. There are people in Glasgow scared to go home because of the environment they'll encounter.

I'm currently working hard in preparation for the Glasgow Winter Night Shelter. Along with our partners there are many who care deeply about these issues, and give themselves tirelessly to help people in their immediate need as well as plan and campaign to change things for the future.

We're currently taking in all the harvest donations from churches and schools though out Glasgow, and I'm struck be peoples generosity and desire to help - Thank you.

Hope and Disappointment

In 2008 the US presidential campaign became one of the most intriguing in recent years. A moderate republican and the democrats looking at either the first ever female president or the first ever black president. There was a significant sense of anticipation in the States and around the world. Barack Obama ran a very memorably campaign with the mantra of ‘yes we can’ following his every move. Maybe things would be different this time.

In our own islands we saw the 1997 general election swing to Labour and huge anticipation of a nation looking for real change and things to be different.  Only in 2010 did we see another opportunity for renewed hope with the first coalition government since the Second World War. Maybe things would be different this time.

Politicians of all flavours seem to promise more than they can ever deliver, and I think that is where some of our scepticism comes from. Political leaders (and religious leaders) seem to inspire hope only to see people knocked off their pedestal. We’re tired of hypocrisy and genuinely seek change. No matter how often history seems to repeat itself there is a hope deep inside us longer for something more, something better. “Maybe things would be different this time.”

Maybe our expectations are too great, do we actually look to our political and religious leaders to bring about the change that is so desperately needed in our world? We see things that are wrong in the world and we ask ‘who’s in charge, they should fix this.’  We can identify the things that are broken and wrong, but who’s responsible and who has the power and authority to deal with it.

However I don’t think that our expectations are unrealistic; it’s just that we often put our faith in the wrong places. For real ‘Change we can believe in’ Firstly I need to recognise that I need to change, and secondly I need to recognise that I need the power of God to change me. This is the kind of change that doesn't disappoint.

We've being talking at Glasgow City Mission about Change in the people we serve. A hope that the power of God will have a significant effect on their lives. This is not a vain hope for change is core to the Christian message. It’s about sinners becoming saints, broken becoming whole, lost becoming found, warmonger becoming peacemaker, and the dead becoming alive.

Glasgow City Mission is having an evening of celebration and storytelling. It’s open to all and will include stories from our clients, an opportunity to hear from Bethany Christian Trust and their award winning ‘Passing the Baton’ programme, as well as a time for worship and prayer for the city.

Come and hear how you could be part of change.

Sunday September 15^th 6.30pm at St Silas Church Glasgow.

Further Details are on www.glasgowcitymission.com

Spot Changing for Leopards

The well known phrase ‘A leopard can’t change its spots’[i] has its origins in the 6^th century BCE in Jeremiah’s warning to the people of Israel. It was a call for a change, yet acknowledging that change was unlikely with their current track record.

However surely the gospel has shown to us that even the most dramatic change and transformation is possible through the work of God in our lives.

I can fall into the trap all too easily and join in the chorus of ‘That’s just the way they are, they’re never going to change.’ The truth is that attitude is totally counter to the message of Jesus of Nazareth.

When thinking about the change Jesus can make in our lives, we often jump to the Saul/Paul account. We can see really clearly a dramatic transformation from a violent enemy zealot, to a dynamic Christian leader. However even though this fascinating encounter with God lends itself to storytellers, this type of instant transformation, while miraculous is no more miraculous than transformation that takes place over decades.

If our understanding of change is only caught up in a picture of the immediate, then we are in danger of living a life of disappointment, with a few stories of joy, but with many frustrating encounters. Yet were we to grasp that not only can change be instantaneous it is more often a lengthy journey of pleasure and pain, of mountains and valleys.

The long view requires patience, determination, friends who are loyal, reliable, and dependable - it is tiring and many quit.

We often compare Peter and Paul, and while Peter is in Jesus inner circle we tend to connect more with Paul and his writtings. Peter seems to take one step forward and two steps back. He is the one who acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah[ii], then promptly reprimands Christ.[iii] Peter is the one who boldly declares his allegiance unto death[iv], then promptly denies he even knows Jesus[v]. Peter is the one who receives a vision[vi] leading the way for gentiles/non-Jews to hear the message, then is rebuked by Paul for creating a ‘them and us’ culture by reversing this position[vii]

Peter’s transformation is just as miraculous as Paul’s, maybe we need to value the long journey of change more and be prepared for the long haul as we help others on that Journey.

Glasgow City Mission is having an evening of celebration and storytelling. It’s open to all and will include stories from our clients, an opportunity to hear from Bethany Christian Trust and their award winning ‘Passing the Baton’ programme, as well as a time for worship and prayer for the city.

Come and hear how you could be part of change.

Sunday September 15^th 6.30pm at St Silas Church Glasgow.

Further Details are on www.glasgowcitymission.com

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[i] Jeremiah 13:23

[ii] Matthew 16:16

[iii] Matthew 16:22

[iv] Matthew 26:35ff

[v] Matthew 26:69ff

[vi] Acts 10:9ff

[vii] Galatians 2:11ff