Being God's hands and feet

Situated in Bristol is a beacon of hope for drug addicts and the homeless. These marginalised members of society are welcomed by Christian volunteers who diligently put their faith into practice. The refuge in question is Crisis Centre Ministries.

Founded in 1984, this Christian organisation strives to rebuild lives and nourish its clients with the gospel message. It is made up of three projects that aim to feed clients spiritually as well as physically, The Wild Goose Café, The LITE Course (Life Skills and Initial Training for Employment) and the East Bristol Foodbank.

“Last year we served approximately 80,000 free hot meals to people and helped 312 people into supported accommodation,” says Jonathan Swithinbank, head of fundraising at CCM.

The organisation has 250 volunteers from churches all across Bristol from a range of denominations. Eleanor Williams attends a non-denominational church and has been volunteering at the Wild Goose Café for 4 years.

“God's love for me makes me want to feed the hungry, to come alongside the broken, to bring hope of change and to be the aroma of Christ wherever I go” she says.

“I would love to be someone whose life reflected the character of Jesus and showed God's topsy-turvy view of the world, where a beggar is worth as much as a King.”

For Eleanor, her service at the Wild Goose café is an essential part of her church life: “The church is the body of Christ on earth, a collection of people working together to be God’s hands and feet. In a church meeting we may receive spiritual nourishment and encouragement in various forms, but living out our faith is equally part of the calling of the church. CCM’s mission statement is bringing God’s grace and healing love to people with life-disrupting problems. It is such a privilege to come along and see lives touched practically, spiritually and emotionally.”

Another volunteer at the Café is University student Beth Parsons. When she began her studies, she joined Homed, an organisation that works with students to raise awareness of health issues facing homeless people. This inspired her to get more involved with homeless projects in Bristol.

“I'd heard of CCM through church so I went on their website to find out how I could be a volunteer at the Wild Goose and started working there in June 2010,” she says. “Hanging out with the marginalised people in our society is what Jesus would do and to me it’s really important to put my faith into action.”

Many of the clientele have given testimonies of triumph over their hardships with the help of the centre. Some have expressed their gratitude by returning to the LITE course to speak to new groups about their experience and their achievements after completing it.

“Dozens have moved onto further education, training, voluntary work and even full time employment,” says Stuart Leitch, manager of the course. “Our present course has nine students, and I would expect 66% to have the ‘next step’ planned by the time they complete the LITE course.

As a result of attending the projects at CCM, many of the clients have not only been fed and prepared for employment, but they have also found God. “I don’t push my Christian faith,” says Stuart. “Spirituality naturally comes into discussions on the course and outside formal lesson times.”

The topic of faith often brews before conversations arise. On more than one occasion, Stuart has heard his students say that they feel safe at the course and do not feel judged.

“I think that is God at work. Now quite a few of them are attending Bible study and loving the difference giving space for God makes.

“Seeing them smile is great. Seeing them look at themselves differently is great. Seeing them look at others differently is great. Seeing them discover God is amazing”.