Here’s Something To Water: Life At Coventry Jesus Centre

Some of my crew

Diary of a skills tutor .....

9:20am. It’s snowing; it’s bitterly cold. This morning I’m expecting N....... Where is she? Running late, it appears, so I’ll just have five minutes quiet with a warm-up mug of coffee... 

9:22am: No chance: C......... comes in and desperately needs to make a phone call to his mum: he’s just out of hospital from a long stay after being beaten up and, how tragic, he has permanent brain damage and it’s affecting his limbs. Meanwhile, he’s expecting the Bridge to be open and it’s not; it's Friday. (The Bridge is our drop-in for homeless people.)

"Here, C......, it’s been snowing outside, and that wind is bitter; come in and have a cuppa – or two."

9:45am. Then N...... arrives – late but nonetheless eager as ever.  She is intrigued as to what C...... is also doing in the room. We do some reading together and then she tells me she wants  to be a volunteer help in the classroom. Sounds a wonderful idea. "How about Mondays?" I suggest.

Then, 10:30am the ladies come – eight of them – followed by the men, three of them, each a little late. They've come for our 'How to do Job Interviews' course. As nearly always, it has to be combined with an  English lesson as most folk attending come from outside the UK. Today we’re  helping them write a personal statement. That's fun. Why? What does ‘good attitude’ mean or 'enthusiasm'? They look blank until Jo and I do our double-act.  I'm a lazy so-and-so, uninterested in doing any job I'm asked to do and I can pull a long face which makes them laugh. Yes, it really is fun and Jo does a brilliant job leading this group.

12:30pm: Lunch? A quick break and then, at 1.00pm, in comes D.......; he’s an ex-alcoholic and wants to learn to read long words; he tries really hard and if he keeps coming I reckon we can crack this one. When we've finished he pulls out a carrier–bag. "Here’s  something to water," he says kindly. I open the bag with delight  - a  little plant,with delicate red flowers.

Then, 1:30pm,  M....... arrives and, after an hour, looks down with pleasure at a letter she has carefully written and typed out. Lastly, in comes J....., a homeless man. He wants to learn to use possessive apostrophes. He’s intelligent alright, just doesn’t fit the mould.

'Something' to water? 'People' more like. Watering their abilities, their confidence, their need of  self-esteem and hopefully the seed of the kingdom in their hearts. We always hope that Jesus Centres provide the environment  where those priceless seeds can germinate and grow. 

Watering, watering, watering.  I never done much gardening and  I'm abysmal at looking after house plants but this kind of watering, well, I can't help but really love it .... it's investment in people ... it's more than 'worthwhile'. Hope to see you all next week!

A kind of evangelism – Trafalgar Square

Recently I took some time off work to go on EDP which stands for 'Eat, Drink and Pray. ‘Our church (Jesus Army) takes a double-decker with basic kitchen facilities into central London once a month for three consecutive evenings. Why? To love people by offering food, drink, prayer and friendship and bringing the good news that Jesus offers new life to all. It's an early hours job, starting around 9pm and finishing around 2-3am. Worth it? Most definitely yes. 


Trafalgar Square, 10.30pm, Friday 14 September.. I’m armed with an entire box of Snicker bars (48 in total), slightly out-of-date but thoroughly edible (I can vouch for that.) We're just giving them out with a simple message, 'This is our way of saying, ‘God loves you.' It sounds a bit trite, maybe, but it's touching hearts and isn't it good to just give things with no strings attached. We don't want anything; we're not selling anything. People are surprised, guards are dropped and some are genuinely thankful. 

The Olympic crowds have gone now and the square feels very large and rather empty; I notice a shadowy figure on the top of St Martin's steps, his sleeping bag spread out for the night across the top step. I introduce myself and find his name is Mark (it's in the Bible, you know, he proudly points out to me.) We get chatting and he tells me he's an agnostic with an open mind. 

I ask him, “What would convince you that God is real?” Quick comes his reply: “People being nice to each other, that would convince me. Here, in Trafalgar Square, you see it all, pickpockets stealing from tourists and other bad goings on but every now and again you see the opposite. It's not hard to be kind. If people are lost, I sometimes take them to their destinations – after all, I've got nothing else to do.” 

 “Scuse me,” says Mark after a few minutes, “I’d like to sleep now.” 

“Of course,” I say, “I’ll move on. Will you sleep? I mean, with the noise in Trafalgar Square, the sirens and endless traffic ...” 

“Depends what’s going on,” says Mark. “Not if someone kicks me or pees on me.” 

I tell Mark about the London Jesus Centre – he'd not heard about it and is very keen to go. He may even see what he's looking for there. “By this all men will know ...” (John 13:35) 

“See you then, Mark, here's a Snickers bar for you, no, let's make it two … and hope you sleep well ...” 

(2) What would you feel like if ... life at Coventry Jesus Centre

Yes, life goes on and, if you are a member of staff or a volunteer at the Jesus Centre, you see life ......

I mean, what would you  feel like if …

Your husband was murdered in the country you come from, you fled and haven’t seen your only child for three years; your asylum case is dragging on and on … no chance of settling yet .. no chance of seeing your child ...

You miss a vital appointment at the Job Centre because you couldn’t read the appointment letter. You are afraid you may lose your benefits.

You are a trained doctor in your own country but you don’t speak much English. You would love to use your professional qualifications but that’s just not possible at the moment ..

If you live in a multiracial city like Coventry, the chances are there are people living near you, your ‘neighbours’, who are facing dilemmas like this.

Hey, what did Jesus say about neighbours? 

“Love them ..”

All the following people have come to the Jesus Centre recently (I never use their proper names):

Michel is a refugee from west Africa. He fell into bad company when he came to England as a teenager and ended up in prison.

Michel has had very little education in is own country. He has done over 80 hours learning at the Jesus Centre. His English has really improved and recently he wrote a letter to his daughter whom he rarely sees. He takes great care and pride in his writing …

 Filip is a homeless man from eastern Europe. He drinks a lot and sometimes I see him staggering down the street. I was so proud the other day when I gave him a certificate for attending ten English classes. We had to hold onto it for him as he has nowhere to keep it safe.

Filip has his ups and downs – sometimes drinking, sometimes not. Recently he had an accident and I haven’t seen him at class for several weeks.

Filip’s got a great smile and sense of humour and I can’t stop teasing him which he enjoys. We laugh together and, you know, fun and banter is just what he needs … he’s got to speak back to me in English. Come back soon, Filip … you do me soooo much good … especially when I’m having a stressy day.

 Lewis is from England but he never learned to read and write well at school and he comes into the Jesus Centre each week to learn. He’s so keen I have to tell him at least three times each week that it’s time to go home now when class finishes!

Shirley struggles to tell the time. She has to ask people what the time is if she has to go somewhere.

I’ve been explaining to her the difference between the big and the small hand. Shirley doesn’t find it easy but she is learning. Keep coming, Shirley!

(1) What would you feel like if ... life at Coventry Jesus Centre

What would you feel like if:

You had to make an emergency 999 call and you couldn’t speak English …

Your child comes home from school, aged 5, and can read better than you …

You had an interview for a job but were unsuccessful as you didn’t understand the questions you were asked …

We meet people every day at the Jesus Centre who face predicaments like these and we try our best to help them out. After all, that is exactly what Jesus has told us to do. He told us to love people and not ignore their human needs. Remember … that story of the Good Samaritan?

Let me tell you about a few people that come to the Jesus Centre (no one’s real name is used.)

Malika is from India. Although she is about forty she had never had a paid job as she spent her time looking after sick relatives. She applied for a job in a care home and was terrified when she heard she had an interview.

Preet, my helper, and I gave her lots of interview practice and all three of us were over the moon when she got the job.

Malika is coming to see me later today. I’m longing to hear how she is getting on.
 James is homeless. He wanted to set up an email address and learn how to email so he could contact people. We spent an hour or two with him and now he can use the computers at the Jesus Centre and email whoever he wants ..

Brigita is from Latvia. She feels really unconfident in her English skills. She understands, but struggles to speak, English. She comes twice a week to the Jesus Centre to learn and she is doing really well. We love having her in the class. When it was her birthday she bought us all some chocolate!

Recently Brigita helped us with the cleaning at the Jesus Centre. We made sure she knew a range of cleaning words: toilet, sweep, mop etc. She really wanted a job, a job doing anything.

Today Brigita’s friend came to the Jesus Centre for breakfast. He had a smile on his face. “Brigita has got a cleaning job,” he said.

He told us that Brigita had received a phone call about the job. He said it was because she has been learning at the Jesus Centre that she understood the call.

Elwira and Wincent are from Poland. They were homeless and joined our Bond Scheme and now they have a home. They also come to learn English regularly. They are very grateful and Elwira gives me a hug when it’s time to go home.

Benazir is a young Pakistani woman. She is separated from her husband and lives in a hostel.

Benazir can only read and write a little so she comes to learn. She’s doing really well and picks things up very quickly. On Monday she was very happy. She read a sentence unaided! Benazir has also joined the Bond Scheme.

The thing about working at the Jesus Centre is ... you never know who is going to step through the door  next… and it’s stretch, streeetch, streeeeeeetch all the way … mmm … as long as we’re being stretched, pulled, fashioned into having the heart of Jesus i think it’s OK …

 The ‘Bond Scheme’ is run by Coventry Jesus Centre to enable people who are homeless to access and hold onto private rented accommodation

(3) What would you feel like if ... life at Coventry Jesus Centre

I’ve been telling you about life at the Jesus Centre. Hey, why is it called the Jesus Centre? Well, here’s two reasons:

We think it’s a place Jesus would love to hang around in – and hope it’s worthy of His name. I mean, the sorts of people that come in are just the sorts of people He used to hang around with... and I’ve learned that no one is too far gone to be reached and changed by Him  …

We want to call it the Jesus Centre, too, because we want to share His heart, His love, for all the people that enter the doors ... not always easy at times. Sometimes I see it as an unfair but wonderful exchange: I give Him (Jesus) my tiny, cramped and sometimes messy heart and He gives me His … and there’s not much comparison.

Anyway, here’s a few more stories (they are all true but people’s real names are not used):

John is from a country where people can die if they become Christians. He is a zealous Christian, a young leader and loves to tell people about Jesus. He showed me photographs of about twenty people being baptised in a river at once – I mean, in the open. When a death warrant was put out for him, he fled to England. John wanted to learn English words found in the Bible.

I told John that the UK needs evangelists like him!

Dave is homeless. He had all his papers stolen in the park where he slept. He had to fill in a form to get a crisis loan and can’t write.

We helped Dave fill in his form. Hopefully one day he will learn to write with confidence. It’s hard to concentrate on learning when you haven’t got a home..

Jim can read but he struggles with the long words. Each week we read something from the Bible. I enjoy it as much as him. We talk about the meaning of the verses we read together. I love this hour of the week!

Viktor is from eastern Europe and was homeless for a long time. He used to tell me how cold it was, sleeping by the canal. One night it reached minus15.

Viktor always came to class, wherever he slept, and he was always so grateful. His English improved and improved.

Viktor is not living in Coventry at the moment. When he moves back he tells me he will come to English classes again.

That’s it for now. Hope you’ve enjoyed these stories and got a feel of our slogan, ‘Jesus Centres - where everyone is valued.’ We’re all learning, with many pitfalls and many mistakes but we’re in His school, we’re His disciples … can’t be bad…and, as I said, it’s an unfair exchange but that suits me!