August 2007
The Rector and I were saying Morning Prayer in the church one weekday morning when a couple we didn't recognise wandered in and sat down. I briefly wondered whether they had come seeking solace for something and continued with the Old Testament reading I had started, a prophecy of the terrible calamities that would fall on Israel for turning away from God. Not much solace there.
Then I began the New Testament reading, a condemnation of those who claim to be Christians but do not truly follow Christ. Not much solace there either. No wonder they wandered out again before we got to the Creed.
We were using the set readings for that service, so I suppose I had an excuse. Perhaps that couple were led to come into the church that morning because those messages were ones they needed to hear. Perhaps I should have thought more quickly and read something like Hebrews 4.14-16 instead.
When dealing with people who are homeless we have to be careful that we do not simply keep serving up whatever it is we have on hand to offer, that we do not continue with the old and tested solutions simply because they are old and tested. Each person is an individual with individual needs and aspirations.
Unfortunately that couple never did stay long enough for us to discover what they were seeking when they came into the church. In CHESS we do have opportunities to talk to our service users and time to get to know them better and gain insights into their needs. Each one of us can help by being a listening ear and by being aware of new things CHESS might be able to do for those we meet.