Related blogs
Content linked below doesn't necessarily represent the views of the Jesus Army
Articles
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A winter wonderland?
The recent snow was exciting for many of us, but what about if you're homeless? Julia Faire writes about a recent day at the Coventry Jesus Centre.Published: 20th Dec 2017
Waking up to a world covered in a blanket of white never loses its magic. It’s Sunday morning, 7:30am, not even light yet but I’m out there, wellies on, snow falling on my face and a crisp, three inch layer underfoot. The usually busy street is quiet and the park is covered in untouched snow.
In the semi-darkness, I hear a distant cough. A man is rising from ‘his bed’ in the corner of the park - perhaps not enjoying the snowy morning as much as me.
It's 9:15am on Monday and the doors are opening at the Coventry Jesus Centre. What would we do without our donation of blankets? We especially love the multi-coloured, lovingly-knitted ones from some of our older donors. Simon, who works here, has put...
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How the lost sheep was found
Conrad tells the story of how he met the Jesus Centre and how God changed his life.Published: 23rd Jun 2017
I DATE my life from when I first came to the Coventry Jesus Centre. When I saw a booklet with the title “How the lost sheep was found”, I just said “that’s me”.
I had given up totally on life itself, as I had several illnesses and serious medical issues - diabetes, arthritis in my lower back and serious migraines. I was looking for a way out and was not able to see the direction. I was hospitalised for 11 days with stomach issues. When I got out I found my room had been burgled and £13k worth of clothing, kitchenware and tools had been stolen. I became homeless and was on 14 tablets three times a day, plus my insulin.
I was referred by the Red Cross in Birmingham to come to the Peace...
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Giving something back
Volunteer Julia helps in the Jesus Centre kitchen one morning a week serving visitors with beans on toast and constantly replenishing the milk, squash, tea bags, coffee, sugar, bread and fruit, plus doing loads of washing up. She talks about what made her start volunteering.Published: 14th Jun 2017“I HEARD about the need for volunteers at the Coventry Jesus Centre through the priest at my own church and thought that now I have left work, I would like to get involved. I have always felt for people who are homeless, particularly those who are sleeping rough. I wanted to do something about it. I have been helping with the Coventry Winter Night Shelter in the evenings as well. I was frightened at first but now I’ve got used to it.
“I have had a fairly good life and want to give something back to those who are less fortunate. To me, it doesn’t matter what nationality – people are people to me. Racism saddens me. Being Irish myself and coming to England when I was quite little, I had...
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The plight of refused asylum seekers
Published: 31st May 2016
“MY circumstances were very hard. I was homeless and without any income, sometimes going without a shower for weeks. As a single person, I was only allowed three food vouchers per year. I was depressed and in a foreign city on my own...”
There are many refused asylum seekers in the UK today. About 29,000 people applied for asylum in the UK in 2015 – and over half of them were turned down. (BBC news Feb 2016.)
This story, told by a young man who has so far been refused asylum, highlights the difficulties many face in the UK after often fleeing oppressive regimes, violence and war. They find themselves, unenviably, trapped ‘between a rock and a hard place’.
He tells his story.
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Faces behind the statistics
Julia Faire works as an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher at Coventry Jesus Centre where she meets many refugees and asylum seekers. She writes about two asylum seekers she has met.Published: 26th May 2016
THE world is facing the greatest refugee crisis since the Second World War: at present there are around 59.5 million people who have been forcibly displaced in the world. The UK is home to less than 1% of the world’s refugees (UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015).
Germany and Hungary together receive over half of all asylum applications made in the EU. From January to September 2015, Britain received around 3% of all asylum claims made in the EU.
Entry to the UK for asylum seekers and refugees is difficult – but there is no such thing an illegal asylum seeker according to international law. Asylum seekers make up only a small percentage of new arrivals in...
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