Webber Street is a day centre for London's homeless community, located around the corner from Waterloo Station and run by London City Mission. On the first Thursday of every month, volunteers from Grace help at the centre. They prepare a meal for around 40 people, give a short gospel-centred talk and spend time eating with the guests.
Bisi is one of our deacons and oversees the ministry. She tells us more.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved with Webber Street.
My name is Bisi and I live in north London with my 13-year-old nephew who keeps me busy. I currently work for Grace as a pastoral intern and provide administrative support for our digital comms.
It's always been on my heart to support the local community, so I was excited to get involved in Webber Street when the opportunity arose. A few members of our church work for London City Mission, and connected us with the centre. We've been helping provide these monthly evening meals for about a year now.
Why are you so passionate about this ministry?
I love how in the gospels Jesus notices and dignifies those that others overlook. Think about the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48), or the woman at the well (John 4). God calls us to be a community who, like Jesus, sees the pain of those around us, and moves towards it. He calls us to bring the good news of Jesus to those in dire spiritual poverty. He calls us not to overlook those that others might.
But we don’t share the good news of Jesus with the homeless whilst ignoring their physical needs. We address both. We give the guests a meal and tell them the good news. We feed stomachs and souls.
I also feel passionate about this ministry as I've had a pretty messy family life myself, and resonate with many of the guests' situations. It's easy to write off rough sleepers as just another homeless person, forgetting the person behind the pain. Each person has a real story, and abandonment, abuse, and rejection are often involved. Comforting and listening to those who have been through so much is a way to show Christ’s love and bring healing to those who are hurting.
How can the church be praying or supporting Webber Street’s work?
We would love prayer for wisdom as we make plans for the future. We plan to start an evangelistic course in the summer for guests who are hungry to learn more about Jesus. Please also pray for the guests from Webber Street who have started coming to Grace! We are praying that the church community welcomes these people well and Grace becomes a place of warm welcome for the marginalised and homeless.
We are always looking for new volunteers, so if the Lord has put it on your heart to serve in this way, please get in touch (bisi@grace.london). Come and check out a session or two and consider joining the team!