How to help society? It's always one life at a time!

Yesterday was the great marathon walk day - 26 miles over the North Downs from Cuxton to Botley Hill.  It was a tough day and my legs are feeling it today.  The current total raised is about £800 with more coming in so I am hopeful of reaching £1000.  That means 1000 3-course meals for some of the most vulnerable people in South East London.  Thank you if you have made a donation.

But the events of the last week have cast a huge shadow over South East London and probably the whole country.  So much has been said and blogged about the riots so I am not trying to summarise the issues here.  I found the scenes on Monday deeply sad and I have spent the week living with the consequences of the actions of a few.  For many we work with each week they live alone and often in great fear.  This week has seen even greater fear shown, one man came to the door and wanted the outside metal gate closed to protect himself because he was scared of people walking past.  Another was greatly angered because a friend of his had been robbed.  Others because they are vulnerable and on the streets and not positive about the police got mixed up in the troubles even though they were not looting and rioting. 

The soundtrack to Catford Centre in normal times is sirens but this week has been like no other.  Last night driving through Catford we saw blue lights coming towards us and we saw probably 15 of those riot styles police vans that have appeared in the last few days.  These were not the transit vans with grills on them, these are the vehicles that are more like tanks, something that is seen in Northern Ireland.  Where they were going I don't know but it definitely creates an impression.  Today I was helping one man and whilst in Catford I lost count of the number of emergency vehicles that were charging up and down, sirens blaring, often 2 or 3 vehicles together.  There is a major operation going on out there!

The challenge for us all is how to live through this and beyond.  There are so many questions and answers to these troubles but I want to come back to one answer that I know is true.  Helping society recover always requires us to help one person at a time.  The biggest plans for society stand or fail on the ability to help one person to change, followed by another and another.  Politicians cannot change the human heart but the gospel is the story of good news that transforms the heart.  I know that sometimes one person can take up a lot of effort or require great patience to help and you question is it worth it.  But the time spent helping one young person or vulnerable person can result in changing a community.  That is why the Feast will, where possible, help each person who comes in who needs assistance.  As a project we will continue to help the most broken and needy, one life at a time!