Connect
During the service, we heard a number of statistics about homelessness in England.
In 2014-15:
- 840 families and individuals were assessed as homeless
- 54,430 moved into Temporary Accommodation
- 1,368,312 families and individuals on council waiting lists
- 384,854 tenancies allocated last year
- 2,744 individuals were included in the Nov 2014 rough sleeper count.
- 7,581 people were found sleeping on London’s streets
Challenge
Nicola told us the story of Billy, a fictional character but one which is based on many of the stories we hear at the shelter project every year.
Commit
Creed for Homeless Sunday
We believe in God the Father, Who created this world as our dwelling And who entrusted to us the task of sharing it, That all might have a home. We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, Who was born in poverty and grew up in obscurity, Who had nowhere to lay his head, And yet welcomed the poor and the outcast. He both died as an outlaw and rose from the dead So that all might belong in God’s Kingdom.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, The source of love and the fount of trust in all human living.
We believe in the Church, Called by the Spirit to be a community In which all can find a welcome and all can belong, Called to be a sign of unity, Called to bring hope to the outcast and the poor.
And this faith we profess in Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
By Rob Esdaile