Esther Smith reports on the work of a remarkable ministry among the marginalised of our society
When the work of Caring For Life (CFL) was established in 1988, no one could have conceived what the Lord would do.
From initially housing four homeless young men, CFL has grown to encompass: two homes for people with high and long-term support needs; housing support in the community for at least 150 people at any time; 16 therapeutic daytime activity projects at Crag House Farm, providing for at least 80 people each week; and three social enterprises – a restaurant, a farm shop and nurseries – established to help to support the ministry.
It’s some story, but all glory is to God alone. He is the one who answers prayer above ‘anything we can ask or imagine’. Ephesians 3.20-21 could be a watchword for CFL, just as its work is founded on Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25.31-46. Tale after tale can be told of wonderful gifts, which have sustained the work since its inception. Gifts from the Lord’s people, from churches, individuals, Christian trusts and Christian companies, all accompanied by prayer and so often arriving when the coffers were empty.
Stories of grace
Then the stories of grace are endless, as raw, hurting, angry, lost and lonely men and women have been drawn by the love of God and the work of the Holy Spirit to come to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour – the friend who will never, ever, let them down.
Martin (name changed) was dreadfully abused and neglected as a child and lived in care from the age of ten. On leaving the children’s home he was referred direct to CFL, as there was no suitable supported home for Martin to move into and he was far too vulnerable to live alone.
Angry and deeply psychologically damaged, Martin resorted to swearing almost constantly and seemed unable to build trusting relationships with anyone. Gradually trust was built and Martin’s behaviour modified a little, but his emotional insecurity, obsessions and antisocial behaviour were set to destroy his life.
Yet, just a few years ago, Martin spoke to Peter Parkinson, who founded CFL, saying: ‘We won’t ever have to say goodbye.’ After years of simply loving and consistently caring for Martin, living out the Trust’s motto ‘Sharing the love of Jesus’, Martin had become a Christian. Martin’s struggles continue, but he is safe in Christ.
He now beams with happiness and also fills with tears of emotion when he speaks about his love for Jesus and his firm assurance that he will spend forever with his brothers and sisters in Christ. Martin now has a family, a real ‘forever family’. Along with many others whom CFL has been privileged to see come to faith in Christ through this ministry – a blessing that continues – he is a part of the worldwide church, the greatest family on earth! Many formerly homeless, unloved, abused and almost destroyed men and women are now members of a local church, serving and loving their fellow members and being lovingly cherished themselves.
A very special family
For so many of the hundreds of people currently cared for at CFL, and the 3,000+ people cared for over the years, the word ‘family’ brings back dreadful memories of physical abuse and neglect, of sexual abuse, of an environment of constant shouting and of sheer, nauseous fear.
But at CFL, God has created a wonderful environment and a very special family. This is a family where each day begins with prayer and a time of sharing, be it for a member of staff, a supporter or volunteer who is unwell; the sheep which are lambing; for a vast need we may have at CFL, or for the fact that someone’s hamster is poorly. Such needs are shared and avidly, persistently and believing-ly prayed for!
God hears and sees the childlike faith of so many of these ladies and gentlemen who have never had a happy family life, who may have a significant learning difficulty, a mental health problem, a physical disability, Asperger’s Syndrome, a troubled past, or all these problems rolled up into one life.
The wide extended family of CFL includes people who were housed years ago, but who are now living independently, having been rescued from domestic violence, homelessness or other dangerous and painful situations. If they now have a crisis they know they can turn to CFL for help at any time, just as many might turn to a family member in time of need.
Couldn’t possibly work?
Each day at Crag House Farm, the home of CFL, a wide range of needs and difficulties are encompassed within the many people attending projects. As Gayle Manning, Pastoral Director and an educational psychologist, recently commented: ‘The thought often occurs that what happens at CFL just shouldn’t work! The combination of people who are cared for here would never be put together by any other service. We have no human explanation for why this should work. We can only give all the glory to God and rely fully on his grace as we continue to show Jesus’s love to anyone and everyone God brings our way.’
As in any family, there can be pretty explosive blow-ups at times, but there is also an incredible sense of family, in the best possible sense of that word. People who formerly had no one, nowhere and nothing, now have a home, friends who visit them in the form of our CFL Being There housing support team, meaningful activities at Crag House Farm where they are wanted and needed, and many also know the Saviour who loves and died for them. They are also loved and prayed for by the wide extended family of CFL supporters, Christian people who pray, give and care deeply.
Sense of peace
God has created something very special at CFL. When visitors arrive at Crag House Farm they often comment on the sense of peace here. Even Muslim taxi drivers who bring beneficiaries or Granary Restaurant customers to the Farm have commented: ‘There’s something about this place’. Here the love of Jesus is being shared day by day. It is being shared with those for whom God himself has a heart; the poor, the widows, the lonely. Jesus in many ways made the excluded of his day his priority.
But the world is a dangerous place for the vulnerable. Increasing numbers of people prey on those who are easy targets for financial or sexual abuse, attracted to offers of a home and a job, but then literally enslaved with their very lives at risk should they seek to escape.
It is impossible to find safe homes in safe areas for these deeply vulnerable people. So CFL is seeking to purchase land in a safe area of Leeds, where safe homes can be built. Homes where people can live for as long as they need to, for life if they wish, with the support and care they receive adapting as their needs change. Huge resources are needed to bring this to reality.
CFL’s ministry can only extend as God blesses and as the Lord’s people enable. It can only staff its new community of homes if Christians answer the call into full-time Christian ministry. There is a limit to what we can do, but no need to be limited in prayer.
