For some guests at London City Mission’s Webber Street day centre, near Waterloo, rehabilitation and restoration is a life-long journey. This is Josef ’s story.
Ten years ago, during the winter that Josef slept on the streets of London, the only way he could find reprieve from the biting cold was by sleeping on the vents that blow warm air out from the Underground.
He came down to London from Scotland as a young man in 1976. London was the place of opportunity, so he took on cash-in-hand labouring jobs. He got a flat in Russell Square, found a partner and settled down. Life was going well, but it all came crashing down when his partner died. ‘When she died, I went downhill, I started drinking again,’ he says. ‘I fell behind on my rent and eventually got evicted to live on the streets.’
‘That was the coldest winter,’ said Josef. ‘Each morning I felt like a block of ice. I’ve never been so cold.’
Even still, Josef recounts that more than anything it was the loneliness that really hurt. ‘London can be the loneliest place in the world,’ he said. ‘I lost all my closest friends years ago. A lot of them were taken by drugs and alcohol.’
The turning point for Josef was when he first came to Webber Street seven years ago after getting a studio flat nearby. His new flat was cold and he was living on very little income. Josef didn’t know how to apply for his pension, and the loneliness that was so prevalent during his time in London wasn’t abating.
But at Webber Street, he found friendship among the staff and other guests. He received access to vital resources, hot breakfasts, clothing, warmth – and the staff even helped him apply for his pension online. Within three minutes, Josef had got set up to receive back payments on his pension.
Notably though, Josef also encountered God – he secured spiritual sustenance. ‘Jesus saved me… He’s the only one that could save me.’
Webber Street meant so much more than a place to get help with essential supplies and a bit of company for Josef, although he was thankful for it. Spiritually, Webber Street has given him a chance to open up to faith. He attends the Bible studies each week, where a group of half a dozen men sit together for an hour and read through John’s Gospel.
Through the care and invitation of the staff here, Josef has been introduced to church.
The nearby Globe Church has partnered closely with Webber Street day centre for the past few years. Volunteers from the congregation give their time and energy to the day centre. They also put on monthly evening meals for Webber Street guests. Most important, they have given time and consideration to the way that they welcome and include people from Webber Street to the congregation.
One of the things Josef finds remarkable is that people at Globe Church – most of them students and younger singles and couples in London for first jobs – care: ‘At church they make an old man like me feel good.’
Josef has found community and the love of Christ that he now strives to hold on to. ‘I want God to grasp me and to feel Him close by me like the people here do.’
This Christmas, please pray that more people like Josef will find grace and mercy in Christ.
