From January, through till April this year, the Mill Hill Churches, in association with Homeless Action Barnet, organised a night shelter for up to 16 local homeless people in John Keble Church in Mill Hill. The lead organiser, Maggi Lamb organised a service of thanksgiving last night (Sunday 9/6/2019), and gave the following address to the volunteers who attended. Maggi passed me the address to share with those who couldn't make it.
First of all, thank you for coming and thank you to those who sent their apologies, who wanted to come but couldn't. 80 Volunteers made this shelter what it was - a warm, welcoming, comfortable place to stay. Many others supported us with donations, their prayers, encouragement and interest.
I seemd to do less this year which can be attributed to the increasing skills and commitment of a team made up of reps from each of the Mill Hill Churches. As you all know, each part of the shelterwas organised by a different member of the group and I want to thank them particularly for their tenacity in getting enough volunteers for each part. - such as the overnight shift, food and transport.
Thank you also to all of the volunteers who reliably turned up, week after week doing the laying of tables, washing up and most importantly listening to the guests. I particularly want to thank those of you who, at quite short notice, helped with an extra week to extend the night shelter. It was just an idea I had and everyone said "go for it" and you all rallied to the call, so we covered 16 nights in all and this is in addition to the 10 nights covered at the Mill Hill East shelter before Christmas. We really believe this is Gods work here in Mill Hill and it is good to be part of it. Thank you to each one of you.
After the service, there was a gathering of the helpers, and light drinks and refreshments. All agreed that it was a great experience for all who participated. Local Churches, Synagogues and Mosques have also participated. We have a great community in Barnet. Whilst it is not right that there are homeless people in London in the year 2019, it is good that the community is coming together to support those people who do not have a roof over their head. You can read the latest churches together in Mill Hill newsletter here.
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