Hope Centre opens in Derry
“The city is the report card of the church - how the city is doing is how the church is doing.”
(From the January - March 2020 issue of VOX)
A church in the city of Derry (Londonderry), Northern Ireland has opened a new centre designed to bring restoration to the poorest and most marginalised people on their doorstep. The Hope Centre is an initiative of Cornerstone City Church, which combines a food bank, clothing bank and café with a range of services to help people move from crisis towards wholeness.
Pastor Paddy de Lasa shared, “We wanted to create a centre that doesn’t just serve the church but also serves the city.”
Inspired by Isaiah 61, the church began to consider how they could be good news to the poor as a three-step process of rescue, renewal and restoration. Local statistics indicate that Derry City and Strabane have some of the highest levels of deprivation and health inequalities in the UK. Welfare reform is having a significant impact with people making tough choices between ‘heat or eat?’
The church leadership team was further galvanised into action when a woman tried to take her own life in the Foyle River just outside the church building. One of the leaders helped to rescue the woman but the incident cemented their commitment to reach out to those in desperate need.
“Inspired by Isaiah 61, the church began to consider how they could be good news to the poor as a three-step process of rescue, renewal and restoration. ”
When people arrive at the Hope Centre (often referred by other services in the city), there is a warm welcome - and great coffee - as the team seeks to meet their immediate needs. This first step (rescue) might include food parcels from the food bank, an opportunity to pick out clothes from the clothing bank, to do laundry or to take a shower in the wet room (where a range of toiletries are provided).
But the vision is not to create dependency but to help and support people to move forward. “We would encourage them to meet with our assessment team to look at why they are in the situation they are in. And we want to move them into a stage of renewal through support, training and on-going help,” Paddy explained.
Recognising the complex causes of poverty and despair, the church has a holistic approach to meeting people’s needs. With a Christians Against Poverty (CAP) centre as part of the church, people can receive support, advice and training to help tackle debt. Working in partnership with other organisations, the church can refer people to places where they can find help with addiction or housing problems.
And a new social supermarket in a converted shipping container provides lower cost food. Combined with workshops and menus to help people eat well for less, this will enable people to transition to managing for themselves.
“We don’t want to duplicate services that are provided elsewhere but we want to assist people as they move towards restoration,” Paddy said.
This was evident at the Hope Centre launch when a local charity serving the homeless community joined other city leaders to tour the new facilities. One of the workers commented about the importance of linking the practical help with the sense of community and spiritual hope that can be found in this vibrant city-centre church. People are lonely and isolated, she commented. The opportunity to connect with the church had the potential to meet people’s deeper needs.
For Paddy and his team, their vision is for those who are poor, oppressed, broken-hearted and held captive to be transformed into “oaks of righteousness,” people who in turn are able to bring restoration and change into their city. “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” Isaiah 61:4
