LCM: God’s work goes on
Graham Miller
May 2020 marked 185 years since three
Victorian visionaries – horrified at
the
huge numbers of people in London living
in appalling conditions and without the
hope of Christ – formed the London City
Mission. They quickly assembled a group of
missionaries to go to the slums to proclaim
the gospel.
Yet most of our missionaries were forced
to mark the anniversary by staying at home.
Despite a massive increase in people raising
serious questions about life, death and the
meaning of it all, we are having to enforce
social distancing
and
stop our physical
meetings – initially it was so frustrating.
A new home
Graham Miller
The Christmas holidays tend to be a great time for kids. The average family in the UK will spend an additional £2,000 over the Christmas period on gifts, food and trips.
It is not the same picture for everyone, though. 700,000 kids in London are living below the poverty line, after you’ve taken housing costs into account. For these homes the additional financial stress of Christmas can often be the cause of family arguments, stress, and domestic abuse. It is not surprising that, despite the cold weather, winter is a time when many kids run away for the first time.
Freedom for the captives
Graham Miller
I long to see people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ all over London – particularly people from other cultures or faith backgrounds, or those who are marginalised by society or living in some of London’s most deprived communities.
Well before the horror of the 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower brought the area to national attention, my colleagues at London City Mission were talking with churches, praying and planning how to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to more people in the area. Having marked the two-year anniversary since that terrible night on 14 June 2017, I want to share with you some of the stories I’ve heard from people who are now ministering in the area alongside local churches.