Church in the gutters

In keeping with our country-style urban ministry, early one morning recently I happened to get chatting to our local street-cleaner/road-sweeper.

As Benjamin asked the usual questions about the Salvation Army I enquired as to his own 'faith status'. While not nailing his colours to any particular mast he did ask how someone 'joins' our 'church'. I obviously thought about Battle Orders, Adherency, Soldiers classes and Articles of War and finally settled for that Acts-style stuff again...

'you come anytime you like and share a meal with us'.

It's fair to say it wasn't the answer he was expecting - it may even have provoked his thinking? Whatever, he was more than happy to come to lunch.


I seem to remember someone like Jackie Pullinger or William Booth (or some other similar firebrand) suggesting that the best place to start a church was in the gutter. Whoever it was, we're beginning to appreciate their wisdom.

Incidentally, thanks to Benjamin the gutters of Paul Street are really rather clean!