It’s a busy Saturday morning at the Brunch Club at the Clubhouse – a community space run by All Souls, Langham Place – a ten-minute walk down the road.
It’s a busy Saturday morning at the Brunch Club at the Clubhouse – a community space run by All Souls, Langham Place – a ten-minute walk down the road.
Anne, one of the team of volunteers, has just finished a short talk, explaining the gospel and why it’s good news, before the guests are served breakfast.
Sitting at one of the tables is David.*
“I am five weeks old,” he declares cryptically.
“I was reborn five weeks ago, and now I’m planning my baptism,” he clarifies.
David shares how his journey to faith started when he was approached by a group from All Souls church when he was sleeping rough over the winter. The team included Petra Zimmermann – one of the missionaries who have been supporting All Souls to reach out to people who are homeless.
“They invited me here for breakfast. They gave me a whole new set of clothes. And I got talking to people here…” David continues.
What followed was a chain of encounters with Christians in different places – including at LCM’s Webber Street Centre – all contributing to David’s growing understanding of the gospel.
“I grew up an atheist. I didn’t know anything about the Bible,” shares David.
“But now, I’m reading every day. I’ve just read John 9 about Jesus restoring the man’s sight. As someone legally blind this was really special to me.”
David is one of around thirty guests welcomed into the Brunch Club that Saturday morning.
“It’s almost identical to what we were doing at Webber Street,” explains Ian Campbell, who oversees this new ministry, as co-lead of All Souls Local Action Network (ASLAN).
For over ten years, a team from All Souls was serving every Saturday morning at LCM’s Webber Street Centre in Waterloo.
Webber Street provided the church’s volunteers with the space and the structure to host and serve guests – mirroring the experience they receive through the rest of the week. LCM missionaries gave training on areas like safeguarding and connecting with guests whilst maintaining healthy boundaries.
It was when Webber Street closed temporarily for renovations that the team from All Souls were prompted to consider how they could use their own premises.
David is one of around thirty guests welcomed into the Brunch Club that Saturday morning.
LCM missionaries from Webber Street continue to provide key support to the new ministry, often modelling pastoral care for guests – including Tim.
“I’ve got a really difficult neighbour who’s making my life a nightmare. I have to sleep with my headphones on, because of all the noise,” Tim shares.
Tim says he’s spending less and less time at his flat.
“Homelessness isn’t black and white.” says Marcin, another one of the team. “A lot of the guests we get to know, they’re in complicated living conditions.”
Marcin and staff from Webber Street, which Tim also visits during the week, have been helping him find a solution to his housing situation.
Tim doesn’t profess a faith in Jesus, but through discussions with Marcin and others, he’s started to look more into Christianity.
“They calmed me down. I reached a point where I was going to take matters into my own hands,” reflects Tim. “They give me good advice. They bring the Bible into the conversation without bashing you over the head with it.”
And it’s not just practical support that Tim is receiving.
“It’s a real friendship,” says Marcin. “We started meeting up for coffee and it’s developed from there. We talk about housing but also just daily life.”
The conversation sometimes touches on faith. Marcin has shared his testimony and together with one of the volunteers from the Brunch Club, they have done a Bible study.
Tim doesn’t profess a faith in Jesus, but through discussions with Marcin and others, he’s started to look more into Christianity.
“I’ve never read the Bible. I’ve heard bits and bobs. But I’ve been looking into it on YouTube,” shares Tim.
At a table by the window, volunteer Liz, who was part of the team serving at Webber Street, is praying with another one of the guests.
“One of the things guests loved about Webber Street is that it’s a place of safety, where they can be prayed for. And that’s what we’re trying to replicate here,” she reflects.
Supported by LCM missionaries, including Petra, Liz started a Bible study for guests she came to know, which continued every Monday for five years.
“It started over COVID, outside Webber Street, when we were restricted to giving meals to guests at the doorstep. I offered to pray for one particular gentleman – which led to Petra and I meeting him in a park to read the Bible, and it grew from there!”
One of the main ways Petra has impacted Liz has been around prayer. Liz recalls one especially memorable experience.
“Petra and I had popped into a café together, and she got into conversation with the man behind the counter and I heard her ask, ‘Can I pray for you?’ When the man said yes, Petra prayed for the man out loud right then and there. I’ve tried to follow her example!”
“That time at Webber Street really gave us the confidence to do what we’re doing now at our own church building.” Ian Campbell
For Ian, what’s happening at the Clubhouse is a realisation of its original purpose.
“John Stott (a previous minister) bought the building with a view to serving the local community. And it’s amazing to see what’s happening,” shares Ian. “LCM has had a massive impact. Without them, I don’t know if we would have had this ministry now.”
For LCM, enabling churches to flourish in their own ministry is central to making Jesus known to many more men and women, especially on the margins, across the city.
The brunch club is run by All Souls Serve the City, the local mission arm of All Souls that offers holistic gospel-centred ministry to those who are isolated, overlooked and exploited. Find out more at asstc.org.uk
LCM shares the gospel alongside the local church of London, equipping everyday Christians to lovingly bring a message of hope in Christ to those least likely to hear it.
Registered Charity No. 247186
