So an amazing fruitful day of serving as city centre chaplain… Just being available and around in public all day. That’s it. And surprise surprise I’ve got to meet all kinds of people… Such a privilege.

Rachel, one of my volunteers and I set off for the job centre to offer free hugs and to pray for people too. It’s amazing how many people are happy to share what they would like prayer for, and occasionally ask for prayer there and then. Like the guy who had just, that morning, got out of prison after 18 years. Two of our volunteers helped him with things like how to use a mobile phone (18 years ago there simple weren’t such things!)

I then painted in a crowded pub, a simple picture for a lady that declared the word hope. ‘You’re spot on’ she said. We spoke a little bit about a season of new hope.

In the afternoon I got to visit lots of shops delivering simple gifts of a small box of shortbread with a Christmas card. Shop keepers loved it and were overall astonished at the gesture. Simple, show good news through a simple gift and listen to how they were doing. One of the shops I visited was the Polish shop.