Thursday 7th May 2009

Our second retreat on the Streets was well attended, and was even talked about in Glasgow presbytery, where the Moderator of Presbytery, Rev Tom Nelson, spoke of how meaningful he had found it to spend a day on the streets of Glasgow with only £1.50 in his pocket.  We had to leave our money, our plastic cards, our mobile phones at the Lodging House Mission, where we started the day at 9.30 with worship together.  We all ended up back there at 5pm, where we shared a meal, and shared our experiences, before sharing worship again.

One person told how she had collected money by busking!  Another spoke of how both on the streets and in the Wayside café for the homeless, people had spoken to her about God and his love, about how we can all work at making the world a better place through sharing love with others.  Someone told of how she sensed God speaking through people she had met during the day – saying how important it is that we take time to listen to one another.

Another person had forgotten he had no money, and had chosen a small present for a friend, and then suddenly realised at the till that he did not have enough in his pocket to pay for it.  Having only £1.50 for a whole day certainly makes you think about poverty.  And having time away from the phone, time away from the pressures of all that needs to be done, made space for God to speak.  It was in a very thought-provoking environment that our day on the streets of Glasgow made that space.

To read about the first Retreat on the Streets click here !