Our premises were open from 8pm. to 8am., we supplied a hot meal, overnight accommodation and breakfast for up to 15 "clients" one night each week, except Christmas, for 2 months.

The scheme had already existed for two years, supported by Crisis, the Church’s Urban Fund, and the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Similar schemes exist in the adjacent Boroughs of Newham and Redbridge. Nine other local churches were involved but not all them were evangelical.

Every Saturday night, six workers prepared the food and premises and befriended the visitors. Every Sunday morning three workers prepared breakfast and tidied up after everyone had left. Two paid (non-Christian) workers who had relevant experience also manned each shelter. They became familiar with regular visitors and could inform each shelter of any "incidents" at other venues.

The local newspaper took up the project as their Christmas charity, so we received donations of food, blankets, toiletries and clothes. Camp beds were provided and sometimes volunteers helped us from other churches. On average we provided for about 10 visitors each night, which was comparable with other shelters, but less than last year. Most of the visitors were men, but few were vagrants. Many were refugees.

We had no disruptive incidents, although other shelters did. Rules were laid down by the organisers and set out plainly to the visitors. We approached this project as a response to a social need. We did not treat it as an evangelistic project, but did engage in evangelism by our service, conversation, literature and our prayers.

All churches should include Employers’ Liability in their insurance policies, whether or not they have a paid pastor. Employees here include people that the church may hire or borrow to carry out work on their behalf.

Churches may find it easier to send their certificates to their Trustees for safe keeping, especially as church officers can change rapidly.

The church in High Wycombe is one of our oldest foundations, as it began in about 1678. It moved to a new building on its present site in 1970, but the story of the past thirty years has been a succession of rising hopes and hopes dashed.

Not long after May Caten died at the end of 1997, it was decided to close the Sunday worship. However, two young couples from the town continued to meet for prayer, later augmented by another couple, while being under the care of other local churches.

Josè Esquibel from the USA has been working with Akeman Street, Tring and learning about the British way of church life. He and his wife have now joined the other three couples in regular prayer for the church and town.

• Most of our churches will know that Chris Pegington is to leave the pastorate of Hayes Lane Bromley to return with his wife Angela to Austria. Another Kent church is also to lose its pastor, as UFM Worldwide has accepted Andrew and Jenny Love from Erith to work in Brazil. They are staying on at Larner Road until the church appoints a new pastor.
  
  
• The six women members of Zion, Kings Langley are seeking to work together with Derby Road, Watford in order to strengthen their witness in the Hertfordshire town.
  
  
• A conference on Urban Mission is to be held at East London Tabernacle on May 19-20 at which Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York, will be the principal speaker. Geoff Gobbett (Highbury) will also be taking part.
  
  
• The Association Office has ordered 10675 of Day One’s AD Booklet for AGBC(SE) churches. There are some spares for churches who have not responded to the invitation to place their orders with the office to gain a better discount. A similar project is planned for the Praise! hymnbook.
  
  
• The new Church building at Devonshire Drive, Greenwich was officially opened on March 20.
  
  
• Bill Charlton is to retire at the end of June after twelve years as pastor of West Ham Tabernacle.

Presentations were given by members of the Home Mission sub-Committee plus Paul Reed, whose approach at Clapham has led to it being one of the few London churches in the Association to have grown in recent years.

A full report has been circulated to all our churches, whether or not they are in the London Postal Area. Most agree that what was said is relevant to country as well as urban churches.

The FIEC asked Chertsey Street, Guildford to take over running this church as it was too weak to stand alone. In 1991, the church seconded some of their members to this work, and later called Graham Jones as its leader.

Guildford Park is now to stand on its own, and a Thanksgiving Service to recognise the re-established church is to be held on April 17 at Chertsey Street at 3.00pm.