So SleepEasy 2015 has been and gone – and what an amazing
night! This is the second year we’ve hosted SleepEasy at Everyday Kingston, and
the 6th Year it has raised money for the work among the borough’s
homeless population… the evening began with the Everyday Church & YMCA
teams setting up, the LondonLive TV crew arriving and around 100 people getting
ready to spend a cold night out in the memorial gardens.

Before the fundraisers (many of whom were secondary school children) headed outside we launched the event with a meeting in the auditorium: I shared something of our heart for the homeless and the anger we all ought to feel at the fact that any human being should be sleeping outdoors in 21st Century London; it was great to publically thank our homeless friends for the tremendous value they bring to our church family and to commit the event and all the participants to the Lord in prayer. It was wonderful to welcome more than 100 guests to our venue, and to enjoy drama and musical performances by friends of the YMCA.

As well giving us the privilege of hosting an event which so effectively puts homelessness on the radar, SleepEasy gave us some amazing opportunities to be the church Jesus intends us to be. This was a night that showed just how far God has begun to establish us as a church at the heart of Kingston’s town centre community. In conversations with the door staff outside Bacchus, our good friends Debbie & Sarah from the YMCA, Ben the London Ambulance Service paramedic who ran Safe & Sound with us, through to our homeless friends, kids supported by Oxygen, the Mayor Ken Smith and his Deputy Cathy Roberts, Matt Hatton the director of Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness, the Street Pastors team on patrol and Saavik, the young lad healed by Jesus at SleepEasy 2014, I felt more keenly than ever the grace of God at work amongst us: God has led us, in the grace and footsteps of his Son Jesus, to grow in wisdom, and stature, and in favour with God and men (Luke 2:52).

Years ago, when we were looking to multiply the Raynes Park pastorate into Kingston and facing curious disagreement from friends unconvinced that this was a sensible move for life groups leading out of Everyday Wimbledon (then known as Queens Road Baptist Church), I asked God whether he really wanted us to have a presence in this town: his answer, “you’re to find your place among my people and do what I tell you to do…” We had no idea at that point that God was to settle us into the Kingston Baptist Church building; nearly 2 years post launch it’s becoming clearer than ever that God has called & blessed us to make a significant difference in our neighbourhood.

Please pray for those suffering the pain of homelessness tonight, and especially for the guests from this street homeless community who are currently doing Alpha. The money raised from SleepEasy will be shared with YMCA SouthWest London, the Merton Night Shelter, KCAH and Everyday Kingston. Many thanks to Sarah Finney for the brilliant photos!