Our Stories
Envisioning StreetWorks
By Sam Berechree,
If you've been a part of HBBC for some time now, you will have heard of StreetWorks. StreetWorks is a volunteer organisation run by members of our congregation whose mission it is to help the homeless and those living rough in Torquay with practical assistance. Food, bedding, clothing and companionship are all available in The Lounge, StreetWorks' shopfront near the corner of Bideford and Truro Streets, in Torquay. StreetWorks operates under the charity Kindness Works Ltd.
In early 2023, I decided to interview John Dearden, one of the pivotal figures in the creation and implementation of StreetWorks. For a man who barely reaches 5 and a half feet, he sure packs a punch. John's energy is quite contagious, and, for those of us who follow Jesus, his abundant faith in God is difficult to ignore.
John Dearden has worked with StreetWorks since his inception (in fact, it's not a stretch to say that he was pivotal in creating StreetWorks).
John once commented "Don't leave anybody behind. Show them love, pick them up, encourage them, journey along with them."
I asked him if this was his motivation for working alongside those experiencing homelessness in Torquay.
"Absolutely. Everybody deserves to know that God loves them. Where the world might reject them, governments might push them aside, they feel unloved, unvalued, unworthy, but God loves them just as much as anybody else. That's what motivates me to show them that we're here for them. We're not going to run away."
"God put it on my heart. We need a place out of the weather so we can minister to them during the day, not just a few hours a week, but where we can be there and really build on those relationships and give them a safe place to come. That's how The Lounge came about. Our volunteers said 'yes' to The Lounge concept as they were being mentored by Crossway Baptist Church, to become Spiritual Parents."
(Spiritual Parents are the foundational members needed to create an Empowered Faith Community (EFC) like this - open to all people to explore faith in a non-judgemental setting. Seeing people through Jesus' eyes as ordinary people on a journey of discovery of the person and work of Jesus.)
Sam: I remember you saying to me a year before it happened "We're going to get a shopfront. I don't know how, but I know God is going to get us a shopfront."
And now we have 'The Lounge'!
"It's been amazing. You get a vision from the Lord sometimes, but to actually see it come through...everybody would have been so sick of me going on about it for eighteen months before it happened. So we have a bit of a laugh about that. But for them to actually see it happen would have been a big thing. Actually seeing God do it - it wasn't me. God has done the whole thing through people. It's just amazing."
If you've been a part of HBBC for some time now, you will have heard of StreetWorks. StreetWorks is a volunteer organisation run by members of our congregation whose mission it is to help the homeless and those living rough in Torquay with practical assistance. Food, bedding, clothing and companionship are all available in The Lounge, StreetWorks' shopfront near the corner of Bideford and Truro Streets, in Torquay. StreetWorks operates under the charity Kindness Works Ltd.
In early 2023, I decided to interview John Dearden, one of the pivotal figures in the creation and implementation of StreetWorks. For a man who barely reaches 5 and a half feet, he sure packs a punch. John's energy is quite contagious, and, for those of us who follow Jesus, his abundant faith in God is difficult to ignore.
John Dearden has worked with StreetWorks since his inception (in fact, it's not a stretch to say that he was pivotal in creating StreetWorks).
John once commented "Don't leave anybody behind. Show them love, pick them up, encourage them, journey along with them."
I asked him if this was his motivation for working alongside those experiencing homelessness in Torquay.
"Absolutely. Everybody deserves to know that God loves them. Where the world might reject them, governments might push them aside, they feel unloved, unvalued, unworthy, but God loves them just as much as anybody else. That's what motivates me to show them that we're here for them. We're not going to run away."
"God put it on my heart. We need a place out of the weather so we can minister to them during the day, not just a few hours a week, but where we can be there and really build on those relationships and give them a safe place to come. That's how The Lounge came about. Our volunteers said 'yes' to The Lounge concept as they were being mentored by Crossway Baptist Church, to become Spiritual Parents."
(Spiritual Parents are the foundational members needed to create an Empowered Faith Community (EFC) like this - open to all people to explore faith in a non-judgemental setting. Seeing people through Jesus' eyes as ordinary people on a journey of discovery of the person and work of Jesus.)
Sam: I remember you saying to me a year before it happened "We're going to get a shopfront. I don't know how, but I know God is going to get us a shopfront."
And now we have 'The Lounge'!
"It's been amazing. You get a vision from the Lord sometimes, but to actually see it come through...everybody would have been so sick of me going on about it for eighteen months before it happened. So we have a bit of a laugh about that. But for them to actually see it happen would have been a big thing. Actually seeing God do it - it wasn't me. God has done the whole thing through people. It's just amazing."
Posted in Our Stories