Deeper shade of grey | Faith House 9

Another periodic update from Faith House

It is the little things that count at Faith House, things that we would all take for granted but speak volumes in helping the largely valueless in society to feel some kind of worth.

One of the things that I have learned is that the average drink is tea with two sugars. There is something really profound in being able to remember how someone drinks their tea. For some of these guys, for someone to not only know their name but also know how many sugars they take in their tea is symbolic of belonging. It speaks of family. Acceptance.

When I first arrived at FH I marvelled at the memory of some of the volunteers who knew just how people took their tea, and saw how included the men were left feeling. Now I know that you can’t go far wrong in guessing - tea … two sugars!

Writer: Capt. Gordon Cotterill lives in London, England, is married to Kate and has two daughters Bethan and Eryn. He has been a Salvation Army officer for ten years and ‘cut his teeth’ in ministry with his wife as the corps officers at Poplar in the East End of London. The lessons he learned there in his day-to-day ministry, amid the chaos of the inner city, continue to shape his understanding and passion for biblical and grace-centred mission. His latest appointment as Spiritual Programme Director at the William Booth College, London now offers him the opportunity for the fusion and exploration of ‘mission’ and ’spiritual formation’ while trying to inspire a new generation of Salvation Army officers as to their role in God’s plan for His creation. Gordon keeps a blog where he mulls over themes of mostly, mission and spiritual formation.

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