Inspired to be a better follower of Jesus…by my Muslim friends

Easter Saturday is a time of real reflection for Christians, and this Easter Saturday, I’ve been left reflecting on the lessons that I’ve learned over the past few months. And I have been led to the following (and somewhat surprising) conclusion: one of the most profound influences on me as a Christian have been my […]

Football’s Coming Home…

This post is about two months till late…so apologies for that! I still thought it was worth sharing though. On Thursday October 5th, a group of 53 of us set off on a coach from Coventry city centre. The destination? – Wembley Stadium. The occasion? – England-Slovenia, in a World Cup Qualifier. In our party […]

“Conversation Cafes” – A Model for All

Summer may be a lovely and restful time for a lot of Brits, but for a lot of the guys I work with it’s pretty tough. All formal English classes stop for the six week Summer holiday, and many of them have told me that they struggle with the boredom – especially those seeking asylum, […]

“No Longer an Outsider, but a Citizen who Belongs”

For this week’s post, I thought I’d write about our Fresh Start Companionship project – an initiative aimed at pairing-up volunteers with newly-arrived individuals, offering a listening ear, assistance with English, and most of all a companion to walk alongside them as they begin their new lives here. The Director of the Coventry Refugee and […]

The Value of a Little English Support

I’ve decided to focus this week’s blog on our English Support, especially our “Conversation Cafes”. I lead four Cafes around the city, trying to offer a safe space for people who speak English as a Second Language to practice their English with a native speaker. These have proven to be really helpful, as many newly-arrived […]

Kicking Things Off

Hi! I’ve decided to set-up a blog for our Fresh Start project, as a way of keeping people updated about our work supporting refugees, asylum seekers and migrants here in Coventry…