Newsletter – October 2025

October 10th is World Homeless Day. The Sunday prior to this is known as Homelessness Sunday. The ecumenical charity, Housing Justice, provide resources each year to help us reflect on a particular theme. This year the theme is ‘Love thy neighbour.’ There will be an opportunity to listen to a pre-recorded service on the Church of England weekly online channel on the 5th. The Service will be led by Housing Justice Trustee, Rev Sarah Howard-Jones, and will feature conversations with, and prayers by guests in Housing Justice’s London Hosting Project.

The Gospel reading for the 5th includes these verses from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 17:
‘5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.’

I share a reflection by Lewis Lennon, Citadel Co-ordinator for the charity, Housing Justice:

“Have you ever walked past someone sitting on the pavement — maybe wrapped in a sleeping bag, maybe holding a paper cup — and felt that mixture of emotions?
Compassion. Guilt. Helplessness. Maybe even the urge to look away.

I know I have. And in that moment, it’s easy to feel small.
Like, what difference could I possibly make?

That’s exactly where the disciples were when they cried out to Jesus, “Increase our faith!”
And Jesus replied: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

I love that Jesus didn’t say, “Come back when you’ve got more faith.”
He said, “Bring me the little you’ve got, and watch what I can do with it.”
Because mustard seed faith may be tiny, but it’s alive.
And when it’s planted in God’s kingdom, it grows.

Psalm 37 gives us a picture of what mustard seed faith looks like in practice:
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Trust — and do good. That’s it. Not “solve everything.” Not “carry the whole weight of the housing crisis on your shoulders.” Just: trust Him — and do something.

And this is where the theme of Homelessness Sunday speaks so clearly: Love your neighbour.
Not just the neighbour who waves from over the fence. But the neighbour on the bus stop bench.
The neighbour in the doorway with a cardboard bed. The neighbour who feels invisible.

David Nixon, in his book Stories from the Street, puts it powerfully:
“Vulnerable people are the best preachers of the gospel in their own communities.”

That means our neighbours on the margins don’t just need our help — they often carry gospel truth in their own stories, reminding us of Jesus himself who chose to identify with the poor, the outsider, the forgotten. Because here’s the mystery of the kingdom: when we plant seeds, God makes them grow. One conversation can lead to hope. One meal can lead to community.
One act of courage can ripple far beyond what we see.
So maybe the question for us today isn’t, “Do I have enough faith?”
Maybe it’s, “What will I do with the faith I already have?” Let’s pray:

Lord, we confess our faith feels small. But we give You our mustard seed, trusting You to grow it.
Teach us to see our neighbours as You see them — to love not just in words but in action.
Take our small steps, and use them to bring Your kingdom here on earth, for every neighbour without a home, and for every heart that longs for shelter.
Amen.