Crypt Leeds @ Christmas Issue 2020

Christmas Appeal 2020 Welcome to our Christmas newsletter Chris Fields Chief Executive Officer

“The Hopes and Fears of all the and was amazed at how perfect a word Getting back to Hope.... years are met in thee tonight.” it is for where we are now… As much as winter brings its issues for If I start with “what a year this has been” “Hope is a confident expectation of many, it is a time for reflection and rest. who would disagree? what God has promised and its strength I am spending time in reflection and is in his faithfulness”. An expectation, a focusing on Hope. It has been so difficult on so many promise held within a gentle yet strong levels, I can’t begin to explain. We pray hand of faithfulness. Hope for the future. constantly for protection and for the ones who have suffered greatly, locally We could use that as a description Hope for mankind. and all over the world. of Christmas; the expectation of God Hope for the people we minister to. sending his only son into a life of We could be accused of being poverty and servitude, coupled with Hope for our supporters that they stay somewhat flippant when we say “all the other promise of eternal life and safe and well. we need now is locusts and boils” but forgiveness. that’s just how it feels. In my 20 years Hope that we go forward in faith “in the here, we have never had to realign, Christmas will certainly look a little expectation of what God has promised restructure and rethink the entire different here. We are now planning and its strength is in His faithfulness.” charity (daily) and how to best serve our the logistics of delivering hot meals to brothers and sisters in need. We are in dispersed groups all over Leeds. We May I wish you a wonder-filled no way different to every other charity will still provide a meal for our residents Christmas and a New Year full of hope. and agency, but it “feels” so personal. here at the Crypt and for the guys who I leave with one of my favourite pieces Maybe I am holding things too close? still choose to sleep rough for whatever of poetry which resonates with all we reason. I think it’s going to be a busy believe. As I pen this, we are working around day! staffing rotas and cashflow projections When the song of the angels is stilled which simply doesn’t feel like our core David and the kitchen team will And the star in the sky has gone work. I suppose it’s akin to other great be “procuring” turkeys. Lisa will be events in history which just throw especially busy trying to find enough When the kings and princes are home everything out of kilter. presents to wrap. We estimate we will need 139 individual pressies for And the shepherds are back with their The one thing we have is the constant everyone on Christmas Day. flocks Love of God. The knowledge that He is with us throughout all our difficulties Cheryl and her fundraising team have The work of Christmas begins and that He will provide if He wants us not had it easy and it’s not looking like to carry on. it's going to get any easier as the year To find the lost, to heal the broken progresses. In a meeting someone said, “all we can To feed the hungry, to release the do is pray, plan and hope for the best.” It’s such a shame that during our 90th prisoner I held onto those words so carefully year and our 10th decade, which offer To rebuild the nations when reflecting later in the day. We so many opportunities, all have been constantly pray, we plan by the hour… snatched by Covid-19. And to place music in the heart. what we need to do is hold onto hope. Hope seems to be used as “wish” or It is worrying that, as all our community Howard Thurman “desire” which doesn’t always sit easy and corporate fundraising has stopped, as a Christian. we get busier as the weather closes With all blessings for Christmas and in. We can’t even have the cathedral 2021, Chris. I looked up the biblical meaning of hope choristers for our annual Carol Concert.

2 Delivering Christmas

Picture: Leeds Rhinos Legends, Jamie Peacock and Kevin Sinfield

This year things have changed. forgiven for not knowing what to do, residents staying in the Crypt itself. What we can do, how we interact, how to provide, how to serve, or not This will continue over Christmas. We how we meet, socialise, love known how to offer a Christmas meal. are also supporting the 20 residents and share; will we even have a on our drug and alcohol recovery Christmas? This might have all started to sound project with Christmas supplies and rather depressing! It could have presents. Imagine being alone this Christmas; sounded like we're setting you up for it's looking more and more likely. Add a fall. Don't worry; we're not! Every person who comes to our to that being on the street, insecurely Christmas Day takeaway service will housed, not knowing where your next This Christmas we will go above and get a Christmas meal (we're aiming meal is coming from. beyond to make sure that everyone for turkey with all the trimmings...!). in need has a Christmas. We will In the past we have taken pride in provide meals, we will provide food We've been squirrelling away, being our Christmas service; last year we parcels, we will provide presents. good stewards of all we receive, so offered meals on Christmas Eve, Everything we have done in the past that this year, as with every year, we Christmas Day and Boxing Day. We will be built into a takeaway service will be able to give presents too. We worked with celebrity friends who that makes Leeds, makes you, our are aiming to give a gift to everyone volunteered to help serve. We worked supporters, proud. in all our services; those staying with professional kitchens to cook the in Leeds City Council provided food. We decorated, full bells and We will be providing Christmas meals accommodation and those coming to whistles, so that those who would go for all the people in the accommodation our lunchtime takeaway services. We without didn't. that Leeds City Council set up in won't have Santa, but there may be a response to Covid-19. We are still few elf hats and Christmas jumpers! This year we could have been providing three meals a day for the 15

3 3 St George's Christmas:

As you can imagine, 90 Christmases outfit, and sent out to the slums of St worked with mainly men, never is a lot of turkey! Plenty of wrapping! Andrew's Parish. I shall never forget stopped us from offering a full Hundreds if not thousands of scrambling down the spiral stone Christmas spread. Many of our smashed baubles! staircase of a basement hovel, to present day clients, fully grown men, find partially dressed children staring still enjoy, and it might be the only time Here at St George's Crypt, it is also in disbelief and excitement as I gave they have, getting a gift from Father a lifeline to thousands of families and them their Christmas surprise.' Christmas. individuals, adults and children, who would otherwise go without. This story of giving of presents, the 'The Boxing Day dinner was one of my bringing of Christmas continues favourite days. We might serve up to a Looking back through the old books throughout the history of our work. hundred me and about three women!' and documents relating to the Crypt, we've put together a series of quotes 'Before Christmas the boys from But we must remember in the midst that bring to life that ever-evolving Monkton Combe School at Bath would of celebrating how hard a time this is narrative. Painting a picture up to the come up to help distribute toys. On for our clients. We still see the after- present day, we then look to the future; the Golden anniversary of the Crypt effects of trauma and pain surface where will we be, will there still be the I worked throughout Christmas Day at Christmas. We work doubly hard need, how will we work to meet it? to make table decorations for the to mitigate, to give our guys a strong Boxing Day meal. About 60 volunteers memory of love and inclusion to start 'Just before Christmas Day, cars past and present had been invited. I rebuilding their lives on a strong and would appear, lent by willing drivers, plated everything up, including cutting positive footing. and transporting scarlet-robed Father four hundred pieces of cake. A box Christmases, taking the Christmas covered in icing had been made in 'Lenny had slept rough for over 40 trees out to the homes for which the shape of the Crypt doorway; it had years at the brickworks on Gelderd they had been lovingly prepared. I a slot in the top and seventy pounds Road. When the brickworks closed remember one year when we were was collected.' down in the 1980s, Lenny found his short of a Father Christmas. I was way to the Crypt. crammed into a Father Christmas The fact that, historically we have 44 Past, Present and Things to Come On Christmas Eve, Crypt Warden Don love of God. A love which overflows our own journey of faith. Heading up Paterson found Lenny up in his room in practical care for the marginalised. a recent strategy document was the crying. On Boxing Day Lenny told his That vision is fulfilled in the continually following quote, highlighting the strong story.' evolving ministry of St George's Crypt. links to the past, walking arm in arm "Faith without works is dead" said St with our vision for the future. He had once been dapper and James. St George's is the evidence of handsome and he sang in Upper faith expressed through works.' 'Without faith vision is stillborn – it is Armley Church Choir. One Christmas but idle dreaming and vain imagining. Eve his mother died. He couldn't cope It is from this foundation that we wish But vision backed by faith has been and walked out of the house leaving to build. We understand that whilst the and shall be the inspiration of all great everything to his sister. This was the way we respond, diagnose and treat lives. For, vision is realisation that first Christmas he'd had a present and our clients' needs has changed, the things might be different, but faith is the a roof over his head since then. root pain of homelessness, isolation conviction that they must be different, and deprivation will always be the and the determination that they shall Whilst the human pain and suffering same. be. It is because humanity has lost has not changed, the way we operate faith that life has become frustrated, as a charity has massively. We are working with specialist futile and disastrous. Most men are services, streamlined triage and multi- convinced that nothing but a miracle 'There is no way that when Don and agency partnership when we are not Joe stepped into that cat-ridden tomb, can save the human race – they are able to provide or someone can do it no less convinced that miracles do not that he could have envisioned what better. the Crypt has now become with its happen. It is faith that believes that fabulous facilities to meet the changed We are hoping to expand the work the love of God can yet work miracles, client needs. Yet his vision, in his we do, build on successes and offer and it is through men of faith, eager, preaching and in his personal action, a chance to as many people as want expectant, and believing, that God can with his overalls and barrow of rubbish and need. work.' clearing out the Crypt - his vision was Don Robins: A Miscellany always of a Church consumed by the At the same time we are walking on 5 5 How We Are Fundraising

2020 has been a difficult time Our 90th Birthday on 14 October How can people support the for everybody including St. 2020 was going to be the start of Crypt? George’s Crypt. In typical style, a very special year of events, we we have stepped up to the plate planned to invite people into the Keep a look-out on social media and carried on regardless. For Crypt, as we did on our 80th and for the different activities we are our Fundraising team, these 85th and the decades before. planning. Sign up for updates to challenges have been massive. be emailed to you if you prefer, or With events like Leeds 10k, Total simply call our fundraising team We talked with our Head of Warrior and Three Peaks all 0113 2459061 (opt 1) to discuss Fundraising, Cheryl Harrington, to postponed, and most community your own ideas for fundraising. see the impact of Covid-19, how fundraising activities cancelled until you can continue to support the further notice, the impact is huge VirginMoneyGiving.Com is a work we do and what our plans for and we‘re having to rethink our great way to do a virtual collection the future are. whole fundraising strategy. or collect sponsorship. Set up your own page, chose to support to St Why is it important to support St. And, as we head into a second George’s Crypt. Share on your George’s Crypt? national lockdown, the re-thought social media and everyone can see plans have to be re-thought again!. how well your fundraising is going. Cheryl: The need for our services to help homeless and vulnerable What are we planning for the The Leeds Big Sleep is temporarily adults is as great today as it was future? becoming the Leeds Big Sleep in 1930 when Rev. Don Robins “In” planned for 5 February with first opened the doors. In an ideal We are exploring online online entertainment, as a warm up world the Crypt wouldn’t be here; opportunities for virtual events. for the actual event later that year! there would be no homelessness, During the first lockdown phase no addiction and no mental health we had many fabulous fundraisers Do you have a message for our issues. But you know as well as we coming up with their own ideas, bike readers? do, that it isn’t the case. ride round their cul-de-sac, dance- a-thon in the front room, Corona Thank you ! We couldn’t do what Coronavirus has hit us all hard, Arms pub quiz, online gig, virtual we do, without the amazing support financially and emotionally. While camp fire by the scouts . of the people and businesses in the work continues to happen to Leeds. Whether you have donated support our service users, the Fundraising in this climate is a great £1 in a bucket in a supermarket, fundraising methods are having to challenge because every charity ran the Leeds 10k, done a bungee change dramatically. is in the same position. We are jump in a Spiderman outfit, or applying to charitable trusts and sponsored your boss to sleep at What plans did you have for foundations for grants to fund parts Headingley stadium. It’s what we all fundraising pre - Covid-19? of our work, alongside seeking do collectively as a city to look out support from corporates and local for each other that counts. businesses. 66 How We Are Fundraising Leeds Virtual 10 k

This year’s Leeds 10k had If you are able to, please to be postponed due to make a donation as well. It Covid-19 but don’t let that would be appreciated and stop you from putting on will go towards supporting your running shoes. the vital work we do. Why not run a 10k on 22nd We can provide a Team November, the last amended Crypt running top so date of the event? everyone will know why you are doing it! This kind of virtual event lets you “get out there” and Please abide by all pound the streets; fulfils government regulations re: the challenge of completing Covid-19 - we don't want a 10k, is a great way to anyone getting in trouble. keep fit and boosts mental wellbeing! Most importantly - get running! It is a fantastic way to support our work with homeless and vulnerable people in Leeds. Share your 10k stories and pictures online - tag us in and we'll make sure to retweet.

Leeds Big Sleep-in!

Around this time of year sleeping in instead! we would be gearing up to brave a night sleeping On Friday 5th February on the stands at Emerald 2021 we challenge you to Headingley Stadium, find the most uncomfortable, to give up one night of unusual, odd place you comfort in our own bed to can imagine and you can raise money for three local do this alone or with your charities. Unfortunately, family or support bubble, due to the pandemic and in your home, your office, government restrictions, your garden, your shed, we are unable to hold the it’s your choice! All we event as usual, however ask is it conforms to the Leeds Rhinos Foundation, current government social St George's Crypt and St distancing guidelines and Gemma's Hospice are still restrictions at the time. working together to raise Virtual entertainment will be money for those most in broadcast throughout the need in our city. evening which you can join The Leeds Big Sleep, now in in, watch and enjoy whilst its 4th year, has raised over you prepare to sleep in and £100,000. It may not involve raise vital funds for these sleeping out this year but three amazing charities. we encourage you to still get involved. Sponsorship To sign up to the event which will be split equally to please go to: support the valuable work Virgin Money Giving 77 that these charities do by http://bit.ly/LeedsBigSleepIn Retail Online Due to the recent announcement by the UK government, our charity shops closed at 4pm on Wednesday 4th November until the government allows us to re-open. In a bid to keep generating income for the charity, we have recently set up some Last Christmas online platforms to enable us to continue (From 1st Dec to 31st Dec 2019): trading. Please look up our eBay shop at: www.ebay.co.uk/usr/stgeorgescrypt and also follow our Facebook page at St George’s Crypt Retail, where we aim to be selling furniture and other goods on 1,148 Facebook Marketplace. It means the world to us for your Bed spaces provided - an average of 37 continued support during these difficult people in our emergency times. accommodation each cold winter’s night Thank you from the team at St George’s Crypt Retail. 1,814

Free lunches served to anyone in b need, averaging 95 each day 1,410

Hours of volunteering given by 138 amazing volunteers 53 Our Christmas Elves! Individuals accessed Health and Since Revd. Don Robins first opened volunteering for over 10 years. They Wellbeing provision, including dental the doors of St George's Crypt, took over the mantle of Christmas toys we have supported impoverished and ran with it. treatment, opticians & physiotherapy families and their children at Christmas. We now have a storage unit with Big Yellow Self Storage where they sort For registered families there was a free through the toys, arrange them by 149 shop. Over 500 families were clothed, gender and age and, in the build up given food parcels and presents from to Christmas, they distribute them this store, and this on top of presents to the churches and other partner People supported with food parcels given to children living in poverty. organisations within the community. (including adults, children, expectant During our 90 year history we have It is amazing that, thanks to the mothers and independent under 18s) continued this service, making sure that kindness of the city and the diligence children do not miss out at Christmas. of these two volunteers, children experiencing poverty this Christmas will Currently, we have the brilliant be able to open a present and feel part 1,985 Charlie and Diane (pictured). They of the celebrations. work voluntarily throuhgout the year collecting, sorting and getting the toys Thank you Leeds and thank you Charlie Children received a Christmas present ready for Christmas. They have been and Diane! from the Toy Appeal 8 8 Entertaining Saints

Since the publication of Revd. Don That leads on to the latest publication You've got the wrong guy for this job. Robins' sermons in 1949, we at the to come from us; Entertaining Saints. My marriage has fallen apart. I've just Crypt have archived our work in a had a breakdown. I'm a mess. I can't number of different publications. Written by our chaplain, Revd. Roger do it. These books offer a glimpse at Quick, this is a very personal insight the world of the Crypt through into the work we do here, from the Sometimes the answer to prayer the ages, from a range of different coal face. comes very clearly. Whether I heard a perspectives. voice actually speaking (which would Taking us from his first day arriving have been a bit weird) or whether I There have been the historic here, his fears, the needs of our heard it in my head, or whether I perspectives of volunteers, staff clients, to the complexity and imagined it - in the end it doesn't and clients past and present in changing face of the job. matter - this is what I heard when I Entertaining Angels. When pushed on his job description, told God I can't do this. Their Father's House talks about the Roger dismisses and says that he No, you can't. role of the Crypt in the city from it's is here to bless people and pray start up until the 50's, with content with them; this book shows that he This was not very encouraging. Then from the Chief Constable and other has excelled and surpassed this came the second part. well known figures in the city. seemingly simple but actually very difficult need. But I can.' Entertaining More Angels builds on You can buy the book from: the story of it's namesake, with fresh 'It wasn't easy, that first day. I got case studies and stories from the home to my bedsit that evening, www.dltbooks.com time. sat on the front step, lit a cigarette, looked upward and said to God: or in our shops.

9 Our Virtual 90th Birthday

Emma Jones - LUTV Hilary Benn MP

Andrew Edwards - BBC Tom Riordan - LCC

We've probably all had it; not are postponed or cancelled. We have messages of support being able to turn on the sound, from staff, volunteer and clients. our video's not working or we're Add to this, we turned 90 years old. We are putting together an online upside down or back to front. We had a full schedule of events interactive archive highlighting the Are we wearing our pyjamas lined up. We were going to have work from the last 90 years. And for a business meeting? Is our church services, an open house, probably more. background suitable for the conferences, exhibitions - a whole boss?! schedule of events lasting the We received a call from someone year to shine a light on the issues who had seen some of our birthday Because of the Covid-19 pandemic surrounding homelessness, to content on TV. He had seen one the way we work, socialise highlight the work we have done of the archive pictures in the report and interact has had to change and to thank the city for supporting and noticed that the person in it immeasurably. Words have us throughout. was him, 60 years ago. We have an appeared that were never used; interview with him and a nice photo how many times in the past six We had to rapidly change our ideas to compare and contrast. months have you heard self-isolate, in the light of Covid-19. We did. We lockdown, the rule of six?! Now we contacted people with a connection Anything we can do online to have tiers, local lockdowns and to the Crypt or a strong connection highlight the work we do, what we second waves. to Leeds and asked them to record have done and how important you for us messages of support. We all are to the continued work we It's no different here at the Crypt. asked the Yorkshire Film Archive envision, we will do. The majority of our meetings to use footage from Crypt films of have gone online. All our major the past. We have interviewed the So thank you all for your support fundraising events, homeless new Archbishop of York, Stephen and keep an eye online - there conferences and learning seminars Cotterell. We have a new website. might be a surprise or two!

10 10 “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the Chaplain’s Corner harvest of your righteousness.” Corinthians 9:10

I heard a new old saying recently. Please pray for our vision; that “If you can’t see the light at the end we may see the way ahead, and go of the tunnel, maybe the tunnel’s forward trustingly. got bends in it.” Well, this year has Please pray for all who are sick, had more bends than most. and all who care for them; that At least so it seems; but we all have together we may share the love years that we shudder to remember, of God, and bear his light in the and others we look back on happily. darkness. The difference now is that we have Please give thanks that we have been all been through it together. Shared able to keep going. experience – good or bad – draws us closer together, if we let it. We may be frightened of being alone in the dark; but Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, whose other name – Emmanuel - means God-with-us. When we believe that, we are never truly alone again. It’s in the dark that the light shines brightest. Please pray for our work; that we may continue to offer hope to all those who come to us.

Standing Order Christmas Appeal 1b. For regular donations by standing order, please complete both sides. Bank / building society name:...... 1a. For one-off donations, please complete this side. Bank address:......

...... Postcode:...... Full name...... Please pay St. George’s Crypt (HSBC, PO Box 105, Home address...... Leeds, LS1 1LD. Sort code 40-27-15, account number 54703537) ...... The sum of £...... City...... Postcode...... each month / quarter / year (please delete as applicable)

Email...... commencing on...... (date) and until further notice.

Telephone no...... Name of account to be debited:......

I enclose a cheque / postal order Account number:...... Sort code:...... (made payable to ‘St. George’s Crypt’) for £...... Signed:...... Date:......

2. Gift Aid Declaration Please claim Gift Aid on all donations I have made within the past four years of this date Signed:...... and all donations I make in the future. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and / or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my dona- tions in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. I understand the charity Date of declaration:...... will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give on or after the date signed below, or in the preceding 4 years. Please let us know if your address or your tax circumstances change. (Post your completed form to: St. George’s Crypt, Great George Street, Leeds, LS1 3BR)

3. GDPR Consent: Yes by post Do we have your consent to send you our quarterly Newsletter Yes by email and interesting updates about the Crypt? No 1111 Cooking up a Storm!

Recently our Growing Rooms come from often difficult and The volunteering not only gives brilliant residents, Luke and Neil, who challenging circumstances, succeeding experience, it also develops all the volunteer at our Nurture kitchen, and achieving. It's also brilliant for skills that people who have been out baked some pasties and a banana the people who use our emergency of work may have lost; time keeping, cake for our clients. acommodation to see their peers professional interpersonal skills and volunteering, training and developing many more. Growing Rooms is our drug and new skills. alcohol residential rehabilitation project. So what is already a brilliant The programme offers our clients By offering people ways to build a solid achievement of supporting our accommodation, group sessions and foundation we have the privilege of chefs delivering food across the city, volunteering opportunities. seeing them grow. Their achievement becomes much more. It is the first step also reinforces the potential for success to laying a positive foundation that will, Nurture is the food and catering arm for everyone who uses our service. hopefully, lead to secure housing and a of the Crypt, providing a platform of long-term job. training and engagement for clients to We work with a range of companies develop life skills and increase self- and individuals to offer work experience In these Covid times who doesn't want esteem and confidence. and job opportunities. We have a tasty home-cooked pastie and some successfully placed a number of people scumptuous cake?! It's great to see people, who have in a range of different roles.

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