AS A new training activity, some of the homeless people - or
clients, as they prefer to call them - who are helped every day at
St George's Crypt in Leeds (Ripon & Leeds
diocese) are carving these crosses (above) from
the wood of a redundant church pew donated by St Andrew's,
Epworth.
The 12th-century Epworth church, the home of Charles and John
Wesley when their father was Rector there, is in the final stages
of a £1.5- million restoration, and is replacing its pews with
chairs. The crosses will be given to clients, and made available to
visitors. Chris Fields, CEO of the Crypt, where 100 or so people
are helped every day, says that the gift of the pew provides a
great opportunity to do some positive recycling, and "to create
something which is a clear sign of our Christian principles, and to
introduce new skills to our clients."