Birmingham 2017

“Bringing Hope”

Bringing Hope [http://www.bringinghope.co.uk/] is a charity based in Birmingham UK that works in prisons and the community with those involved in serious violence and crime. Our work is governed by a Christian ethos which we uphold by working with people of all faiths and none as we honour the spirituality of all. Families are at the heart of all we do. When we are in contact with someone in need of a second chance, we work with the other significant people in that person’s life.
During the Birmingham meeting we want to celebrate groups in the city, especially small and hidden ones, which are working for a better world. At the centrally located Church at Carrs Lane there will be a “Hidden Treasures Exhibition” with material about a wide range of groups, including Bringing Hope. The reception for the meeting, the information point/press centre, a Taizé bookshop, and a café (run by the Real Junk Food Project) will also be there.

“It enlightened me about hidden treasures” – those are the words of a man who took part on a course run by Bringing Hope whilst inside HMP Birmingham, one of the UK’s largest prisons.

Bringing hope to those involved in serious violence and crime; those who are categorised as ‘hard-to-reach’, ‘problematic’ and ‘marginalised’; those whom many believe are beyond hope, are motivators for the Bringing Hope team.

The charity believes everyone deserves a second chance. The man who went on the Bringing Hope course said: “It enlightened me about hidden treasures, of certain things I probably knew but I haven’t really put them to use. I’ve never really looked into certain things before coming on the course, I looked into certain things but I’ve never really seen it in this mind-set and how I see it now.”

The Bringing Hope team that goes into the prison is Revd Dr Carver Anderson and Revd Robin Thompson.

Another man who took the course said: “When I sat and spoke with them and as soon as they started speaking and I started listening to them. You could tell that what they were saying was from the heart and they were passionate about what they were trying to do and the good they were trying to bring into Birmingham. That was my first memory … I thought you are the kind of guys I could work with.”

Another prisoner said: “It feels like a cleanliness, a holiness especially when I shake Carver’s hand. I feel like he is getting it straight from the source and he’s telling me, so I’m intrigued and listening to every word he says.”

“Bringing Hope showed pride in my son,” says one mother. “Despite his crimes they see him for who he really is, they see what I see as his mum. This gave me hope.”

The Bringing Hope team believes faith, hope, love, and action are tools to be used in supporting those needing a second chance.

A poem written by the Bringing Hope team

Beyond the feeling into action
We walk our talk
We take ownership
Totally in
 
We walk our talk
Drawing together
Totally in
Seeking to understand others and an openness to learn
 
We take ownership
Pausing by still waters
Seeking to understand others and an openness to learn
Drawing together
 
Pausing by still waters
Beyond the feeling into action

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