Your Stories

by Irene Madonko

Fridays were quite ordinary for Daniel Amoah, 12, of Plaistow. 

After school, he’d normally watch TV or get busy with his games console. But one day three years ago, Daniel and his brother were kicking a ball on the grass behind their flat when a man called Hamza called to them from his flat window and suggested they play football for Glory House church.

Now, his Fridays are a lot more exiting since he joined the Glory House Football Academy.

‘I have made good friends, have good matches and the coaching is good,’ Daniel says. "what I’ve gained from coming here is the teamwork, to do the best I can. It is an opportunity to get on.’

Since joining the Football Academy, Daniel has had the opportunity to play against a number of professional academies, including Millwall and Arsenal. 

On Fridays, several boys in Newham like Daniel attend Glory House Church’s Football Academy, which now has between 700-800 members, comprising boys aged 8-16 years old.

The many churches in Newham are a core part of the community, where about 49% of people are Christian. There are approximately 400 churches in the borough.

Churches are doing more than preach the gospel – they are providing services and engaging with almost all sections of the diverse community to tackle issues that challenge residents.

Down the road from Glory House church, Sophie*, 22, from Uganda walks into Alternatives Crisis Pregnancy Centre, an organisation funded by the Memorial Community Church in Plaistow. Alternatives is a charity that helps women with a crisis pregnancy.

‘When I first came here, I was deserted, lost and confused. My partner was my [only] friend and my family. He said I should get rid of the baby. My GP referred me to a health centre in Forestgate for more information about terminations. By the time I got there I was in tears and so distressed, and the centre referred me to Alternatives,’ she recalls.

She chose to keep her baby and lost her boyfriend instead. When she was four months' pregnant, all her benefits were cancelled, and she was left stranded.

‘Alternatives were there for me all the way. They even gave me and my baby food and clothes. I recall the manager personally dropping off groceries for me during this time.’ Sophie’s toddler is now about two years-old but she still drops by the office to see the Alternatives team.

Alternatives was founded by Julia Acott in 1994 out of a response to local newspaper cuttings that one in three pregnancies ended in abortion. Julia’s church provided financial assistance to run the project, and they also have several volunteers from other churches in the borough.

These days they come across about 200 women a month, seeking some form of assistance from them.

Irvin and Ja - Stop Da Violence

‘We get a variety of women. The youngest has been 14 years old and the oldest 60. We have had women from over 60 nationalities and different faith groups: Christians, Hindu and Muslims,’ she says, ‘Churches in Newham have a real heart to engage with women of other faiths, and we’re keen to network as widely as we can in the community.’

On a Saturday morning in Plaistow, homeless people form a queue outside the Memorial Community Church for a full English breakfast. When the doors open up about 50 of them will come for breakfast.

Among them is Collin Kristiansen, 55, who heard about the breakfast from a friend. ‘When you’re on the street, something like this is like winning the lottery,’ he says. The project’s manager Lesley Wildman says although there were similar facilities already in place, she decided to set this up because of a need for a facility with an extra touch of love.

On Sunday in Forest Gate, teenagers like Jason Allen, 16 are heading towards the Arc church in Sebert Road, for the Stop Da Violence concert. They’ve been told to get there early because as soon as the doors open, the place gets really packed, and it’s hard to get a seat.

Indeed within less than an hour, the church is packed with hundreds of teenagers from Hackney, Walthamstow, Newham and elsewhere that have come to listen to music, watch performances and hear more about the battle against gun and knife violence in East London.

Community officers from Newham Police, teachers, parents and members of the community are also present. This night, the campaign is remembering two Newham teenagers, the late Charlotte Polius and Adam Regis, both 15, who were knifed to death.

Jason was a part of a 30-member gang that operates mainly in Croydon and Brixton, and the Arc’s campaign has had an impact on his way of life. ‘I heard about Stop Da Violence from a friend who comes to the Arc church. So I came along last year to the concert. I was armed with two knifes for protection – because of the type of trouble I was in,’ Jason says, ‘but when the pastor started preaching, I realised the seriousness of the message of carrying weapons.

"He encouraged us youth to pick a better path, and after the service I said – “that’s the end!”’  Jason eventually left his gang and is looking forward to going to college to study graphic design. His friend, Irvin Mukwenda, 18, from Stratford, has joined the Arc’s campaign.

‘So far this year I’ve lost four friends to violence here in East London, recently one girl got stabbed and bricked to death,’ he says, ‘what broke me down is when I asked them why they do it, they said because violence is a way of life. Through Stop Da Violence I’m able to express my message that young people need to stop the violence.’

The same Sunday evening in Manor Park, members of Agape Church are getting ready to serve homeless people dinner, a project the church funds. ‘At first the people who led this were preaching, but I stopped it and I make it very brief,’ says Pastor Ding Bolus, senior pastor of Agape.

 ‘What they need to hear is assurance of hope and love, not preaching. Most of those who come are now changing – they are becoming gentle and even help bring in chairs. They are showing us respect now,’ he says.

Stella and Rosalind

The many different dominations do not entirely work individually. Churches are working jointly on projects to benefit each other and society at large under the wings of Transform Newham, a Christian networking organisation representing over 50 churches in the borough. Interestingly, the churches are also taking a stand together against developments they feel will harm people in the borough.

‘Churches under Transform Newham are concerned about the proposal to build a casino in Newham,’ says Peter Watherston, head of Transform Newham, ‘We were approached by Grosvenor Casinos last November to find out what religious leaders felt about having a casino in Newham. Transform Newham wrote a letter in the local Recorder making it clear that the churches are totally against it, and it’s believed this statement was partly what made the mayor Sir Robin Wales set up a committee regarding the casino.’

So, what do people in Newham think of the churches? Stella Akinsiku of Forestgate says: ‘They are doing some good, but they need to do research and see how much more they can help the community.’

Rosalind Markby of Stratford says: ‘Their projects are a very valuable contribution to the health of Newham’s society, and if it were possible for them to engage in more projects their contribution to society would be increased even more.’

(Sophie* - Not real name)