Over the summer, we’ve spent some time sprucing up the place – a lick of paint here and there, shifting some furniture around, that kind of thing. We’ve created a chilled out multi-purpose space which will be home to our Job Club, Volunteer Training, and a new Young Parents group we’re hoping to launch soon.

Another area I was keen to develop was our entrance hall, so we removed the old posters and scrubbed the walls. Then we invited a talented young artist – Imogen Kershaw – to come down and work with young people in creating a mural, something eye-catching for when people arrive through the front door.

In keeping with the other murals around our Drop-In Centre, I was keen to make this one both relevant to what we do on the ground and who we are as followers of Jesus, so I gave Imogen the bible verse from which we originate:

 ^“I am The Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9″

Over the years many people have misinterpreted the name The Door (we often get called The Doors, or Open Doors) so I wanted to firmly mark Jesus’ words as the core of what we stand for.

We talk about The Door offering safe spaces for young people and their families to explore their lives and relationships, we want them to feel valued, to understand and then reach their potential. Jesus offers all of this when he talks about ‘finding pasture’ – somewhere to rest, be fed and be safe. These are the principles of what The Door stands for. Imogen’s mural perfectly captures the sanctuary of a safe pasture.
Furthermore, Jesus says that He is ‘the door’. We have to remind ourselves that The Door is not a place, but a group of people: as a Christian organisation The Door seeks to be like Jesus in all we do. We value Hope, Forgiveness, Grace and Prayer, four things which epitomise Jesus and what He offers to those who come through Him to gain safety and pasture.