Dundee Centre Of Mission

Dundee

Dundee is Scotland’s fourth largest city and has some of the highest rates of unemployment and drug-related deaths in the UK. Dundee Centre of Mission is growing new expressions of Christian community and inspiring mission and evangelism within the Scottish Episcopal Church. Its work involves offering food and friendship to people with difficult life circumstances, including people who are experiencing a housing crisis, those with substance abuse problems, and other vulnerable and marginalised people in the area.

Kerry Dixon Writes…

One guy, I’ve always known on the streets, had lived a very violent life. When I first knew him, he was in a partnership with a woman who prostituted herself to feed both their drug habits. They’d sold everything they had, down to the light bulbs.

Sometime later, this man came with me to an Alpha weekend retreat, and he encountered God and gave his life to Christ. But then he went back to that awful flat, his past life, fell off the wagon, and ended up stabbing someone and in prison.

We continued to support him, and he got clean – he became the poster boy for recovery – but out of prison, he fell of the wagon again, broke his parole and had to go back.

THE REALITY IS WE’RE CALLED TO KEEP LOVING AND KEEP ON SUPPORTING.

Recovery isn’t a straight line. People may fall 90 times before they can keep standing. But we remain committed to everyone in our recovery group, even to death.

This man is off drugs again now and we continue to walk alongside him. We don’t expect it to be a smooth journey, but we don’t give up.

Kerry Dixon, Dundee Centre of Mission

Kerry Dixon Writes…

It’s already tough here, even without the cost-of-living crisis. Dundee holds the unenviable title of the drugs deaths capital of Scotland with the highest drug-related death rate in Europe.

Poverty and unemployment are both factors.

IT’S DIFFICULT TO HAVE HOPE WHEN THERE’S NO FOOD ON THE TABLE. WE’VE BEEN RUNNING OUR OWN FOODBANK, CLOTHING BANK, AND DROP IN CAFÉ, FOR A WHILE NOW.

We’re giving out about 1280 meals a week. We have some regulars but there’s always new people. Recently we had a family come; the father collapsed and died from a heart attack and left the mum with two children and no financial support until the benefits are sorted. Others are on a state pension, and with the cost of utilities they can’t cope. You know we’re northeast Scotland – we make a joke about taking our tops off when it’s 14 degrees. It’s cold, and on a pre-payment meter warmth is unaffordable.

Most of us, if we had to live on the small amounts people have, we couldn’t cope. You know, they’re not even buying from the cheaper supermarkets; dinner is microwave meals from the pound shops, or the toasties for 20p from our café.

Kerry Dixon, Dundee Centre of Mission