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Stories of Hope: Heidi Bentley
In 2 Corinthians 1 verse 3 – 4 the Apostle Paul encourages Christians to comfort one another with the comfort they received from God when they were confronted by problems and challenges in their lives. Many Christians working at the frontline in the community put this to practice by helping and supporting people – reinforcing hope that they experience themselves. One such worker is Heidi Bentley a Street Pastor and Youth worker for The Lighthouse Group an organisations providing alternative education to young people who have been excluded from school.
“I have always worked with people whether they be youth, elderly, the poorer and also the richer people - people from all backgrounds and experiences. I always found that I could quite easily make conversation and identify with people irrespective of their backgrounds and I also found that I could encourage and motivate people to grab hold of the potential I saw in them.
It was this as well as a sincere, heart-felt calling from God, that led me to become a Street Pastor, and to work day-to-day with young people at risk of following a path that would have a detrimental rather than positive impact on their future. In both roles, I aim, with God’s help, to firstly provide people with alternatives in life – to show them that they can ‘live’ life rather than just survive it, whatever has happened before or wherever they have come from – and secondly, to support them in then making positive choices.
