Working at the heart of the city is just where Hereford clergyman Jonathan Coore wants to be.
The curate of St Peter’s Church in Hereford thrives on the ‘vibrancy and challenges’ of a city centre ministry, and has released his first book, The Shoe Shine Prophet.
Proceeds from sales will go to Open Door, a local charity helping those who find themselves homeless, inadequately housed or on their own.
The twice weekly Open Door at St Peter’s Church House offers a cooked meal and bottomless cups of tea or coffee, though Jonathan, a professional musician who moved to St Peter’s three years ago, believes the greatest draw is the warm promise of ‘friendly company’.
In his book, about loss, remorse, hope and redemption, the ‘shoe shine prophet’ listens to the stories of all those he meets, and there, so to speak, is the rub.
During Easter week, St Peter’s Church offered a shoe shine service for passers by – to symbolise the Bible story about Chris washing his disciples’ feet – and churchwarden, retired GP Dr Donald Langford found himself sharing stories with his customers.
“This was something that enabled people to stop and chat,” said Jonathan, who was inspired to introduce the shoe shine service by a theologian during his college days in Bristol.
“He mentioned in passing about two bishops shoe-shining outside the cathedral in Birmingham, and I got carried away by the idea – imagine the conversations you could have shining shoes.
“The important thing is the stopping and talking, and it’s amazing what people talk about.”
A married man with three children, Jonathan added: “It means getting down on our knees rather than bolstering ourselves up.”
When he enters a room full of people, he doesn’t head for the middle but chats with those on the edge.
“I always look out for those people, not to bring them into the ‘in crowd’ – I’m not into the in crowd – but to talk to them,” he said.
This sense of caring was developed during his early life in Birmingham where his mother ran a home for mothers and babies.
“My mother is the least judgemental person I know,” said Jonathan who realised his destiny at the age of eight. “When I left school I was advised to go and get some life experiences.”
He studied music in London, performing in all the capital’s major concert halls, and then went off to study theology in Bristol.
Thoughts of a rural parish did not grab him, and he seized on his city centre ministry at St Peter’s with enthusiasm.
“Hereford is more of a city than people think, it’s an urban environment with all the attendant vibrancy and challenge, and I very much like being at the heart of a city,” he said.
Plans are in the pipeline to make St Peter’s more accessible.
Jonathan added: “We want it to be open for prayer with a versatile space for people to use including the Youth Project. Rather than being closed we want it to be open to the city.
“People can feel they can come in to eat their sandwiches, or to find quiet from the noisy, busy world outside; it helps people to deal with the stresses and strains of life. We’re not here to convert, it’s a ministry in itself.”
The chairman of Open Door, Jonathan has a keen listening ear.
“Open Door is for lonely and disadvantaged people who have all sorts of stories to tell, people whose lives haven’t gone the way they want,” he said.
For him, Open Door is an important part of his ministry at Hereford. His sense of caring has taken him further afield to Rwanda alongside his churchwarden Dr Langford. Visiting a prison, Jonathan was amazed to meet a man who asked him to pass on his regards to a friend back in Hereford.