HOMELESS charities have been given a much-needed boost for Christmas thanks to a book of thought-provoking reflections written during lockdown by former Methodist president Rev Jim Rea.
Mr Rea has already given a total of £6,000 to the Salvation Army, the Welcome Organisation and East Belfast Mission's Hosford House from the proceeds of Reflections from the Road.
"This is due to the tremendous support from those who have bought the book," he said, after presenting £2,000 to the Salvation Army men's hostel in Belfast.
"God willing in the New Year, when more money will come in from bookshops, it will be distributed in the same way.
"Let's remember the homeless and the good people who work for their benefit."
Another title, Stories from the Streets, which he published last year, raised £10,000 for the three homeless charities.
Reflections from the Road follows the same format as that book, with a series of short stories inspired by people Mr Rea has encountered during his ministry.
"I wanted to write stories that have a Christian message but which are also personal interest stories and can be read easily in five minutes," he said.
Mr Rea said he hadn't expected to produce a follow-up to Stories from the Street but that when Covid-19 lockdown was announced in March, he found that "being unable to leave home focused my concentration on writing".
"My central purpose in writing these two books is to share the truths of the Gospel through these true stories, and also to honour the memory of some remarkable people I have met - some of them well-known and some hardly known at all," he said.
Mr Rea, who founded East Belfast Mission in 1985 and whose ministry included spells serving in Belfast on the Newtownards Road and later the Shankill area, Portadown and Fermanagh, was involved in mediation during the Drumcree dispute.
He was among a group of clergy who met with senior republicans in early stages of the peace process.
This provides the setting for 'Sam and Gerry', one of the stories in Reflections from the Road, which centres on the contribution of Fr Gerry Reynolds from Clonard Monastery and Methodist minister Rev Sam Burch.
"Sam Burch had become a close friend of Fr Gerry Reynolds and he explained to me that the purpose of these conversations was to help Sinn Féin understand the fears of people living in broadly unionist loyalist communities," writes Mr Rea.
"At this time it was our understanding that politicians from north and south would not entertain talks with Sinn Féin."
There are more than 60 stories in the book, with titles including 'Burnley forever', 'My lasting memory of John Hume' and 'Rangers play better on the radio'.
One of the most moving stories is 'Amazing grace', which reflects on Gordon Wilson and his powerful example of forgiveness following his daughter Marie's death in the IRA's bombing of a Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Enniskillen in 1987.
Mr Rea got to know Mr Wilson - a tall man, "always recognisable by the large strides he took" - as a Methodist minister in Fermanagh in the 1970s.
"Only the Lord who called him home will fully know about the part he played in bringing peace to Ireland, the place he loved so dearly," writes Mr Rea.
"He was unapologetically an Irishman... he took large strides for peace."
Reflections from the Road by Jim Rea is available in bookshops, online and from the author, priced £9.95.
