By Rev David Foster, Manor Park Christian Centre
As Met Police Chaplain here in Newham, I have the opportunity to share a short relevant biblical message at our regular Police Breakfasts and then to pray for our guests, usually numbering about 36.
When the terrorist struck on Wednesday 22 March, they called to cancel. However, we let them know we’d still take the food we’d purchased to the main station in Forest Gate.
When we delivered the food, I was quickly ushered into the Acting Newham Metropolitan Police Borough Commander’s office where he said: “David, I hope you don’t mind me doing this, but…” …whereupon he grabbed me and gave me a big bear hug. With tears in his eyes, he said: “Thanks so much to all your catering team. You don’t how much this means to us!” We both stood together for a few moments, choking back the tears.
Many of the London Met Police who had been policing Westminster since the terror attack were from Newham. As hungry, tired police officers started arriving at the station from Central London, some of the police officers commented that the Police Breakfast had ended up having a far greater impact upon London’s Met Police than we had originally planned. For us it was a far greater opportunity than we could have imagined. God’s purposes and plans stood firm: “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (Psalm 33:11)