The Welfare Centre

Before Simon had settled down, in his electronics career and family life, he had worked as a volunteer for the National Health Service. He continued as volunteer, and supporter, during his working life long after. He felt this place to be like a second home. The setting is a drop in centre, run partly by the Catholic Church and partly the NHS, in the Salestown town centre. He would make a 30 minute commute from his house.

Every Wednesday and Friday morning, when he attended, he would sit quietly at the back of the bus. Sometimes he would be reading, at others listening to music or looking at his smart phone. On his first day, he remembered doing none of these, but instead stared out the window in mixed excitement and anxiety.

The drop in centre is named after St Mary Magdalene. She is traditionally regarded as the woman of many sins, who eventually became Jesus’ beloved. Many scholars believe that Mary was the woman at the well, whom He pardoned for being in multiple relationships. There are also those who believe that she touched the hem of His garment and was healed. She was a desperate woman, like those who go to the centre. Simon was to work with some that were hand-to-mouth. Some had left their home, to live on the street. Some of these had no qualifications.

One of the clients, a 21 year old male named Davy Joyman, had attempted suicide following an overdose in his flat on the outskirts of Grandoaks city. The doctors had then given him a third diagnosis, on top of the two he already had. It was a further label to take around, to every new safe haven that welcomed him. Like the rumours about the sinful woman.

The first stone was cast on Davy on his induction to the centre. From living on the street he went through a glass double doorway, of a brick 1970’s style building with a number of different levels on the roof. It was very close to the centre of Salestown town, and walking distance from the shops. Then up a narrow flight of steps, with rubber edges for safe access, Davy walked with the hood up on his hooded top. He had been greeted by the centre manager, Patricia Leaf, who was a warm caring woman with curly black hair and a sheepskin jumper. She was the centre manager who then showed Davy to the diagnosis room, with a consultant psychiatrist called Julia Denbush. The three of them sat down, with Patricia and Davy the other side of the desk in a GP room style arrangement.

‘So Davy, how are you feeling on a scale of 1 to 10?’ Julia asked. She was mid-30s with long brown hair and very circular glasses.

Davy was struggling to concentrate, even on such a simple question. His gaze was very rarely fixed on the young doctor during this conversation. He had huge grey bags under his eyes, and was almost asleep inside his hooded top.

‘2’, he eventually said, rather abruptly. This was someone who had given up hope. Most of the day, he fantasized about being asleep. In the UK, a high rise and low reaching secular society, this is not uncommon. Many people do not know what it means to feel normal. Such as Simon Richer who, as a man of 30, remembered feeling the last time he felt the same, at that age, as a child of six. Davy continued ‘but I don’t think the diagnoses are fair. I don’t know what they mean. I just feel tired, but I can’t see how I think any differently to anyone else. Surely everyone has thoughts, feelings and emotions? Surely everyone is depressed from time to time?’

Julia changed her gaze from Davy, to Patricia, and then back to Davy. Patricia had only just met Davy, so didn’t know where she stood in relation to Davy’s diagnosis and they were little acquainted. Patricia dealt with this on a daily basis, and was very experienced. She also recognized that mental health diagnoses are often one person’s opinion against someone else’s.

Patricia wasn’t a religious woman, and neither was Julia. However, Davy was. Deep down, he was very much like Simon and Seth. He believed that it is the Lord’s voice that matters. That we are all His children and no label can ever mean anything otherwise. In a very abrupt tone, Julia’s next statement was ‘You do realise that you are on the SMI list, which means that we have diagnosed you with a ‘Serious Mental Illness?’ When she said this, she seemed nervous. It was like she was afraid of allowing her patient back into the community, and this was understandable. It is a mystery, to Davy and Patricia, as to the degree of trust the doctor had in the mental health system. It is known that the SMI list has so many people on it, and some people are on it for being diagnosed with conditions that have almost been created by the system itself. The doctor then continued, ‘I’m going to strongly recommend that you stay on the medication’.

Davy had no answer to Doctor Julia. How could he, when his thoughts were not his own? The reality of the situation was as follows. Davy had deluded thoughts, and went through periods of debilitating tiredness and insomnia. One theologian believes that there is very little difference between someone with deluded thoughts, and a sane person. This is because the thoughts are just thoughts, not differing in nature as a fundamental fact. Even if the thoughts make no sense, or seem much exaggerated or even outrageous. However, other symptoms such as extreme tiredness and anxiety are more tangible for an onlooker. But surely these aren’t a direct result of thoughts, even though they might occur at the same time. Davy was an intelligent person; therefore the thoughts he sometimes had could be summed up as ‘delusions of grandeur’. His illness was manifest in what is given the name of ‘functional’ problems. Still, the question still remained whether the thoughts were his own, because often speaking to him was not unlike speaking to someone else.

Patricia looked after Davy at the centre following this. She put her stone on the ground, as Jesus taught the crowd in the parable of the adulterous woman. From now on she imitates the Good Samaritan who didn’t walk on by when shown someone in desperate need. However, Patricia was not a religious woman. In fact, her understanding of morality had always come across from what could be described as a political point of view, rooted in what is known as ‘Common Law’. Common law influences Common culture. She could certainly not be blamed for this. Ideologies, like lines in poetry such as ‘see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil’. Simon and Seth always knew that this crossed over into Catholic doctrine. However Simon asked himself, in his time at the Welfare centre why it was that there are so many who do not know Jesus as a result of a diverse system of written and spoken beliefs.

Common law must be upheld at all times. It is a type of law that sometimes takes precedent over laws made by legislature or in official statutes. Many teach that all law, including that related to this, is from God. Procedures associated with welfare, politeness and social interaction certainly have their origins in law. They stem from ‘love thy neighbour as thyself’. Although individuals might not proclaim this, or believe that these are words from God that have a very mystical origin, by fulfilling the words they are certainly still God’s children.

The story now takes the reader back to Simon Ritcher’s first day at the centre. Having got off the bus, he walked past a number of clients in the smoking area. When Simon was 20, at St Mary Magdalene’s, he said the following prayer having recently decided to return to his faith. ‘Mary, tomorrow I will smoke another cigarette. Smoking is known to be detrimental to somebody’s health. This is the lifestyle that I have chosen, and will continue, unless you ask your Son to intervene’. It may, or may not, surprise the reader that this prayer was answered immediately. However, as a Catholic, Simon still reflects on the extent of his unworthiness before God. This is despite the fact that now he is very Christ like, and a successful business owner.

Simon went through the same double glazed doors as Davy, on his induction at the centre. However, he went past the stairs to a board room, on the ground floor. It has an interactive white board used by Patricia. The board room has a large, white wood engineered table in the centre with chairs surrounding. There are also white dado rails that outline the shape of the room, for anyone to use for a power supply. On the day there were refreshments, for hourly breaks, in the corner near the door. These included a large urn full of hot water, and glasses for orange squash. Simon made copious notes during Patricia’s presentation, which lasted until the centre closed.

The presentation was very informative, and covered all aspects of Simon’s voluntary role. He was to serve tea, coffee and biscuits, whilst interacting with people of very complex needs and different backgrounds. From the key points of the presentation, he instilled in himself that he was to not preach the gospel, but do so by witness.

Simon sat with 20 other people, who either currently worked there or were also prospective candidates. One aspect of the course was intriguing to Simon. It was part of the section concerning ‘being aware of surroundings, potential dangers and working alone’. Much of this part was very detailed text giving many theories and principles about staying safe whilst working at the centre. That intuition can be used, when deciding the best course of action, but also when being aware of someone who wasn’t of ‘right mind’. Further to this, that the way someone looks at you can determine whether they are someone who might be acting suspiciously.

It is intriguing that Patricia came from a very political point of view, whilst Simon saw these things in light of his Catholic faith. Of course he could not judge anybody, regardless of this, because he knew he was a sinner. He certainly couldn’t for anyone for being politically minded, as opposed to having a faith. During his time, as a centre volunteer, he prayed for people and situations when his intuition failed. He looked at each client in the eyes of faith, and in the eyes of his own suffering. Therefore, he looked at them with the eyes of love. Without suffering, there can be no love. Patricia treated the client Davy with a heart of love to allow him to be reintegrated into society over his three years at the centre. Eventually, she discovered that Jesus is this love. However, also that everything that He comprises is written down by his disciples. However, this points to something that is at the heart of everyone regardless of anything. A person’s soul, separate from the conditions of his or her mind, and parameters of an idealistic political or social philosophy or law. A person’s soul is begotten by God, or part of the Body of Christ in Catholic theology. It was made to have a relationship with God on earth, and to be happy with him forever in the next.

In Simons gap year, in which he gained work related skills before setting up his business, he saw Christ’s body in the eye of the stranger. In the weary gaze of the elderly and disabled, but then the Muslim, Jew and marginalized in the Grandoaks city streets. Just like the son of man, to unify and make disciples of the nations. For Simon, it is also to allow his mind to turn to Jesus so that healing can be allowed. Like the mountain that He promised could be moved, when Jesus was told of the lunatic without hope.

A bigger mountain existed in Davy’s mind, and the reader must be assured that it was indeed uprooted and moved within him. From having a triple diagnosis, he now has a place in society. Davy ended up working as part of the ‘Recycle, Revive and Relate’ scheme, one year following his discharge from the centre.