A response to the Grenfell tragedy – 2 years on
Five years ago, I felt stirred to write a poem to mark the centenary of World War 1.
My Father was a welsh guardsman, so remembrance is a big deal for me (and it has been even more poignant since my Dad passed to pancreatic cancer 6 years ago).
It made me so aware that grief is as much real as it is tragic and we all encounter it in some way. It made me ponder the question how does God respond to suffering? During my walk through grief and remembrance I found the shortest verse in the Bible to be one of my biggest lifelines.
We also mark an anniversary today, 2 years on since the tragic event of Grenfell Tower becoming engulfed in flames, with 72 losing their lives. I cannot begin to imagine what that must’ve been like for the community, for those who helped so courageously and for the loved ones of those who are no longer with us. I also don’t know what they must be going through now, as the community are still searching for answers. But what I do know, is that when we weep, we don’t weep alone.
Two words that capture the heart of God, through His son Jesus. When he the saw suffering in this world, ‘Jesus wept’. May John 11:35 be a reminder that when we weep, he weeps with us.
Watch Grenfell
Permissions…
You can download this video to share in your church, school service or small group. It can also be used as part of a livestream or recorded service (over 20 minutes in length), but you are not permitted to upload it as a separate video on your socials.
A Spoken-Truth film, made by 2v Studios
A special thanks to Grenfell locals Caroline and Anita who were such a blessing in being apart of the film. Thanks also to Andrew Barnett of Latymer Community Church, and Graham Miller of London City Mission for your help and support to this project.
Credits…
– Poem by Dai Woolridge
– Performed by Storm Stanley, Paul Syrstad and Dai Woolridge
– Director of Photography and edit – Andy Toovey
– Sound – Joe O’Hare
– BTS – Dan Rogers
– Soundtrack ‘It is Well’ sung by Sound of Wales, recorded by Tim Phipps
Download Options
TIP – Try this if you’re having trouble downloading the video. Right click your chosen format and you’ll have an option to ‘save link as’ or ‘save target as’. You should then have an option to save the video to your computer and you’re good to go!
