Unlocking God's purpose in you,
through meeting the needs of others.
"I tell you the truth. Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me."
Matthew 25:40
We have a passion to see every Christian having an intentional involvement with those living on the margins of society because as we look at the gospels that is what we see Jesus doing.
We exist for members of churches in Cambridge to connect with those in need and see transformation in those who give and receive.
The Besom in Cambridge started operations in late 2006. Cambridge is a city renowned for academic excellence and affluence, but its glossy postcard exterior conceals the lives of many people in real need. The Besom aims to make a bridge between these people and God’s church in Cambridge. There are all kinds of ways in which members and groups from Cambridge churches can get involved and make a genuine, lasting difference to people’s lives.
We never ask. We don't fund-raise or ask for specific items. When there is a need, we pray for God's provision.
Why are we called
"The Besom"?
The name 'Besom' derives from a broom made of twigs - it was the nickname of James, our founder, when he was a little boy.
About The Besom
The Besom was founded by James Odgers in 1987. Early in that year, James left the practice of law in London to go to Hong Kong where he served in a Christian ministry involved with heroin addicts. What particularly affected him there was not so much the absolute levels of human degradation and poverty that he encountered but the ever widening gap that exists between those of us who have and can give and those who are in need. On the plane leaving Hong Kong in September 1987, James wrote the original mission statement for Besom - that it should provide a bridge between those who want to give money, time, skills or things, and those who are in need.