The Past
1999
Michael Cordiner (The founder of Eagles Wings), and his wife Fiona, started going on prayer walks around different areas of Dundee with a small group of friends. While doing these walks, they met people who were either sleeping on the streets or staying in hostels. Because of this, they started taking flasks of soup and sandwiches on their prayer walks.
2000
Michael believed that God wanted him to work with the homeless so in the summer of 2000 Michael left his job as a Microbiologist to work full time with the homeless. After leaving his job, Michael started going out in the centre of Dundee with food and drink three nights a week. He also helped at The Wishart Centre, a day centre for the homeless in Dundee.
In November 2000 the first caravan was kitted out and ready for use as a soup kitchen. At first the numbers were low, ones and two's and sometimes none but as the reputation and word spread we can now get as many as 20 a night. Since that first caravan we have had another two bigger caravans. The latest can seat 10. But even this is now too small.
2001
In May Eagles Wings was set up as a charity. By then we had 5 trustees and 6 volunteers to run the soup kitchen. During the day Michael would visit clients and he started to take a service in the Salvation Army on a Thursday morning.
The Present
Over the past few months, we have had enough volunteers to run the soup kitchen four nights a week. We are still running the soup kitchen from a caravan but have recently felt the need for a permanent building.
There are a number of reasons why we need a more permanent building. One of the main reasons is that the soup kitchen is often cancelled due to problems with the car or caravan or if there is no-one to tow the caravan.
Another reason for us looking for a building for the soup kitchen is because of the limited seating and space on the caravan. On a night when we have 3 volunteers and 7 clients on the caravan then there is very little space for anyone else. The volunteers also find the serving space very limited and as it is in the passage way to the door, people are always having to push past.
There are now 14 volunteers helping with the soup kitchen and we held our first volunteers meeting in April 2005. In June we are planning a day away at the Windmill Christian Centre in Arbroath for training and to discuss where the trust is heading. Bethany Trust in Edinburgh had a representative at the volunteers meeting and are keen to help the trust move on in any way they can. We are very grateful for their help and 20 years experience in the area of homeless work.
As we look back over the years they can see where God has had his hand in the work we are doing. There have been hard times and discouraging times but to contrast that there have been amazing times where God has undoubtedly been at work. A few of the clients have become Christians, giving their hearts to God, and though they still struggle with their addictions, there have been changes in their lives. Some of the clients have gone to Betel in Birmingham to gain freedom from their addictions. Unfortunately the longest stay was one month and they have all came back and gone straight back to their old way of life.
Michael still holds a service in the Salvation Army Hostel once a week and meets up with clients some afternoons. He has an office in The Attic Youth Project's community flat in the Hilltown area of Dundee. If we could get a base for the soup kitchen we would like to have drop in sessions in the afternoons and to run a Discovering Christianity course once a week.
The Future
In the long term, we would love to set up supported accommodation for people who have drug or alcohol addiction problems. Our vision is for a centre that is in the countryside, away from all the temptations of the city. There, men and women will be helped to come off drugs or alcohol,in a loving Christian atmosphere, and rehabilitated back into society.