An artist's impression of the finished Jesus Centre

Just three minutes walk south of the University of Sheffield’s students’ union, a handful of mismatched buildings covered in scaffolding sit behind a large purple sign, which proclaims “Jesus Centre – opening spring 2011”.

There is no further explanation. What the ‘Jesus Centre’ is and what it will mean for the residents of this area of Sheffield is unclear. In a bid to find out, Rosie Taylor speaks to an elder from the little-known faith group behind the centre…

Chris Smith, 57, is an elder of the Sheffield branch of the Jesus Army – a church which describes itself as a ‘neocharismatic evangelical Christian movement’.

A Christian since his university days, Chris joined the movement in the search of something “more demanding and all embracing” than his previous churches. He has been instrumental in the creation of the Jesus Centre in the Broomhall area of Sheffield, a project which has been rumbling on since 2008 but is finally due to be completed this June.

The Jesus Centre will act as a church for Sheffield’s 100-strong Jesus Army congregation but most importantly will be a café and community centre for local people and those in need. Open three days a week at first, building up to five as volunteer numbers increase, the centre will provide shelter and basic facilities such as showers and a laundry for those most in need.

It will also be open to the community and rooms will be available to rent – taking some of the strain off the nearby Broomhall Community Centre, which is almost at capacity.

“It will be somewhere where anybody and everybody can come,” Chris said. “It’s completely without prejudice so anybody can walk through the door, of any faith or any culture whatsoever.”

The centre will offer basic training in subjects like IT, as well as a drop-in centre where anyone can get help ranging from a shoulder to cry on to help filling out immigration forms or finding permanent accommodation.

“We are aware that some people can become too over-dependent on help given and not really help themselves, so one of our aims is to improve people’s capacity,” said Chris. “We will be developing people as well as helping them.”

Wearing a large, fluorescent orange crucifix, it’s impossible to forget that behind the kind actions of the Jesus Centre volunteers like Chris lie strong religious beliefs. But he insists the centre will not be a place for recruiting Jesus Army followers.

“Obviously we are a Christian church and one of our aims is to publicise Christianity, but we certainly wouldn’t push it on anybody,” he said. “It’s not our aim to push and pester, but our faith is clearly there and if people want to ask about that then they can.”

AJ Jackson, a 28-year-old who joined the Jesus Army in his final year studying at the University of Sheffield agrees.

“The services we will offer are quite broad, for example the IT training, but also on the side of that people can enter into the faith if they want,” he said. “We’re not there to force it on people but it’s evidently there and it will be accessible.”