The Greenwoods years / written by: Ronald Messenger.

"Too much of the worst suffering in our society is bypasses, ignored or misunderstood and therefore untreated. Christian compassion has often inspired a response to these unmet needs. This is the factual account of a remarkable story that began in a large psychiatric hospital in 1953 where Ron Messenger was plunged into the hazards of an untrained, part time chaplaincy. That experience as a member of the hospital team, inspired his vision of a Christian therapeutic community when he was called to take charge of Greenwoods, the Country Centre of West Ham Central Mission in 1965. Greenwoods developed as a safe environment in which an extraordinarily diverse community of people could work together finding their own value and a new path for the future. We meet many of these people in this amazing story. This book will appeal to all concerned enough to listen to the unheeded pain of others and especially to those in the service of healing, who stand at the crossroads of psychiatry, social work, counselling and Christian ministry."-- Provided by publisher.