"I was hungry and you gave me nothing to drink.  I was a stranger and you did not look after me.  I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."

These haunting words of Jesus are the organizing principle of the Newport Night Shelter: when Christians see people in need, they are commanded to act.  Failure to help the "least of these" is failure to serve Christ.

It all started with another project: a bus outreach to the city's vulnerable, run by Teen Challenge Newport.  Volunteers for this coffee house on wheels saw another need: there was no emergency night shelter in the Newport area.  Many of the homeless were forced to sleep exposed to the elements.  In the winter months, this was not only uncomfortable but also dangerous. 

In 2009, a small group of volunteers resolved to address this problem.  Despite having no previous experience of running a night shelter, they were motivated to act.  As Stuart Johnson, one of the project's coordinators, explained: "It was not, 'Can we do this?'  It was, 'We are doing this.'  There was no doubt in our minds; God had given us the vision."

Gweini is concerned not only with the way that churches in Wales make a difference to their local communities, but also to communities throughout the world.  (We are helped in this by Professor Hilary Thomas, our Specialist on Development issues.)

According to a follow-up survey to the Gweini study Faith in Wales, over 85% of Christian congregations contribute to relief and development work in other countries, mostly in partnership with other organisations, and most often in Africa. The bulk of their giving goes towards works such as disaster relief, poverty alleviation, orphanages, schools and wells.

"What matters most to older people living in nursing homes is that they're cared about, not just in the practical, but in the spiritual and the emotional. The Church is well placed to do this work."

This is the goal of a Swansea churches scheme to befriend elderly people in care homes. Through Adopt a Care Home volunteers from local churches will visit residents and simply chat and listen to them over a cuppa. And churches have been teaming up with social services to reach the most lonely residents.

Nick Andrews from Swansea Council Adult Services added: "People in care homes often feel lonely and isolated. Adopt a Care Home is a local joint effort to help improve quality of life in care homes. It's about offering more emotional care and treating people with dignity and respect."